4H 



NA TURE 



{March 5, 1885 



Glass made in a continuous glass-melting furnace is run 

 into moulds as with iron castings. The only precaution 

 that has to be taken is that the moulding material shall 

 have as nearly as may be the same specific heat and the 

 same conductivity for heat as glass. Various mixtures of 

 materials that are easily obtainable and not costly are 

 suitable, such as mixtures of powdered porcelain, glass 

 pots, metal turnings and filings, and such minerals as 

 heavy spar and magnetic iron ore. These are pulverised 

 and mixed in certain proportions, and then moulded in 

 the ordinary way. The glass being run into the mould, 

 the mould and its contents are heated up together, and 

 then cooled together, and, when cool, the mould is opened 

 and the glass removed. Glass may thus be cast into forms 

 which it would be impossible to produce otherwise. That 

 glass may thus be manufactured of great homogeneity 

 was proved by the clear ring of a large tuning-fork made 

 of the material, and in the manner described. Mr. 

 Siemens promises on a future occasion to bring this 

 matter again before the Society of Arts, after the com- 

 pletion of the works which he is now erecting for the 

 manufacture of glass according to the process last de- 

 scribed. As regards the other processes, the manu- 

 facture has increased in six years from 600/. to 7000/., and, 

 considering the very cheap rate at which hard glass 

 castings can be produced — viz. about $s. 6d. a hundred- 

 weight — Mr. Siemens feels satisfied that a large business 

 will be done, more particularly as they supply a want 

 which is felt on all sides ; and thinks that glass not being 

 liable to oxidation, as soon as it could be depended upon 

 as regards strength, it would be applied for purposes for 

 which metals, stone, and porcelain have hitherto been 

 used. 



THE PHYSIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AND 



OXFORD MEDICAL TEACHING 

 j" \\J E regret to learn that another attempt is being made 

 L to suppress physiological teaching at Oxford. The 



not-over-scrupulous foes of scientific teaching and research 

 have, we understand, distributed manifestoes by thousands 

 all over the country We hope, therefore, that the folldw- 

 ing statement will receive equally wide circulation. 

 Scarcely any of the well-known men who have signed the 

 statement are in any way connected with what is gene- 

 rally known as science ; certainly not one of them would 

 have signed it had there been the least suspicion that in 

 the Oxford Laboratory there would be any approach 

 to cruelty : — ] 



A decree to provide for the expenditure of the depart- 

 ment of Physiology will be submitted to Convocation on 

 Tuesday, March 10. The annual sum required for this 

 purpose is 300/., besides 200/. for the salary of the 

 Demonstrator of Histology. 



The arrangements for the organisation of a complete 

 system of instruction in the subjects of the first B.M. Ex- 

 amination and of the first and second Professional Examin- 

 ations of the Conjoint Board of the College of Physicians 

 and of the College of Surgeons in London are in progress, 

 and will soon be completed. The new Lecturer on Human 

 Anatomy will very shortly be appointed, and the Physio- 

 logical Laboratory will be completed and ready for occu- 

 pation by the end of the summer ; so that before next 

 October the University will be in a position to undertake 

 the teaching of Human Anatomy and Physiology. The 

 arrangements for teaching the other subjects in which 

 instruction is required by medical students are also in 

 progress. 



As, in accordance with the recent resolution of the 

 Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, Candidates who 

 have satisfied the Oxford Examiners in Anatomy, Physio- 

 logy, and the other subjects of the first and second Pro- 

 fessional Examinations, will be exempted from further 

 examination in these subjects, Members of the University 



will in future be able to complete their first two years of 

 medical study without leaving Oxford. 



The purpose for which the expenditure is required is 

 instruction not research, and no experiments upon the 

 living animal involving pain will be used for demonstra- 

 tion to students or instruction, with or without anaesthetics. 



It is, however, intended by those who desire absolutely 

 to prohibit such experiments in physiological inquiry, to 

 oppose the decree for the maintenance of the laboratory. 

 Energetic measures are being taken to this end. The 

 rejection of the decree would involve fatal consequences 

 as regards the above-mentioned scheme for the teaching 

 of medical science. The University has already twice 

 pronounced upon the issues now sought to be raised, by 

 votes taken in unusually full Convocations on June 5, 

 1883, and February 5, 1884. We, therefore, trust that 

 you will be good enough to attend and vote in favour of 

 the Decree on March 10, at 2 p.m. 

 H. G. LlDDELL, Dean of Christ Church. 

 J. France Bright, Master of University. 

 George C. Brodrick, Warden of Merton. 

 J. P. LlGHTFOOT, Rector of Exeter College. 

 David B. Monro, Provost of Oriel. 

 John R. Magrath, Provost of Queen's. 

 J. E. Sewell, Warden of New College. 

 W. W. Merry, Rector of Lincoln. 

 W. R. ANSON, Warden of All Souls. 



E. H. Cradock, Principal of B.N. C. 

 T. Fowler, President of Corpus. 



J. Percival, President of Trinity. 



H D. Harper, Principal of Jesus College. 



G. E. THORLEV, Warden of Wadham. 



Edward S. Talbot, Warden of Keble. 



William Ince, Regius Professor of Divinity. 



H. W. Acland, Regius Professor of Medicine. 



W. H. Freemantle, Fellow of Balliol College. 



JOHN Conroy, Christ Church 



Alfred Robinson, Fellow of New College. 



T. Herbert Warren, Fellow of Magdalene College. 



F. Max Muller, Corpus Professor of Comparative 



Philology. 



Bartholomew Price, Sedleian Professor of Natural 

 Philosophy. 



Henry Nettleship, Corpus Professor of Latin. 



James Legge, Professor of Chinese. 



J. Earle, Professor of Anglo-Saxon. 



JOHN Rhys, Professor of Celtic. 



T. H. T. Hopkins, Fellow of Magdalen. 



W. Lock, Fellow of Magdalen College, Sub-Warden of 

 Keble College. 



W. W. Jackson, Fellow of Exeter, Censor of Non-Col- 

 legiate Students. 



H. F. Tozer, Fellow and Tutor of Exeter. 



A. G. BUTLER, Fellow and Tutor of Oriel. 



AUBREY MOORE, Tutor of Keble and Magdalen. 



Robert L. Ottlf.y, Student of Christ Church. 



W. Mark BY, Reader in Indian Law, Fellow and Tutor 

 of Balliol College, and Fellow of All Souls' College. 



H. F. Pelham, Exeter College. 



THE MAXIM GUN 



MR. HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, the well-known 

 American engineer, has lately brought out a new 

 form of a machine-gun, which is attracting a great deal of 

 attention in military and naval circles. This gun is a 

 completely new departure. It takes the cartridges out of 

 the box in which they were originally packed, puts them 

 into the barrel, fires them, and expels the empty cart- 

 ridges, using, for this purpose, energy derived from 

 the recoil of the barrel. Of course it is necessary to put 

 the first cartridge into the barrel by hand. When, how- 

 ever, this is done, and the trigger pulled, the gun will go 

 on and fire as long as there are any cartridges in the box. 



