622 



NA TURE 



[April 26, 1906 



papers on questions of greater difficulty 01 of wider range 

 than the average of those now set. The other papers of 

 this part are, however, to be made easier than the present 

 average. The board hopes to include a paper on chemistry 

 ,ti the future. It is also considered to be desirable that 

 the examiners should be empowered to take into consider- 

 ation the laboratory and drawing-office work done by the 

 student during his course; but perhaps the most important 

 of the recommendations is that every candidate for the 

 mechanical sciences tripos, unless he has obtained honours 

 in one of the honours examinations of the University, must 

 pass a qualifying examination in elementary mathematics 

 and mechanics, which will be held twice a year. 



The special board for biology and geology has re- 

 nominated Mr. F. A. Potts, of Trinity Hall, to use the 

 University table at Naples for four months from April i. 

 Applications for the use of this table and for that at the 

 Marine Biological Association's laboratory at Plymouth 

 should be sent in to the chairman of the special board 

 (Prof. Langley) on or before May. 24. 



Dr. Haddon is giving a special course of lectures on 

 magic and savage religion on Mondays during this term. 



Prof. Friedrich Czapek, of the Prague Technical High 

 School, has been appointed professor of botany in Czerno- 

 witz University. Prof. Armin Tschermak, of the University 

 of Halle, has' been appointed professor of physiology and 

 medical physics in the Veterinary High School, Vienna. 



It is announced by Science that Adelbert College, 

 Western Reserve University, has received 30,000!. from the 

 grandchildren of Mr. Joseph Perkins, formerly a trustee 

 of the college. The money is to be used for a department 

 of sociology and a chemical laboratory. 



On Commemoration Day at Glasgow University on 

 April 18 the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was con- 

 ferred upon Mr. James S. Dixon, founder of the lecture- 

 ship of mining in the University, and Mr. R. E. Froude, 

 superintendent of the Admiralty experimental works at 

 Haslar. 



Although we are far behind other nations in govern- 

 mental recognition of the claims of anthropology, the uni- 

 versities, the older ones leading the way, are following 

 their Continental sisters in making it a subject of system- 

 . L r 1 • study by providing courses of instruction and establish- 

 ing diplomas and other distinctions. The Oxford committee 

 for anthropology has just issued the regulations for the 

 diploma and the list of lectures for the next two terms. 

 It is pointed out by the committee that not only members 

 of the university, especially those whose work will bring 

 them in contact with native tribes, will benefit from the 

 newly-established course of study, but also those already 

 in contact with native races who feel the need of extend- 

 ing their anthropological knowledge during their " long 

 leave." The schedule of lectures shows that although 

 no provision can yet be made for systematic instruction 

 covering the whole of the very wide field in even a summary 

 manner, students who present themselves are sure of find- 

 ing helpful and stimulating teaching in all the more 

 important branches of the subject: the chief omission at 

 present is the failure to include social organisation, usually 

 a crux for missionaries and the untrained generally, among 

 subjects on which aid may be sought. The secretary of 

 the committee is Mr. J. L. Myres, Christ Church, from 

 whom all information may be obtained. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



I ONDON. 



Royal Society, Flvunrv 1. — "' \ Furiher Communication 

 on the Specificity and Action in vitro of Gastrotoxin." By 

 Dr. Charles Bolton. 



An analysis in the test-tube of the gastric cytotoxin 

 obtained by injecting the rabbit with guinea-pig's stomach 

 cells has shown that it is a complex body. After a single 

 injection there is a great increase in the hamolvsin 

 normally occurring in the rabbit's blood, and after further 

 injections an artificial hiemolysin makes its appearance. 

 The artificial hemolysin is distinguished from the natural 

 hemolysin, because the former can be complemented by 

 guinea-pig's normal blood serum, whereas the latter cannot. 



NO. I9O4, VOL J$~\ 



There is also present in the immune serum a substance 

 which agglutinates the red blood corpuscles. Closely 

 associated with the appearance of this artificial hemolytic 

 immune body is that of an agglutinin which acts upon the 

 gastric granules, and also that of a precipitin which acts 

 upon the soluble proteids of the gastric cells. By repeat- 

 ing the injections these substances are found to be present 

 in the blood for several months. Whether they are one and 

 the same or distinct bodies has not yet been proved. 

 After several injections, and not less than about five weeks 

 from the first, a further substance appears in the blood, 

 which possesses an action upon the intact gastric cells. 

 In spite of repeated injections this substance disappears 

 from the blood in about four months. It is probably of 

 the same nature as a haemolysin, but this point requires 

 proof. 



The hsemolytic factor is only active against blood. The 

 actions of the agglutinin and precipitin are not confined 

 In the constituents of the gastric cells, but extend to other 

 proteids of the body. Whether there are separate 

 agglutinins and precipitins for different proteids, or 

 whether the same substances act upon all proteids, has 

 not been determined ; at all events, if the same bodies are 

 concerned in all cases, their action upon the proteids of 

 the stomach cells is probably greater than that upon other 

 proteids. Whether the gastrolysin itself is truly specific 

 remains to be proved. 



The few experiments that have been undertaken in the 

 case of the human stomach indicate that the human 

 gastric cytotoxin is identical in constitution with that of 

 the lower animals. 



February 8. — "Explosions of Coal-gas and Air." By 

 Prof. Bertram Hopkinson. 



The explosion of homogeneous mixtures of coal-gas and 

 air at atmospheric pressure and temperature is investigated 

 by means of platinum resistance thermometers placed at 

 various points in the explosion vessel. The vessel is of 

 dumpy cylindrical form and 62 cubic feet capacity, and 

 the mixture is fired by an electric spark at the centre. 

 Each thermometer consists of a loop of bare platinum wire 

 about 5 centimetres long and i/ioooth inch diameter, which 

 is placed in series with a battery of constant potential and 

 a reflecting galvanometer, of short periodic time, the de- 

 flection of which is recorded photographically on a re- 

 volving drum. On the same drum the pressure of the gas is 

 recorded. The arrival of the flame at any wire is marked 

 by a sharp rise in its resistance, and the rate of rise, when 

 corrected for the time lag of the wire, gives a measure 

 of the velocity with which the gases about it combine. 

 It is found that with a mixture consisting of one volume 

 of gas and nine of air the flame spreads from the 

 spark in a somewhat irregular manner, but at a rate of 

 roughly 150 centimetres per second. A thermometer 

 placed near the spark shows a sudden rise of temperature 

 to about 1200° C, after which the temperature remains 

 nearly constant until the flame approaches the walls of 

 the vessel. Wilh the rapid rise of pressure which then 

 occurs the adiabatic compression of the burned gas at the 

 centre causes the temperature there to rise to about 



tqoo° C, with the result that the wire of the thero teter 



generally melts. At a point near the walls the gas is com- 

 pressed to near the maximum pressure before ignition, 

 and the temperature consequently rises suddenly to 1200 C. 

 or 1300 C, and as there is little subsequent compression 

 there is not much further rise of temperature. Thus, in 

 consequence of the different treatment of the gas at 

 different 1 points in the vessel, differences of temperature of 

 500° C. exist in the gas at maximum pressure after an 

 explosion of this kind. That such differences must neces- 

 sarily exist after an explosion even in a vessel impervious 

 to heat does not appear to have been noticed hitherto. 

 These differences are rapidly obliterated by convection 

 currents, but their magnitude at the moment of maximum 

 pressure is such as to make it impossible to obtain an 

 aci oicic estimate of the specific heat from the pressure 

 record after the manner of Messrs. Mallard and I.e Chate- 

 lier. The work of these experimenters is not, however, 

 open to the chief objection that has hitherto been urged 

 against it, viz. that combustion yvas incomplete when they 

 measured the specific heat. The experiments here de- 

 scribed show that the combustion at any point is prac- 



