NA TURE 



[June 26, 1884 



treatment of saccharine juices (two illustrations), by M. P. Cal- 

 libu ices. --Remarks on the Polar spots observed on the planet 

 Venus at the Meutlon Observatory, by M. E. L. Trouvelot.— 

 On the irrational roots in equations of the second degree, by M. 

 A. E. Pellet. — On the position to be assigned to the mean fibre 

 in curved pieces in the theory of resistances, by M. H. Leaute. 

 — Note on some colloidal compounds derived from hydrate of 

 iron, by M. E. Grimaux. — Chemical researches on the nitric 

 acid of the nitrates present in vegetable tissues, by MM. A. 

 Arnaud and L. Fade.— Description of a new and effective pro- 

 cess of soldering aluminium and using aluminium in the solder- 

 ing of other metals, by M. Bourbouze. — Account of a simple 

 process for purifying arseniferous zinc, by M. I.. I.'IIote. — Note 

 on the nervous system of Hyaliniccia lubicola, Mull., Eunice 

 torquata, Quatr., Lumbriconath impatiens, Clap., and other 

 members of the Eunice family, by M. G. Pruvot.— Researches 

 on antiseptic substances and the consequences resulting from 

 their use in surgical practice, by M. B. Ratimoff.— Remark-, 

 accompanying the presentation of M. Capellini's work on "The 

 Upper Chalk and Priboma Group in the Northern Apennines,'' 

 by M. Hebert. 



Berlin 



Physiological Society, May 16.— Prof. Waldeyer read a 

 communication from Mr. Hoggan of London, on an investiga- 

 tion upon the nerve-endings 111 the skin of the Polar bear. The 

 results of this investigation have already been published in 

 English. The preparations which had been sent over by Mr. 

 Hoggan were exhibited in the demonstration-hall of the Institu- 

 tion. — Heir Schmey gave a short account of an investigation 

 upon the alterations in the sense of touch which supervene in 

 the skin alter certain treatment. After having by several weeksj 

 practice fixe. I cl terminate constant for his "sensation-circles" 

 [i.e. for the territories on his skin which corresponded to a unit 



ion), he made experiments upon himself to determine 

 the influence of the fatigue of an extremity upon the sensibilitj 

 of the skin, further, as to the effects of the application of a 

 mustard sinapism, of a hyperemia produced by nitrite of amyl, 

 and again of pressure on the nerve supplying the particular 

 portion of skin experimented upon. He found among other 

 things that in the first stage of skin irritation by a sinapism the 

 sensibility of the skin was increased, in the second stage it was 

 diminished, and that pressure upon the ulnar nerve was followed 

 by a lessened sensibility in the area of its distribution. —Prof. 

 Kronecker described the experiments made by Dr. Markwald 

 to determine accurately the effects of Secalc comutum and its 

 various constituents, — the physiological effects of the following 

 preparations in particular, which are known in commerce and 

 have been introduced into practical medicine, were the subject 

 of investigation; these were Extractum Secalis comi 

 from various sources, Ergotinin, and Sclerotinic acid. All the 

 physiological actions, those upon the uterus as well as those 

 upon the regularity of the heart-beat, upon the blood-pressure, 

 and the haemostatic effects were investigated, in some cases indi- 

 vidually, in others collectively, on does and rabbits. The Ex- 

 tractum Secalis cornuti first raised the blood-pressure, which 

 afterwards sank to below the normal, and afterwards gradually 

 rose again to the normal height or to a little above it. The 

 1 resumption that a complex preparation caused the mixed action 

 was verified in subsequent experiments. For the ergotin pro- 

 duced in different degrees, according to the purity and g in. 



of the preparation, a more or less marked increase of the blood- 

 pressure, which was followed by a sinking to the normal level ; 

 whereas sclerotinic acid always produced a fall of the blood- 

 pressure, followed by a rise to the normal pressure. The pulse 

 showed slowings after the exhibition of ergotin, interrupted by 



f accelerated pulsations, giving rise to the impres- 

 sion that this drug elicited a periodic stimulation of the vagus. 

 This phenomenon did not occur after section of the vagi, and 

 was peculiar to this preparation. Satisfactory evidence of the 

 existence of haemostatic properties in ergotin could not be ob- 

 tained, though these were present in an eminent degree in 

 sclerotinic acid : the amount of blood that flowed out of a cut 

 artery in a unit of time after the exhibition of ergotin actually 

 increased to an insignificant extent, whereas it decreased very 

 considerably after exhibition of sclerotinic acid. Upon the con- 

 traction of the uterus the preparations sccale extract, ergotin, 

 and sclerotinic acid have alike a decided effect, but ergotinin, 

 which occurs in commerce in the form of a solution, was in this 

 respect, as well as in the other respects previously investigated, 

 sometimes inoperative and at other times uncertain. Rules for 



the therapeutical use of the preparations can easily be deduced 

 from the physiological actions above described, but it is to he 

 remarked that sclerotinic acid is very painful as a subcutaneous 

 injection. This is not the case with a solution of ergotin. Tin 

 results of the investigations were illustrated by Prof. Kroneclcei 

 by means of numerous diagrams of curves. 

 Vienna 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, May 23. — L. Karpelles, 

 on gall-mites (Phytoptus, Dug.). — L. Doederlein, contributions 

 to a knowledge of the Japanese fishes. — R. Wegscheidei* on 

 isobutyl-naphthalene. — E. Spiegler, on an acetamine of the fat- 

 series of high molecular constitution. 



May 29. — Anniversary Meeting. — The meeting was 

 in presence of the Crown Prince Rudolf by the Curator of the 

 Academy, Archduke Rainer. — The Reports of the past year 

 were re. el by the General Secretary, Prof. Siegel, and the 

 Secretary of the Mathematical and Natural Science Class, Prof. 

 Stefan. — Obituary Notes were read by the Secretaries on the 

 deceased — Prof. T. W. Gintl (Prague), Sir Edward 

 Sabine, Jean Baptiste Dumas, Joachim Barrande, Julius Schmidt 

 I Athens)", Adolphe Wurtz. — The Reports were also read on the 

 work done by the Prehistoric Commission and the Central In- 

 stitute of Meteorology by Prof. Stefan. It was stated in this 

 Report that the meteorological stations ncreased in number 

 during 18S3, ten stations being added during this year, and that 

 a registering anemometer had been set up on the summit ol 

 the Obir Mountain (2147 m.), which works regularly. — Prof. 

 Emil Weyr of Vienna University gave an address on the geo- 

 metry of the ancient Egyptians, dealing with the contents of the 

 papyrus, Rhind. 



CONTENTS Page 



Science and the Woolwich and Sandhurst Examina- 

 tions 1S0 



Professor Tait's " Heat.'' By Prof. Balfour Stewart, 



F.R.S 101 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Haas's " Beitrage zur Kenntniss cler Liasischen 

 Brachiopoden fauna von Stidtyrol und Venetien. — 



Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S 192 



Griffin's "Tricycles of the Year 1884" 192 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Chalk and the " Origin and Distribution of Deep- 



Sea Deposits." — J. Starkie Gardner 192 



A .Rhyolitic Rock from Lake Tanganyika. — Prof. 



T. G. Bonney, F.R.S 193 



Aseismatic Tables for Mitigating Earthquake Shocks. 



— Charles A. Stevenson 193 



The "Cotton-Spinner."— Dr. F. Jeffrey Bell . . . 193 



The Red Glow.— S. E. Bishop 194 



Light Phenomenon.— Major R. D. Gibney ... 194 



Atmospheric Dust. — Alexander McAdie .... 194 



Some Botanical Queries. — Ligus 194 



Primaeval Man and Working-Men Students. — W.G. S, 194 



Forestry. By John R. Jackson 194 



Rainfall of New South Wales 196 



Calcutta Botanic Garden 196 



The Extinct Lakes of the Great Basin 197 



Notes 198 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Oxford University Observatory 200 



Variable Stars 2 °° 



Missing Nebula? 201 



Geological Notes : — 



Triclinic Pyroxene 201 



The Brussels Museum and its Work 201 



Geological Survey of Belgium 201 



Geology of Finmark 201 



American Jurassic Dinosaurs 201 



Geological Survey of New Zealand 202 



The Austrian Geological Institute 202 



On Northern Norway under the Glacial Age. By 



Karl Pettersen 202 



A New Form of Spring for Electric and other 

 Measuring Instruments. By Profs. W. E. Ayrton, 



F.R.S., and John Perry, M.E. (Illustrated) ... 205 



University and Educational Intelligence 209 



Scientific Serials 2 °9 



Societies and Academies 2I ° 



