July 3, 1884' 



NA TURE 



217 



known even \\\ Russia for about two years, although 

 several notices of its medicinal properties have been con- 

 tributed to the Caucashn Medical Society. The know- 

 ledge and spreading use of this new drink in Russia dates 

 apparently from an investigation and paper read on this 

 new ferment product by E. Kern at the Moscow meeting 

 of the Imperial Naturalists' Society in 1881. 



Kephir is prepared by fermenting milk, either sheep's, 

 goats', or cows' milk, with what are termed kephir-grains, 

 the process taking place in leather bottles (Burdinks). 

 These grains are the ferment proper, the leather bottle 

 not being supposed to be absolutely necessary. During 

 the fermentation the milk becomes very much changed, 

 and at the same time there is a reproduction of the 

 ferment substance or kephir-grains, which is removed 

 after a certain stage of fermentation has been reached, 

 and after drying in the sun may be preserved, and serves 

 again to effect the fermentation process. Nothing is 

 known of the origin of this peculiar ferment. An analysis 

 of the grains dried at \<x? C. gave : — 



Water 



Fats 



Soluble peptone substances 

 Proteids soluble in ammonia 



, , ,, potash 



Insoluble ... 



3 "99 

 10 '98 

 1032 

 3°'39 



The insoluble residue exhibited under the microscope 

 an intimate mixture of yeast-cells, and the Bacterium 

 dispora caucasi a with a few Leptothrix and Oidium lactis 

 possibly as accidental. This 3311 per cent, of insoluble 

 matter seems to be the only active part of the kephir 

 grains. On preparing some kephir in bottles with this, 

 the product became slightly effervescent after twenty-four 

 hours, and contained a small amount of alcohol. After 

 three days the amount of alcohol and carbonic acid was 

 much increased. On making an examination of the fer- 

 mented liquid after one, two, and three days respectively, 

 the quantity of casein found was practically the same in 

 each case. But on treating the casein so obtained with 

 dilute ammonia and then dilute potash solution, in no 

 case was there a complete solution. An amount of 

 insoluble residue was obtained from the third-day ex- 

 periment of -22 per cent, of the casein, and which con- 

 sisted entirely of yeast-cells. From this is concluded 

 that the fermentation of the milk is entirely due to 

 Saccharomyces mycoderma, the Bacterium dispora cau- 

 casica not taking any part in the fermentation, and this 

 seems to be further supported by the fact that the 

 " finished " drinkable kephir will start fermentation in 

 fresh milk in the same manner as the kephir-grains. 



The Bacterium " dispora" which Kern noticed, and to 

 the action of which he ascribed the peculiar properties 

 of kephir, probably results, in quite a secondary manner, 

 from the employment by the people in the Caucasus of 

 the old leather of the bottles in which kephir has been 

 fermented. In this process in leather bottles the yeast- 

 cells are in contact with the leather, and to some extent 

 possibly grow or extend into it, so that they become modi- 

 fied physically, and the rapidity of fermentation is much 

 lessened. Any animal tissue which has become, as it 

 were, saturated or penetrated by yeast-cells is capable of 

 causing sugar solutions and also milk to ferment, and can 

 therefore be used in place of these kephir-grains for the 

 preparation of kephir. 



HENRY WATTS, F.R.S. 



~\\7 E regret to announce the death of Mr. Henry Watts, 

 F.R.S., the well-known chemist ; he died on June 

 30, of syncope from failure of the heart's action, after a 

 very short illness. 



Henry Watts was born in London on January 20, 

 1 Si 5. He was educated first at a private school in 



London, and subsequently attended lectures at the Uni- 

 versity College, London. In 1841 he graduated as 

 Bachelor of Arts in the University of London. In 1846 

 he entered the Birkbeck Laboratory of Chemistry, then 

 recently established at University College, as assistant to 

 his highly valued friend, the late Prof. Fownes, and in 

 that capacity was engaged in directing the work of the 

 students till the death of Prof. Fownes in 1S49, and after- 

 wards till 1857 under Prof. Williamson. In 184S he was 

 engaged by the Cavendish Society to prepare a transla- 

 tion, with additions, of the great " Handbuch der Chemie " 

 of Leopold Gmelin, a work which extended to eighteen 

 volumes, and occupied a large portion of his time for 

 more than twenty years, the last volume and the index 

 having been published in 1872. 



In 1858 he began to prepare a new edition of " Ure's 

 Dictionary of Chemistry and Mineralogy"; but finding 

 that this book, the last edition of which appeared in 1S31, 

 had fallen too much behind the existing state of chemistry 

 to be made the groundwork of a dictionary adapted to the 

 requirements of the time, he undertook, with the consent 

 of the publishers, and the assistance of a staff of con- 

 tributors distinguished for their attainments in different 

 branches of physics and chemistry, the compilation of a 

 new " Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches 

 of other Sciences." This work, in five large octavo 

 volumes, was completed in 186S ; but as additions were 

 required to keep it abreast of the continual advances of 

 science, a supplementary volume was published in 1872, 

 a second supplement in 1875, and a third (in two parts) in 

 iS79and 1881. 



Mr. Watts brought out three editions of " Fownes's 

 Manual of Chemistry," viz. the tenth, published in 1868, 

 the eleventh in 1872, and the twelfth in 1877, and also 

 part 1 of a thirteenth, in 1883. 



He held for many years the appointments of editor of 

 the Journal, and librarian, to the Chemical Society, 

 having been appointed to the former in 1850, and to the 

 latter in 1S61. He was elected a Fellow of the Chemical 

 Society in 1847, a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1866, 

 and a member of the Physical Society in 1879. He was 

 also an Honorary Member of the Pharmaceutical Society, 

 and a Life Governor of University College. 



He was engaged at the time of his death in writing a 

 new and abridged edition of the " Dictionary of Che- 

 mistry " ; he was also editing, in conjunction with Mr. C. 

 E. Groves, a re-issue of " Knapp's Technology," and the 

 thirteenth edition of "Fownes's Manual of Chemistry," 

 of which the second volume is left in manuscript. 



GEOLOGY AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 

 THE arrangements for the Geological Section of the 

 British Association are now well advanced, and 

 some idea may be formed of the amount of work likely 

 to be done. Several meetings of the Organising Com- 

 mittee have been held in London, at some of which 

 Principal Dawson has been present. From the list of 

 members of the Association to whom vouchers for the 

 meeting have been issued we learn that English geology 

 will be represented at Montreal by six professors — those 

 of Edinburgh ; Trinity College, Dublin ; University Col- 

 lege, London ; Victoria University, Manchester ; and Uni- 

 versity College, Nottingham ; and by Prof. T. R. Jones. 

 The Geological Society sends sixty of its Fellows, includ- 

 ing the President, Secretary, and six other Members of 

 Council. Many of the leading geologists of Canada also 

 are Fellows of that Society. The^Geological Survey 

 sends six of its members, and six or more who have at 

 1 me time been on the staff. 



The President of the Section is Mr. W. T. Blanford, 

 Secretary of the Geological Society, who will afterwards 

 represent that Society at the Philadelphia meeting of the 

 American Association ; the Vice-Presidents are Prof. T. 



