3 o8 



NA TURE 



[July 24, i J 



processes of decay following on destructive lesions of the cerebral 

 hemispheres in man and some other animals, by M. A. Pitres. — 

 Report on the chief results of the Finnish Polar Expedition of 

 1SS3-S4, by M. Selim Lemstrom. 



Berlin 



Physical Society, June 13. — Prof. Lampe spoke on the 

 subject of a hypothesis respecting the formation of the solar 

 system set up by M. Faye in place of Laplace's hypothesis. 

 According to M Fare's theory, in the original uniform nebular 

 mass, vortices were formed which gave rise to the existence, first 

 of the middle planets, and then, ultimately, of the outer planets. 

 This hypothesis was advanced as an explanation of the fact that 

 the moons of Uranus and Neptune revolved in a direction oppo- 

 site to that of the sun, the planets, and the other moons, a fact 

 which was not accounted for by Laplace's theory. Only a brief 

 communication, howerer, had yet been published of M. Faye's 

 hypothesis, which, too, appeared to betray a number of lacuna?. 

 — Dr. Konig called attention to the investigations that had 

 hitherto been prosecuted on the subject of complementary 

 colours, that is of those pairs of homogeneous spectral colours 

 which, being blended together, produced a white appearance. 

 Regarding the number of such pairs contained in the spectrum 

 there had in all been three distinct experiments made — one by 

 Herr von Helmholtz about the beginning of the '50's, another 

 by Heir Schelske, and a third by Herren von Kries and von 

 Frey. Having described the methods which had been followed 

 in these different experiments, Dr. Konig proceeded to the 

 results that had been severally arrived at, dismissing, how- 

 ever, without further consideration those attained by Herr 

 Schelske as being all too defective in precision. Herr von 

 Helmholtz had found in the spectrum seven pairs of comple- 

 mentary colours for his eye, Herr von Kries thirteen, and Herr 

 von Frey, who had made use of the same apparatus as that 

 adopted by Herr von Kries, likewise thirteen. The results 

 represented in an arbitrary scale by the two last observers Herr 

 Konig had converted into undulatory lengths, and, as in the 

 case also of the results attained by Herr von Helmholtz, had 

 exhibited them graphically. By drawing up the undulatory 

 lengths of one spectrum as abscissa;, and those of the other as 

 ordinates. he obtained for the complementary colours of the 

 three observers certain points which, being connected together, 

 yielded a curve of the complementary colours. While now the 

 complementary colours were peculiar for each eye, the three 

 curves of the complementary colours were, on the other hand, 

 very approximate and similar to each other. Herr Konig 

 then brought forward a few more considerations on comple- 

 mentary colours for monochromatic, bichromatic, trichromatic, 

 and tetrachromatic eyes, demonstrating how, in the case of 

 monochromatic eyes, there could be no question whatever 

 of complementary colours. In the case of bichromatic eyes, 

 on the other hand — eyes, that is, distinguishing only two 

 ground colours, "colour-blind" eyes, as they were usually 

 denominated — the complementary colours on their graphic re- 

 presentation formed quadratic surfaces lying outwardly from the 

 neutral point. In the case of trichromatic eyes, again, they 

 formed two curves, as was deduced from the observations,'. while, 

 finally, in the case of the tetrachromatic eye, the complementary 

 colours likewise formed curves, the curves marking the percep- 

 tion of the separate ground colours ranging over the whole 

 spectrum. If, however, this last phenomenon was wanting, then 

 complementary colours appeared only when the sectional point 

 of the first and second curve corresponded with a shorter undu- 

 latory length than the region of the fourth curve, and the sec- 

 tional point of the third and fourth curve corresponded with a 

 longer undulation than the end of the first curve. If this condi- 

 tion were not fulfilled, complementary colours could not appear, 

 a fact which would seem to militate against the possibility of a 

 tetrachromism, that is of the existence of four ground colours. 



Physiological Society, July 4. — Prof. Munk spoke on the 

 extirpation of the cerebrum in rabbits. After a short historical 

 survey of Prof. Christiani's and his own publications on the 

 functions of the cerebrum, the speaker summed up the difference 

 between his results and those of Prof. Christiani in the statement 

 that in his most successful experiments, after removing the cere- 

 brum, he observed in rabbits, just as in other vertebrates, birds 

 and frogs, a state of depression lasting for a longer or shorter 

 period, to as long as several hours, a state in which they lay apa- 

 thetically, taking and keeping whatever position might be im- 

 posed on them. From this state they recovered to go through, 



with more or less 

 Prof. Christiani in 

 first stage, that of 



first of all, interrupted and apparently spontaneous movements, 

 which yet, however, on closer inspection proved to be reflex 

 movements. These, again, were followed by a quickened 

 reflex excitability, which finally was succeeded by compulsory 

 movements, a kind of running stage, which, twenty-four to fifty 

 hours after the operation, issued in the death of the animal. 

 Prof. Christiani, on the other hand, after removing the cerebrum, 

 in no case observed a state of depression such as that above 

 referred to, but his excerebrated rabbits all acted like normal 

 ones : they moved about, sprang, ran, &c, during the first twelve 

 hours at least after the operation, which he exclusively observed. 

 Prof. Munk then scrutinised the methods of the operation, 

 pointing out certain minute differences between them, which he 

 subsequently turned to account in explaining how the results 

 deviated so widely from each other. These differences in the 

 execution of the same operation consisted in the fact that he 

 (Prof. Munk) made the section at a somewhat further distance 

 (from about 1 to 2 mm. ) from the optic thalami than did Prof. 

 Christiani, and that he had made use of a knife while Prof. 

 Christiani used the handle of a knife to separate the cms cerebri. 

 In explanation of the phenomena observed, Prof. Munk, by 

 means of sections and searching examinations of the brains 

 operated on, established that the depression which at first ensued 

 was the direct effect of the removal of the cerebrum, and that 

 the succeeding reflex irritability and compulsory movements, the 

 latter of which lasted till death, were due to an inflammation 

 which extended from the surface of the incision to the cerebral 

 ganglia, and, quite in accordance with the occurrence of 

 the running stage, appeared sooner or later, progressed 

 rapidity, and ultimately caused death. 

 his experiments did not observe the 

 the exhaustion of the animal, which 

 resulted°from the extirpation of the cerebrum, but only the 

 second or running stage following immediately on the operation, 

 because in his procedure the severer irritation of the surface of the 

 incision, together with the bleeding, led at once to inflammation of 

 the cerebral ganglia, that in the case of Prof. Christiani's experi- 

 ments lay so much nearer the surface of the incision. — Prof. 

 Christiani in replying to Prof. Munk's address, rebutted the 

 battel's interpretation, maintained in all points the validity of the 

 results he had arrived at, and referred to a more complete publica- 

 tion, which was shortly to appear, in which he would prove his 

 assertions, as well as refute the objections that had been raised. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Construction of Ordnance 285 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Yarrell's " History of British Birds " 287 



Scudder's " Nomenclator Zoologicus " 287 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Krakatao. — Prof. Wro. Turner; Dr. Stanley M. 



Rendall 287 



The Laws of Volume and Specific Heat. — Samuel E. 



Phillips 288 



A Carnivorous Plant.— Commander Alfred Car- 

 penter, R.N . . . 289 



Phosphorescence of the Jelly-Fish.—R. Meldola . 289 



Fireball.— Henry Cecil 289 



Animal Intelligence. — Karl Pearson 2S9 



Munro and Jamieson's Electrical Pocket-Book. — J. 



Munro and A, Jamieson ; Prof. A. Gray . . 290 



The Greely Expedition 290 



L'Abbe Moigno 291 



The Composition of Ocean Water, I. By Hugh 



Robert Mill 292 



Ornithological Notes 294 



Utricularia vulgaris. By G. E. Simms, Jun. {Illus- 

 trated) 295 



Kansas. By G. Phillips Bevan 296 



Notes 298 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Brorsen's Comet of Short Period 300 



The Binary-Star Delphini 301 



Red Sunsets. By Alexander Ringwood 301 



The Theory of the Winter Rains of Northern India. 



By H. F. Blanford, F.R.S 3°4 



Scientific Serials 3°5 



Societies and Academies 3°6 



