3 8o 



NA TURE 



{August 14, 1884 



substance in the formation of the animal tissues, by M. A. Mairet. 

 — On the permanent immunity from charbon of rabbits vacci- 

 nated with the attenuated virus of this disease, by M. Feltz. 

 Seven months after the vaccination six rabbits so treated and six 

 others were operated on with a strong preparation of the virus. 

 The six fresh animals all died of charbon, while the six that had 

 been vaccinated remained unaffected by the second operation. 

 But when again treated, eighteen months afterwards, they yielded 

 to the virus, and all ultimately perished. The author infers that 

 the operation preserves its efficacy in the rabbit not longer than 

 eighteen months. — Description of a filter which yields absolutely 

 pure water free of all animal life, by M. Ch. Chamberland. — On 

 the anatomical origin of spermaceti ; description of the so-called 

 spermaceti case, by MM. Pouchet and Beauregard. — Memoir on 

 the carboniferous measures of the Central Pyrenees, by M. L. Lartet. 

 — On the composition and quality of coal in connection with the 

 nature of the plants from which it has been formed, by M. Ad. 

 Carnot. — On the oxychloride of calcium, and the simple and chlo- 

 ruretted silicates of lime, by M. Alex. Gorgen. — On the origin of the 

 phosphorites and of the ferruginous clays in limestone districts, 

 by M. Dieulafait. — Account of the effects produced by a stroke 

 of lightning at Campan on July 24, by M. A. Soucaze. A house 

 near the telegraph station was entered through the closed door 

 by a living mass of flame, which, after a few seconds withdrew 

 by the same way without injuring any of the inmates or damag- 

 ing the furniture. — A hypothesis on the temperature of the zone 

 of the solar protuberances, by M. Tardy. The author suggests 

 that in this zone the hydrogen is rendered luminous by an atmo- 

 sphere of oxygen, in which case the temperature would be that 

 of the fusion of platina, while the temperature of the inner zone 

 would be still higher. 



Berlin 

 Physiological Society, July 18. — The conception that, 

 just as the chemical elements in status nascendi are characterised 

 by greater energy of action than in the ordinary state, so also in 

 the living organism the substances in process of generation and 

 development would exhibit a different or more intense action 

 than substances already fully formed, has been subjected to 

 an experimental proof by Dr. Falk. He first made an exa- 

 mination in the case of prussic acid. A dilute mixture of emulsin 

 and amygdalin, which yielded prussic acid both outside as well 

 as in the body, was divided into two halves, one being injected 

 by a syringe, immediately after the process of mixture, sub- 

 cutaneously or directly into the sanguineous channel of one of 

 the animals operated on, the other into that of the other animal 

 intended to serve the purpose of comparison, but not till 

 twenty-four hours after the process of mixture, and therefore 

 after all the hydrocyanic acid had become completely formed 

 in the solution. In both cases the phenomena of poison- 

 ing occurred, produced by the prussic acid. In the first case, 

 however, in which the prussic acid was developed in the 

 organism, the phenomena of poisoning occurred always at a later 

 stage and in a milder form than in the second case, in which the 

 prussic acid was administered when it was already completely 

 formed. The second substance examined by Dr. Falk was the 

 oil of mustard, which was produced from the myrosin and my- 

 ronic acid salts contained in black mustard. The experiment in 

 this case was performed in the same manner, and yielded a 

 similar result, as in the former case. Thirdly, an experiment 

 was instituted with hydroquinine, which was formed from 

 arbutin ; and here, too, the substance acted more weakly and 

 slowly when it had first to develop itself in the body. From 

 these experiments Dr. Falk drew the conclusion that sub- 

 stances in process of formation, or in the so-called status 

 nascendi, possessed no peculiar or greater activity than in the 

 ordinary state. — Prof. Kronecker spoke of a series of precau- 

 tionary measures to be observed in cases of saving life by an in- 

 fusion of common salt solution. He first described how animals 

 after severe loss of blood recovered in the best and most rapid 

 manner by introducing into their blood-channels a like quantity 

 of physiological common salt solution. In the case of infusions 

 of albuminous solutions, of serum sanguinis, and even of the 

 blood of another individual of the same species deprived of its 

 fibrin, there was, according to direct measurements, an invari- 

 able destruction of blood-corpuscles. With infusions of common 

 salt solution, on the other hand, blood-corpuscles were seen to 

 increase somewhat rapidly. Prof. Kronecker then proceeded 

 more particularly to lay down precautionary rules to be observed 

 in applying this agency to man. In the first place, the compo- 

 sition of the solution must be such as was most compatible with 



the human organism. It would appear that a solution of 073 

 per cent, exercised the least irritation on the human body, and 

 was therefore the most appropriate for infusions designed to save 

 life. The addition of carbonate of alkali, recommended by 

 some, had an injurious effect. Of great importance were the 

 velocity and pressure with which the infusion was injected ; both 

 ought to correspond with the velocity and pressure in the vein 

 into which the solution entered. The common salt solution 

 should, further, be disinfected beforehand by boiling, and the 

 air which penetrated into the reservoir while it was being emptied 

 must be filtered off by means of a wadding stopper. The injurious 

 effect of too strong pressure was illustrated by a comparative 

 experiment on two rabbits. — Dr. Krause reported some attempts 

 towards the experimental production of contractions of the vocal 

 chords. The possibility he had demonstrated on a former occa- 

 sion, by pulling forward the tongue and pushing back the epi- 

 glottis, of observing the vocal chords of dogs by daylight, 

 facilitated these experiments in a very considerable degree. He 

 applied a prolonged, weak, mechanical stimulation of the nervus 

 recurrens or vagus. A thin slice of cork having, by means of a 

 piece of catgut, been loosely wound together with the nerve so as 

 to exercise on it a continuous moderate pressure, he observed, 

 about the second day of the experiment, the vocal chords under 

 inhalation lie close to each other, and only under exhalation 

 form a small opening between each other. This continuous 

 closure of the glottis was followed, in about four to five days, 

 by a paralysis of the chords, which lasted to the death of the 

 animal. Sections showed in the first stages of the experiment 

 reddening of the nerve and infiltration of the surrounding tissue ; 

 later on were found inflammation and extravasation in the nerve; 

 and ultimately molecular decay of the nerve- fibrillar. The closure 

 of the glottis during the continuance of a prolonged moderate 

 pressure on the recurrens or vagus was explained by Dr. Krause 

 as a contraction of the laryngeal muscles, of which the stronger 

 sphincters of the glottis obtained the preponderance. That the 

 contraction occurred only the second day after the operation was 

 effected, according to the ideas of the speaker, in this way : 

 that the moderate pressure in the normal nerve produced no 

 stimulation beyond what caused the minimum of irritability, and 

 that only after the nerve had become inflamed by the pressure did 

 that pressure suffice to produce a contraction of the muscles and 

 to maintain it till the destruction of the nerve-nbrillae brought 

 about a paralysis. 



CONTENTS page 



The Report on Technical Instruction 357 



British Mining 358 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The International Geological Congress. — Prof. John 



McKenny Hughes, F.R.S 359 



The Volcanic Dust Phenomena. — T. W. Backhouse 359 

 Upon the Occurrence of Bacteria and Minute Algse 

 on the Surface of Paper Money. — Jules Schaar- 



schmidt 360 



Fireballs.— W. M. Flinders Petrie 360 



Museums. — F. T. Mott 360 



Measuring Heat. — Prof. J. Joly 361 



Circular Rainbow seen from Hill-top. — Consul E. L. 



Layard 361 



The Migration of Salmon 361 



The Trinity House Experiments on Lighthouse 



Illuminants. (Illustrated) 362 



The International Conference on Education . . . 363 

 The Voyage of the " Vettor Pisani." By Lieut. G. 



Chierchia and Dr. Albert Gunther, F.R.S. ... 365 



Pyrometers. By W. R. Browne 366 



The Agricultural Institute of Beauvais 367 



Is Salpa an Example of Alternation of Genera- 

 tions ? By W. K. Brooks. (Illustrated) 367 



Colonial and Foreign Reports 370 



Notes 371 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Next Minimum of Mira Ceti 374 



The Double-Star 99 Herculis 375 



The Water Supply Conference. By C. E. de 



Ranee • . . 375 



The City and Guilds of London Institute 377 



Scientific Serials 378 



Societies and Academies 379 



