NA TURE 



[Sept. 25, i J 



swallowing, as observation proved, the stomach took no share. 

 The cardiac and the pyloric parts were excitable in different 

 manners. The pylorus reacted strongly even on slow electric 

 stimulations of moderate intensity such as failed to induce any 

 contraction in the cardiac part. Contraction of the cardiac part 

 followed however more frequent stimulations. The act of vomiting, 

 at least in all the animals examined, was constantly brought about 

 by a swallowing movement. In the discharge of the contents of 

 the stomach, on the other hand, the oesophagus took no part what- 

 ever. The motorsat work were the abdominal pressure and the 

 movements of the gastric walls, and during the time the vomiting 

 lasted the cardiac orifice was open. The whole mechanism of the 

 act of vomiting was still, however, the subject of investigation. 

 — Dr. Jastreboff has made a particular investigation of the ques- 

 tion, important in practice, regarding the effect on the blood- 

 pressure of interference with different parts in the case of opera- 

 tions in the peritoneal cavity. He found that the blood-pressure 

 was raised by all encroachments of this kind, especially thai of 

 impinging on the intestine, and, most strongly of all, by a re- 

 frigeration of the intestine. In the case of a quick excision of 

 a warm tumour from the peritoneal cavity the blood-pressure 

 rose to quite a rapid rate, and the influence of ether was only 

 able somewhat to abate it. — In continuation of former experi- 

 ments on the movements of the vagina, Prof. Kronecker has 

 further established that they are not peristaltic movements like 

 those of the intestine, but that the vagina contracts, exactly in 

 the same manner as does the oesophagus, in sections which in 

 definite numbers (mostly three) and in definite series compress 

 themselves from the top downwards. A solution of continuity 

 in the wall of the organ in no respect affected the course of the 

 contraction. — Dr. Ratimoff has studied the effect of chloroform 

 on the heart and the respiration. In order to charge the air 

 with the vapour of chloroform a special apparatus was con- 

 structed which allowed an exact registration of the chloroform. 

 Air completely saturated with chloroform contained in every 

 case, whether the process of interfusion took place slowly or 

 rapidly, 30 cubic centimetres of chloroform to 100 litres of air, 

 and invariably caused the death of the rabbits subjected to it, and 

 that through paralysis of the heart. Such a mixture as produced 

 a complete narcosis of the animal, without affecting the heart or 

 the respiration, contained 5 "6 or 7 cubic centimetres of chloro- 

 form to IOO litres of air, a mixture which was able to maintain 

 the narcosis for hours at a time. In these experiments, however, 

 it appeared that the animals very soon got accustomed to the 

 chloroform, and if, for example, the narcosis was effected 

 at 'the beginning by a proportion of 5 cubic centimetres of 

 chloroform, the dose had subsequently to be increased 

 to 6 and 6k cubic centimetres in order to keep up the 

 narcosis. — Dr. Schapiro has investigated the effect of atropine 

 on the frog's heart, and lias found it analogous to the effect of 

 heat. The heart became through its application much more 

 accessible to external treatment than in a normal state, ami in 

 general its effect may be formulated in the statement that by 

 means of atropine the fissures in the frog's heart become widened. 

 — Mr. Aronsohn had formerly found that 073 per cent, solution 

 of ordinary salt was of altogether indifferent and unstimulating 

 effect on the nasal mucous membrane, and offered the best 

 vehicle for the introduction of smelling substances. He now 

 communicated that he had examined other salts, in particular 

 carbonate of soda, sulphate of soda, sulphate of magnesia, &c, 

 with a view to determining in what concentration they affected the 

 nasal mucous membrane with equal indifference as did 073 

 common salt solution. He found that for this purpose much 

 more considerable quantities of these salts were required. In 

 the case of sulphate of soda, for example, four times the quantity 

 that sufficed in the case of common salt was needed to produce 

 the same absence of effect. In such stronger concentrations 

 these solutions might take the place, either in whole or in part, 

 of the kitchen salt solution. — Dr. Heimann reported on a new- 

 method for the production of localised pressure on the cerebrum. 

 He placed an animal at the periphery of a round chest made to 

 revolve round its centre, caused it to rotate 300 times a minute, 

 and observed paralytic symptoms which passed away in a short 

 time after the end of the rotation. By experiments he con- 

 vinced himself that the change in the distribution of the blood in 

 the two halves of the brain produced by the centrifugal force 

 was without influence in this phenomenon, and therefore con- 

 cluded that it was exclusively the one-sided pressure of the brain 

 against the skull which caused the paralysis. To still further 

 localise this pressure he trepanned the skull at a spot where it 

 was known thai the part of the membrane of the cerebrum there 



situated was the centre for the movements of an extremity, fixed 

 into the opening a cork stopper, which of itself exercised no 

 pressure, and placed the animal in such a posture in the rotating 

 apparatus that the operated side was situated outwardly. In the 

 rotation the spot in question was now pressed against the cork, 

 and so paralysis showed itself in the extremity appertaining to 

 that spot. On the cessation of the revolution the movement of 

 the paralysed part was soon restored. These experiments could 

 be repeated at pleasure without doing any harm to the animal. 



Vienna 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences, July 17. — K. Laker, on 

 the first microscopic phenomena of coagulation of mammalian 

 blood. — A. Weiss, on a peculiar occurrence of calcium oxa- 

 lates in the epidermis of the organs of some Acanthacere. — 

 On spontaneous movements of vegetable dyeing bodies, by the 

 same. — Preliminary note on a peculiar solved yellow dye in 

 the flowers of some Papaveraceae, by the same. — L. Boltz- 

 mann, on the properties of monocyclic systems and of other 

 systems allied with them. — H. List, on the epithelium of the 

 cloaca of Scyllium canicula. — K. Zulkowsky and K. Lepez, 

 aid to the determination of the halogens of organic bodies. 

 — R. Benedikt and P. Julius, on a new resorcin-blue. — A 

 Nalepa, on the anatomy of Tyroglypha. — O. W. Fischer, con- 

 tribution to a knowledge of diquinolyles. — On two organic stan- 

 num compounds, by the same. — T. Habermann, on some basic 

 salts. — F. Berger, on the action of acetamide in phenylcyanide. — 

 S. Schubert, on the behaviour of the starch-granule if heated. — 

 G. Spitz, on some mixed ethers of resorcin. — K. Natterer, contri- 

 bution to a knowledge of dichloro-ether. — K. Auer von YVels- 

 bach, on rare earths. — Z. H. Skraup and O. W. Fischer, on 

 melhyl-phenantroline. — Z. H. Skraup, on a new mode of forma- 

 tion of phenantroline. — L. Szajnocha, contribution to a knowledge 

 of the middle Cretaceous Cephalopod fauna of Elobi Island on 

 the western coast of Africa. — K. Auer von Welsbach, contri- 

 butions to spectral analysis. — E. von Fleischl, on double refrac- 

 tion of circumpolarising fluids. — F. Sleinach, studies on the 

 renal circulation of the blood. 



CONTENTS page 



Modern Steam Practice and Engineering 509 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Anderson's " Catalogue and Handbook of the Archreo- 



logical Collections in the Indian Museum " . . . 511 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Barnard's Comet. — A. A. Common 511 



The Krakatoa Eruption. — Prof. C. Piazzi-Smyth . 511 

 The Sky-Glows.— T. W. Backhcuse ; P. K. ; 



Robt. Leslie 511 



The Diffusion of Species.— Dr. G. C. Wallich ; R. 



Scot Skirving 512 



Shifting of the Earth's Axis.— W. M. Flinders 



Petrie .• - ■ 5 12 



Salmon-Breeding.— Arthur Nicols ....'... 512 



A Sea Monster. — Alfred Morris 513 



Hail.— A. D 513 



The " Comma-shaped Bacillus, " Alleged to be the 

 Cause of Cholera. By Surgeon-Major Timothy 



Richards Lewis, M.B 513 



Forests in Coburg, Germany, and Russia 515 



Stone Hatchets in China. By Rev. Dr. Joseph 



Edkins 5'S 



Notes 517 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Figure of Uranus 5 '9 



The Lunar Eclipse on October 4 519 



Olbers' Comet of 1815 5'9 



The Comet of 1729 519 



Constitution and Origin of the Group B of the 



Solar Spectrum. By M. L. Thollon. (Illustrated) 520 

 The Migrations of " Salmo salar" (L.) in the 



Baltic. By Prof. And. Joh. Malmgren 521 



The British Association ; — 



Reports 5— 



Section A — Mathematical and Physical Science . . 523 



Section C — Geology $26 



University and Educational Intelligence 531 



Societies and Academies 531 



