10 
Piutti has discovered a new test for the presence of wood 
in paper, namely chlorohydrate of o-Br-phenetidin, 
which tinges the woody fibres a bright yellow, while 
-cellulose, ordinary fibres of cotton, wool, silk and linen 
are unaffected. A large number of other papers on 
certain new organic derivatives have been published in 
the Rendiconto of the Naples Academy, partly under the 
authorship of Piutti, working in conjunction with Piccoli, 
partly as the result of work done in Piutti’s laboratory ; 
while a detailed study of the crystallography of certain other 
new organic compounds, illustrated by diagrams, is con- 
tributed to the Renxdzcontz del Reale Istituto Lombardo 
by Boerio. Papers dealing with the methylation of the 
indols, and the bases derived from them, have been 
contributed to the Aztz det Lincei by A. Piccinini, 
G. Plancher and Bettinelli. 
A geographical congress was held last April, in con- 
nection with the centenary celebrations of Paolo 
Toscanelli and Amerigo Vespucci. 
In geology, mineralogy, and paleontology, a number 
of papers have appeared, but these are chiefly of local 
interest. We may, however, mention G. Gemmellaro’s 
description of a new genus of brachiopods from the 
Sicilian #ysu/ina limestone ; Artini’s account of a mete- 
orite which fell in the Somali peninsula ; Bassani’s work 
on the ichthyofauna of the eocene limestones of Gassino 
in Piedmont; and Taramelli’s exposition of Schardt’s 
theory, according to which a large extension of the Swiss 
pre-Alpine rocks is to be regarded as a limb of the 
secondary formation which at one time covered the 
Alps much further to the south. 
Botany is represented by Delpino’s description of 
several new instances of myrmecophilous — plants 
furnished with extra-nuptial glands; A. de Gaspari’s 
contribution to the biology of ferns dealing with spore 
-dissemination, acarophily and myrmecophily ; L. Bus- 
calioni’s work on the origin of vascular elements in the 
growing point of monocotyledonous roots, and his joint 
paper with R. Pirotta on plurinucleate vascular elements 
in Dioscoreaceze ; and B. Longo’s researches on chro- 
matolysis in vegetable nuclei, and on the affinities between 
the Rosaceze and Calycanthacezx. 
A prominent place in the zoological literature furnished 
by Italy must be accorded to B. Grassi’s researches on 
the relations between mosquitos and malaria, which 
have formed the subject of several notes in NATURE. 
Suffice it here to say that these researches have led 
Grassi, with the co-operation of G. Bastianelli, A. Big- 
nami, and A. Dionisi to trace the further stages of 
the development of the malarial parasite within the body 
of the gnat Anopheles claviger, a work which must certainly 
result in facilitating the prevention of this dangerous 
disease in Italy. A series of papers on the mor- 
phology of Diplopods have been presented by F. 
Silvestri. The late A. Costa commenced an investi- 
gation on the reciprocal actions of certain animal toxins, 
based on the fact that the sting of certain Hymenoptera 
(Scodia) has the remarkable property of allaying the 
irritation due to a scorpion’s sting. P. Pavesi chronicles 
the capture of a fish (Coregonus Schinzii Helveticus) 
near the mouth of the Ticino, probably carried down from 
Lago Maggiore. L. Maggi has made an extended study 
of the comparative anatomy of the skull, tracing the 
homology and homotopy of certain bones from the 
ichthyosaurus up to man. 
Among physiological and histological papers, interest | 
attaches to Albini’s considerations on the nutritive 
value of whole-meal bread, which seem to demon- 
strate that this bread is inferior in nutritive matter 
to ordinary bread, besides having the disadvantage 
of containing an excessive quantity of indigestible 
matter formed of the harder parts of the pericarp 
of the grains. A. Montuori has investigated the 
formation of hemobilin. Golgi has noted two re- 
-NO. 1540, VOL. 60] 
NATURE 
[May 4, 1899 
markable peculiarities of the nerve-cell. Monti deals 
with the preservation of museum specimens, and 
with the pathology of nerve-fibres in anemia, in 
embolism, in congestion, in hydrzemia, in malaria, in 
poisoning, and in inflammation. The conversion of 
starch into sugar during digestion in the stomach is dealt 
with at some length by E. Oehl. Marenghi has studied 
the regeneration of nervous fibres in cut nerves; M. 
Jatta, the genesis of fibrin in pleural inflammation ; 
and D. Baldi has applied the Baubigny process to 
discover the presence of bromine in thyroids. 
Italian science has lost the following workers during 
the year 1898: Pacifico Barilari, engineer, for many 
years president of the Council of Public Works in 
Rome; Giuseppe Gibelli, professor of botany in the 
Royal University of Turin; A. Costa, the author of 
numerous papers on entomology dealing with Amphi- 
poda, Hymenoptera, and especially with Italian saw-flies ; 
Teodoro Carnel, botanist, of Florence ; and Dr. Eugenio 
Bettoni, director of the Royal Piscicultural Station in , 
Brescia. 
A condensed review, such as the present, would not be 
complete without some reference to the long array of 
papers—many of them of the greatest interest to spe- 
cialists—which want of space prevents us from enumer- 
ating individually, but which are none the less worthy of 
consideration. G. H. BRYAN. 
HIGHER EDUCATION IN PARIS 
Tp ee report of the Senate of the University of Paris, 
drawn up by Prof. Moissan, and presented to the 
Minister of Public Instruction in December last, gives 
abundant evidence of the excellent provision for higher 
education in Paris. It is gratifying to observe the im- 
portance attached, by State authorities in France, to the 
opinions held by eminent men of science on the subject 
of education. The record of a splendid year’s work 
which is here brought together is’ proof enough, were 
any needed, that nothing but good can result when men 
distinguished in science exert their influence on Councils 
responsible for the administration of education. 
On July 10, 1896, the new University of Paris was 
endowed by law with a large measure of autonomy. 
After the period of transition, which naturally followed 
the inauguration of the new University, the results of 
self-government have proved completely satisfactory, as 
the work accomplished during the school-year 1897-8 
amply demonstrates. Since 1896 new chairs have been 
established, new courses of instruction have been for- 
mulated, new laboratories have been furnished, and the 
provisions for practical work have been extended in several 
directions. The Senate has considered many questions 
directly affecting their relations with the students, and has 
endeavoured to interest the general public in the work 
and development of the University. It is recognised 
that the University should be a national institution, and 
that substantial progress can only be assured by an 
association of effort on the part of the whole body of 
professors and the public. ( 
Number of Students, &c.—The following table shows 
the number of students in the various faculties for two 
years, that especially dealt with inthe present report and 
the year immediately preceding :— 
1897-8. 1896-7. 
Faculty of Protestant Theology 95 &: 77 
Faculty of Law < ... 4607 ace 4549 
Faculty of Medicine 4495 5015 
Faculty of Science Pee eye 1243 
Faculty of Letters is .. 1989 1904. 
Higher School of Pharmacy ... 1790 1845 
14,346 14,633 
1 Rapport du Conseil de l'Université de Paris. (Année Scolaire 1897- 
1808.) 
