NATURE 
a7 

SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LoNDON 
Royal Society, May 4.—‘‘ On the Molybdates and Vanadates 
f Lead, and on anew Mineral from Leadhills,” by Prof. Dr. 
Ibert Schrauf, of Vienna. 
“On the Structures ard Affinities of Gwynia annulata, Dunc., 
with Remarks upon the Persistence of Palaeozoic Types of 
Madreporaria,” by Prof. P. Martin Duncan. 
The dredging expedition which searched the sea-floor in 
the track of the Guf Stream of 1868, yielded, amongst other 
interesting Madreporaria, a form which has been described by 
Count Pourtales under the name of Haplophyllia paradoxa, and 
porch was decided by him to belong to the section Rugosa. 
_ The last expedition of the Porcupine, under the supervision of 
iD. Carpenter and Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys, obtained, off the Adven- 
ture Bank in the Mediterranean, many specimens of a coral 
j which has very remarkable structures and affinities. The species 
is described under the name of Gwynia annulata, Dunc. The 
“necessity of including it amongst the Rugosa and in the same 
pemily, the Cyathoxonide, as Haplophyllia paradoxa, is shown. 
Having this proof of the persistence of the rugose type from 
the palzeozoic seas to the present, the affinities of some so-called 
anomalous genera of midtertiary and secondary deposits are 
critically examined. The Australian tertiary genus Cozosmitia, 
three of whose species have strong structural resemblance with 
‘the Rugosa, is determined to be allied to the Stawridz, and 
“especially to the Permian genus Polycalia. The secondary and 
tertiary genera with hexameral, octomeral, or tetrameral and de- 
_cameral septal arrangements are noticed, and the rugose 
characteristics of many lower Liassic and Rhetic species are 
examined. The impossibility of maintaining the distinctness of 
‘the palzeozoic and neozoic coral faunas is asserted ; and it is 
Memptl to be proved that whilst some rugose types have per- 
sisted, hexameral types have originated from others, and have 
Occasionally recurred to the original tetrameral or octomeral types ; 
fend that the species of corals with the confused and irregular 
septal members, so characteristic of the lowest neozoic strata, 
descended from those Awgosa which have an indefinite arrange- 
‘ment of the septa. The relation between the Australian tertiary 
and recent faunas, and those of the later palaeozoic and early neozoic 
in Europe, is noticed, and also the long-continued biological alli- 
ances between the coral faunas of the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean. 
**Remarks on the Determination of a Ship’s Place at Sea.” Ina 
Letter to Prof. Stokes, by G. B. Airy, LL. D., Astronomer Royal. 
May 11.—‘“‘ An Experimental Inquiry into the Constitution of 
Blood, and the Nutrition of Muscular Tissue,” by William Marcet, 
M.D., F.R.S. The results obtained from the inquiry which forms 
the subject of the paper are as follows :-- 
First. That blood is strictly a colloid fiuid. 
Second. That although blood be strictly a colloid, it contains 
Anyariably a small proportion of diffusible constituents amount- 
ing to nearly 7°3 grms. in 1,000 of blood, and 9'25 grms. in 
an equal volume of serum, these proportions diffusing out of 
blood in twenty-four hours. 
Third. That the proportion of chlorine contained in blood 
has a remarkable degiee of fixity, and may be considered as 
amounting to three parts (the correct mean being 306) in I,000. 
Fourth. That blood contains phosphoric anhydride and iron 
in a perfect colloid state, or quite undiffusible when submitted to 
dialysis, the relative proportions appearing to vary from 78°61 
per cent. of peroxide of iron and 29°39 of phosphoric anhydride, 
to 76°2 and 23'8 respectively, the proportion of phosphoric an- 
hydride having a tendency to be rather higher. 
Fifth. That blood contains more phosphoric anhydride and 
potash, bulk for bulk, than serum. 
Sixth. That a mixture of colloid phosphoric anhydride and 
potash can be prepared artificially by dialysis, and that the col- 
loid mass thus obtained appears to retain the characters of the 
neutral tribasic phosphate from which it originates ; it exhibits 
an alkaline reaction, yields a yellow precipitate with nitrate of 
silver, and after complete precipitation the reaction is acid. 
Seventh. ‘That by dialysing certain proportions of phosphate 
of sodium and chloride of potassium during a certain time, pro- 
portions of phosphoric anhydride, potash, chlorine, and soda are 
obtained in the colloid fluid very similar to the proportions these 
same substances bear to each other in serum after twenty-four 
hours dialysis. 
Eighth. That muscular tissue is formed of three different classes 
of substances; the first including those substances which constitute 

the tissue proper, or the portion of flesh insoluble in the preparation 
of the aqueous extract, and consisting of albumen and phosphoric 
anhydride with varying proportions of potash and magnesia ; the 
second class including the same substances as are found in the 
tissue proper, and in the same proportions relatively to the albu- 
men present in that class, but existing in solution and in the 
colloid state ; the third class including the same substances as are 
found in the two others, and moreover a small quantity of chlorine 
and soda, which, although relatively minute, is never absent. 
The constituents of this class are crystalloid, and consequently 
diffusible, the phosphoric anhydride and potash being present 
precisely in the proportion required to form a neutral tribasic 
phosphate, or a pyrophosphate, as the formula 2KO PO; can 
equally be 2KO HO PO;,. 
Ninth. That flesh contains in store a supply of nourishment 
equal to about one-third more than its requirement for immediate 
use, this being apparently a provision of nature to allow of mus- 
cular exercise during prolonged fasting. 
Tenth. That the numbers representing the excess of phosphoric 
anhydride and potash in blood over the proportion of these sub- 
stances in an equal volume of serum in the regular normal nutri- 
tion of herbivorous animals, appear to bear to each other nearly 
the same relation as that which exists between the phosphoric 
anhydride and potash on their way out of muscular tissue. 
Eleventh. That vegetables used as food for man and animals, 
such as flour, potato, and rice, transform phosphoric anhydride 
and potash from the crystalloid or diffusible into the colloid, or 
undiffusible state ; and it is only after having been thus prepared ~ 
that these substances appear to be fit to become normal consti- 
tuents of blood, and contribute to the nutrition of flesh. 
A final remark, and one which is worth consideration, is the 
fact established by the whole of the present investigation, that 
there is a constant change, as rotation in nature from crystalloids 
to colloids, and from colloids to crystalloids. 
**On Protoplasmic Life.” By F. Crace-Calvert, F.R.S. 
A year since the publication of Dr. Tyndall’s interesting paper 
on the abundance of germ life in the atmosphere, and the diff- 
culty of destroying this life, as well as others paper published 
by eminent men of science, suggested the inquiry if the germs 
existing or produced in a liquid in a state of fermentation or of 
putrefaction could be conveyed to a liquid susceptible of entering 
into these states ; and although at the present time the results of 
this inquiry are not sufficiently complete for publication, still I 
have observed some facts arising out of the subject of proto- 
plasmic life which I wish now to lay before the Royal Society. 
As a pure fluid free from life, and having no chemical reaction, 
was essential to carrying out the investigation, I directed my 
attention to the preparation of pure distilled water. Having 
always found life in distilled water prepared by the ordinary 
methods by keeping it a few days, after many trials I employed 
an apparatus which gave satisfactory results, and enabled me to 
obtain water which remained free from life for several months. 
The water had to be redistilled three or four times before it 
was obtained free from germs, and it was then kept in the 
apparatus in which it was distilled until wanted, to prevent any 
contact with air. 
Some water which had been distilled on the 20th of November, 
1870, being still free from life on the 7th of December, was intro- 
duced bya siphon intotwelvesmall tubesand then leftexposed tothe 
atmosphere for fifteen hours, when they were closed. Every eight 
days some of the tubes were opened, and their contents examined. 
On the fifteenth, therefore, the first examination was made ; 
when no life was observed ; on the 23rd two or three other tubes 
were examined, and again no life was detected ; whilst in the 
series opened on the 2nd of January, 1871, that is to say, twenty- 
four days from the time the tubes were closed, two or three d/ack 
zibrios were found in each field. Being impressed with the idea 
that this slow and limited development of protoplasmic lite might 
be attributed to the small amount of lie existing in the 
atmosphere at this period of the year,* a second series of expe- 
ments was commenced on the 4th of January. The distilled 
water in the flask being still free from life, a certain quantity of 
it was put into twelve small tubes, which were placed near putrid 
meat at a temperature of 21° to 26° C. for two hours, and then 
sealed. On the roth of the same month the contents of some of 
the tubes were examined, when two or three small d/ack vibrios 
* During the intense cold of December and January last, I found it t ok 
ap. exposure to the atmosphere of two days at a temperature of 12° C. before 
life appeared in solution of white of egg inthe pure distilled water, whilst as 
the weather got warmer the time required became less. 
