ay 5, 1870] 
NATURE 
T5 
‘solid bodies, and yet retain the red blood corpuscles even under 
_ increase of pressure. 
_ M. E. LeFevre is engaged upon a monograph of the species 
‘ofthe genus CZythva, inhabiting Europe and its confines (including 
the Mediterranean region). As many new species have been dis- 
Beoyercd, especially in Algeria and the East, since the publication 
of Lacordaire’s memoir in 1848, M. Lefévre will be thankful 
tr the loan of specimens of new or rare species, and for any 
information as to their geographical distribution. M. Lefevre’s 
address is 28, Rue Constantine, Paris-Plaisance. 
WE quote the following from the Scotsman, of May 2 :— “tA 
correspondent writes: ‘In Inverleith Row on Saturday night, 
exactly at a quarter-past eleven o’clock, my attention was 
attracted by a sudden and strange brightness overspreading every- 
thing around. Instinctively turning my eyes upwards, a grand 
sight met my gaze. A meteor of remarkable size, brilliancy, and 
distinctness, was seen shooting from the heavens, from about the 
zenith, and descending earthwards in a southerly direction. The 
form of this interesting object seemed elliptical, and it was of a 
bright yellow hue. It had a clearly-defined apex or point, which 
was of a deep red colour, and appeared to glow and sparkle ina 
wonderful manner. The phenomenon was visible for about 
two seconds, and lighted up everything around me. The night 
was fine and clear, with a decidedly frosty air, and there was a 
light, steady breeze blowing from the north-west at the time.” 
On the same subject our Dunbar correspondent writes: ‘A very 
brilliant meteor was observed here about eleven o’clock on 
Saturday night. When first seen, the meteor had the appearance 
of a star of the first magnitude, As it approached, however, 
it gradually increased in size until it assumed the appearance of 
a ball of five or six inches in diameter, and changing its colour 
from a pale silvery white to a bright blue flame. As it still 
increased, sparks seemed to be emitted from the circumference, 
giving it the appearance of being surrounded with a peculiar halo 
of dense silvery rays. It continued in this state for a second or 
two, and then shot across the heavens in a southerly direction, 
the ball increasing in brilliancy as it travelled, and leaving behind 
it a long train of lurid-coloured flame. From the time it was 
first seen approaching until it vanished about five or six seconds 
elapsed. The night was clear and cold at the time.’ ” 
———<——— 
THE GRESHAM LECTURES 
HE Lectures (three in number) were delivered by Dr. 
Symes Thompson, during the past week, at the Gresham 
College, Basinghall-street. The first was occupied with the 
consideration of Cough, an account being given of its etiology 
varieties, and general principles of treatment. The second was 
devoted to Tonics; whilst of the third, which treated of Climate 
and Health Resorts, we give an epitome as likely to prove 
interesting to some of our readers. Dr. Thompson remarked 
that the Romans very early discovered the use of mineral waters, 
as shown by many of their relics being found in the neighbour- 
hood of such springs ; whilst at Wiesbaden, tablets have been 
found with votive inscriptions. Some of the more common 
ingredients of mineral waters were then described, and their 
chemical properties demonstrated, including carbonic acid, iron, 
sulphuretted hydrogen, &c. The properties of ozone were 
then discussed in connection with pure air, and the lecturer 
_ passed on to the consideration of climate and health resorts, 
and said that it was a great mistake to suppose that any 
particular place was the best for a particular malady, for there 
is no specific action in the air of any place; and the physician, in 
recommending a resort to patients, had regard to the kind of 
climate there found, a dry climate being suitable for most 
bronchial membranes, and a moist climate for the reverse 
state of the membranes, and an approximation to such 
different climates can be obtained in our rooms. Ifthe patient be 
feverish and excitable, he should be sent to an exciting varied 
climate ; or, if languid and torpid, not to a quiet, mild, uniform 
climate. These two kinds of climate are obtainable at the south 
of France ; for at Nice the climate is bright and exciting, while 
in the neighbourhood of the Pyrenees, at Pau, the atmosphere is 
very still, and eminently suitable to patients suffering from irri- 
table membranes. The great advantage gained by persons going 
abroad is no doubt the regular daily outdoor exercise, not obtain- 
able in the varied winter of our island, but foundin Algiers, 
Riviera, Mentone, Nice, &c., at that season. Together with exer- 
cise may be linked the advantage derived from breathing pure 
air. There are, however, many places in England where almost 
the same benefit may be enjoyed. It was the former practice in 
cases of lung-disease, to shut up patients in close rooms, with 
fire burning, all through the winter, the consequence being that 
they became like hothouse plants, and on the first exposure to the 
open air in spring all these advantages were lost. Acting on 
the same principle, consumptive patients up to 20 years ago 
were sent to Madeira. Three years ago the inhabitants of 
Madeira, wishing to re-establish the value of their climate in 
lung-disease, solicited the authorities of the Brompton Hospital 
for Consumption to send them out patients as a matter of 
experiment. Twenty patients were sent out, and only those 
who were likely to be benefited by the climate of Madeira, 
being all in an advanced stage of lung-disease. Of this num- 
ber I patient died suddenly, although up to the time of his death 
he seemed to be benefiting by the change ; 4 were worse ; 6 were 
stationary, and 7 were markedly benefited ; 2 very much benefited. 
This has been regarded by some as unsuccessful ; but Dr. Thomp- 
son was of different opinion, and thought it indicated that Madeira 
is a useful climate in certain cases. Since Madeira has been 
abandoned there has been a revulsion of feeling in favour of 
Canada as a resort for consumptives, but that this is no new 
doctrine is seen from the fact that the value of cold climates for 
consumption was advocated by Baron Larrey, Napoleon Bona- 
parte’s physician. There are disadvantages as wellas advantages 
in the most favoured health resorts; such as the dry, hot ‘‘ mistral’ 
of Nice, orthe dry, dusty ‘‘ brickfielder” of Melbourne,—winds 
which patients dislike as much as our east wind. Purity of air or ab- 
sence of dust is of very great importance ; and for this reason it 
is now the practice to send patients suffering from chest-disease 
for a long sea-voyage. It constantly happens that sick people— 
in whom the disease is far advanced—press their medical men to 
send them on a sea-voyage ; but in their case the remedy has come 
too late, and so it happens that the death-rate at Melbourne is 
exceedingly high—more than half the deaths being due to con- 
sumption. Dampness favours consumption; so that dry air is 
another desideratum which can be obtained at certain altitudes 
—so that in certain districts it is found possible to resort to 
mountain-tops, where consumption does not occur. In the 
neighbourhood of the equator the so-called ‘‘immunity-level” is 
at a height of 9,000 feet ; at Algiers, 6,000 feet ; at London, 3,000 
feet. The chief resorts in Europe are the Swiss mountains, 
where English people often go to spend the winter, in perpetual 
snow, but yet in anatmosphere so pure and clear that the most 
delicate invalids can go out in theopen air. In Norway, Russia, 
&c., the immunity-level is only 1,000 feet above the sea. 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
THE May number of the Journal of Botany, British and 
Foreign, commences with the first part of a Clavis 
Agaricinorum by the well-known fungologist, Mr. Worthington 
Smith. The general classification of the Agarics adopted by 
Fries and Berkeley is followed ; but several new sub-genera are 
proposed. An ingenious tabular view accompanies the paper, 
presenting the salient features of the series and sub-genera of 
this vast genus at a glance. Dr. Seemann continues his 
revision of the natural order Bignontacee ; while the Hon. J. 
L. Warren contributes a paper on a sub-division of Rubus, 
a most intricate genus, to which he has paid special attention ; 
and Dr. H. Trimen a description of a new British Cad/itriche. 
Other short notes and notices fill up the number, which maintains 
the interest for British botanists especially, promised on the 
commencement of the new series. 
The Revue des Cours Scientifigues for April 23rd contains a 
report of an interesting address delivered before the University 
of Berlin, by M. du Bois Reymond on the Organisation of Uni- 
versities ; the conclusion of Fotherly’s address to the Hunterian 
Society, and report of a lecture by M. Claude Bernard, on Suf- 
focation by Charcoal. The number for April 30th is entirely 
occupied by M. Bouley’s lecture at the Sorbonne, on Madness, 
and the conclusion of M. Bernard’s lecture. 
