2l6 



NA TURE 



\_Dcc. 31, 1885 



the muscles helonging to the adjacent region, the part of 

 the cortex first affected was excided. The consequence was 

 that the spasm now propagated itself no further, but ceased 

 entirely. In the case, however, of tetanic spasms, the excision 

 of the stimulated part of the brain had no effect. In refutation 

 of the objection that might possibly be urged, namely, that in 

 the main experiment the excision of a determinate part of the 

 cortex was followed by an exemption from spasms in the 

 group of muscles belonging to that part, for the reason that the 

 excision caused a stimulation which induced a counteracting 

 excitation in the muscles in question, Prof. Munk adduced the 

 fact that he had observed the same result in animals that had 

 been tested in this manner eight months after the excision, when 

 there could no longer be any question as to a stimulation in the 

 part where the excision had been made. — Prof H. Munk next 

 communicated the observations he had made on pigeons from 

 which he had cut out the corpora striata. The conditions in 

 respect of the corpora striata were very different in birds from 

 those obtaining in Mammalia, seeing that in the brain of birds 

 the corpora striata composed the main mass, whereas in the 

 brain of the Mammalia they retired considerably into the back- 

 ground. If these were now removed on both sides from 

 pigeons, the pigeons yet acted altogether normally, and the 

 functions of all their senses continued unimpaired. With care- 

 ful attention for a length of time three deviations from the 

 normal state could yet, however, be remarked. The back of 

 the pigeons was curved strongly convex ; they never perched 

 either by day or by night ; and could never snap up a pea, how- 

 ever much exactness they showed in pecking at any pea laid 

 before them, seeing that in pecking they never opened the beak. 

 The animals had therefore to be fed artificially. In con- 

 sequence of these observations Prof. Munk conjectured that the 

 corpora striata were the seat for the combination of movements. 

 — Following up this subject Dr. Lehmann stated some pro- 

 visional results which, in conjunction with Dr. Baginski, he had 

 found in rabbits, in which the corpora striata had been injured. 

 The phenomena resulting under like conditions in pigeons had 

 not been observed. The investigation in this field was still 

 being continued. — Prof Liebreich gave a short sketch of a series 

 of investigations which had engaged him for some years, and 

 had led to the introduction of a new substance into the pharma- 

 copceia. He premised that the denomination "fats" would liave 

 to cover more than it had hitherto done, and not merely such 

 substances as were capable of decomposition in fatty acids and 

 glycerine. All substances, on the contrary, would have to be 

 conceived of as neutral fats, which contained sebacic acids, no 

 matter with what organic base these were combined. Such a 

 neutral fat was discovered by Herr E. .Schulze, in 1S69, 

 in the yolk of the fleece of sheep, and which consisted 

 of a sebacic acid and cholesterine. This cholesterine fat 

 of sheep's wool, or "lanoline," had been studied by Prof 

 Liebreich, as to the method of obtaining it on account of its 

 excellent qualities in the way of a salve constituent ; it \Aas 

 now being extracted from woollen hairs by means of a centrifugal 

 machine and had become an article of trade. Prof Liebreich had 

 next investigated the origin of this cholesterine fat, and, with 

 the help of the uncommonly sensitive cholestol reaction of 

 Prof Liebermann, had come to the conclusion that the chole- 

 sterine fat contained in the yolk of sheep was derived neither 

 from the sudorific glands nor from the sebaceous glands, nor 

 from the sebaceous texture of the under-skin, but was seated 

 exclusively in the hairs and in the epidermis cells. This fact 

 led, on the one hand, to the production of the substance as a kind 

 of manufacture, while on the other hand it induced a very ex- 

 tensive series of experiments respecting the distribution of chole- 

 sterine fat in the animal kinodom. The speaker found it in the 

 epidermis, the hairs and nails of men, in the hairs of all Mam- 

 malia he had examined, in the hoofs of horses, in the paws of 

 swine, in the horns of cattle, in the prickles of the hedgehog, in 

 the feathers of fowls, geese, and a large number of other birds, in 

 the plated sheaths of the tortoise ; in short, in all horned textures 

 which, with long and toilsome labour, he had examined. The 

 speaker had, in addition, found the cholesterine fat in the 

 kidneys and the liver of Mammalia ; yet it was not beyond 

 question that in these organs the cholesterine fat did not pro- 

 ceed from the blood, in whicli it was always present in small 

 cjuantities. It might be conjectured that it would likewise be 

 found in the intestinal canal, and generally wherever epithelial 

 cells occurred. The constant presence in all epithelial forma- 

 tions of a particular fat, which was there formed in the keratine 



cells, rendered it highly probable that the hairs of the Mammalia 

 and the feathers of birds owed their elasticity and pliancy not, 

 or at all events not exclusively, to the secretion of the sebaceous 

 or caudal glands, but to the cholesterine fat generated in the 

 horn cells themselves. The quality possessed by cholesterine 

 fat of not oxidising, or oxidising only under very rare condi- 

 tions, rendered it, as was very readily conceivable, most pecu- 

 liarly adapted for lubricating the skin and feathers. Beyond 

 the property of not becoming rancid, lanoline possessed a whole 

 series of other advantages distinguishing it quite peculiarly as a 

 salve constituent. It absorbed, for example, 100 per cent, of 

 water, and by so doing became a soft substance easy to the 

 touch, penetrating the skin with altogether extraordinary facility, 

 and after but a short rubbing into the cutis, disappeared from 

 view. Prof. Liebreich had already prepared into salves a great 

 number of medicainenlal stuffs by means of " lanoline," and had 

 made experiments with them which yielded entirely satisfactory 

 results. Lanoline, dark brown in a dry state, grew pale like wax 

 in light, and showed other qualities besides assigning it a place 

 between the ordinary glycerine fats and the wax kind of fats. 



Stockholm 



Academy of Sciences, November 11. — The following 

 papers were read and accepted for publication in the Society's 

 Journal: — Loisde I'equilibre chimique dans I'etat dilue, gazeux, 

 ou dissous, by Herr J. H. van't Hoff. — Recherches sur les 

 reactions chimiques dans le champ du microscope, by Prof. E. G. 

 Fatigoti, of Madrid. — Some remarks and experiments on fil- 

 tration, with reference to its bearing upon the process of transu- 

 dation in the animal body, by Drs. R. Tigerstedt and G. 

 Santesson. — H,ematodeptes terebellidis, une nouvelle Annelide 

 parasitique de la famille des Euniciens, by Prof. A. Wiren. — 

 On the constitution of some derivatives of naphthaline, by Dr. 

 A. G. Ekstrand. — On combinations of phenyl-textra-zol, by 

 Herr J. A. Bladin. — On the integration of the differential equa- 

 tions of the intermediate orbits, by M. C. V. L. Charlier. 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Tertiary 'Vertebrata of the West. By E. T. Newton. 



Palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of the United 



Kingdom 193 



The Depths of Alpine Lakes. By Dr. G. H. 



WoUaston 195 



The Cretaceous and Tertiary Floras of the United 



States, liyj. Starkie Gardner 196 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Coal-Dust Question. — W. Galloway .... 197 



Sunset-Glows. — W. Ainslie Hollis 198 



Iridescent Clouds. — Edward Greenhow ; T. W. 



Backhouse 199 



Ventilation. — Thos. Fletcher; W. Wilkinson 199 



Friction and Molecular Structure. — Col. C. K. 



Bushe 199 



The Longevity of Insects. — E 199 



South American Bird-Music. By W. H. Hudson . 199 



Forestry. By John R. Jackson 201 



Observations on the Recent Calcareous Forma- 

 tions of the Solomon Group, made during 18S2- 

 84. By H. B. Guppy, M.B., F.G.S. (Illustrated) . 202 

 Tracing a Typhoon to Europe. [Illustrated) . . . 205 



The Nival Flora of Switzerland 206 



Notes 207 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Effect upon the Earth's Motion Produced by Small 



Bodies Passing near it 210 



The Temperature of the Surface of the Moon . . . 210 



New Comet 210 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1886 



January 3-g 211 



Geographical Notes 211 



Temperature of the Surface of the Moon 211 



Symbiosis between Fungi and the Roots of 

 Flowering Plants. By Alfred W. Bennett . . . 212 



Norwegian Toadstools 213 



Scientific Serials 213 



Societies and Academies 213 



