Oct. 14, 1836] 
Lendenfeld, studies on Sponges: (1) the vestibule of Dendrilla 
cavernosa, sp.n. ; (2) on Raphyrus luxonii, a new gigantic 
species from Port Jackson ; (3) Ha/me tingens ; (4) two cases of 
mimicry in Sponges (plates 39-43).—On recent changes in the 
forest flora of the interior of New South Wales; notes how 
the Pine Scrub (Callitris) rapidly supersedes the angiospermatous 
trees. The larva of a beetle (Deadoscus erythrurus) in part 
keeps the pine in check ; drought seems favourable to the de- 
velopment of the beetle, or at least, by affecting the vegetation 
of the pine, enable its ravages to be more felt.—On the Aus- 
tralian fresh-water Rhizopoda.—On an Alga forming a pseudo- 
morph of a siliceous Sponge.—On the dorsal papille of 
Onchidium.—Fourth addendum to the Australian Hydromedusz. 
—E. P. Ramsay and J. Douglas-Ogilby, descriptions of many 
new or rare fishes.—George Masters, catalogue of the de- 
scribed Coleoptera of Australia, part 2.—N. de Miklouho- 
Maclay and Wm. Macleay, the Plagiostomata of the Pacific, 
part 3 (plates 45, 46).—A. Sidney Olliff: Trogositidze of Aus- 
tralia. —On a new species of Chrysophanus.—On Australian 
Ptinide.—W. A. Haswell, on some Australian Polycheeta, 
part 1 (plates 50-55).—E. Meyrick, Australian Micro-Lepido- 
ptera.—J. Brazier, a new Ochidium.—New land and fresh- 
water Mollusca from New Guinea. 
Second series, vol. i. part 1, with 6 plates (May 25, 1886).— 
E. P. Ramsay and J. Douglas-Ogilby, descriptions of new 
Australian fishes; new species of fish from New Guinea; a 
new Coris from the New Hebrides.—E. P. Ramsay, on a new 
genus and species of fresh-water tortoise from the Fly River, 
New Guinea (plates 3-6).—George Masters, catalogue of Aus- 
tralian Coleoptera, part 3.—F. Ratte, Crioceras australe, 
Moore (?), a Lower Cretaceous fossil from Queensland (plates 1, 
2).—Wm. Macleay, the insects of the Fly River, New Guinea. 
-—C. W. de Vis, on some Geckos in the Queensland Museum. 
—A. S. Olliff, on a new Aphanipterous insect from New South 
Wales.—Wm. A. Haswell, on the myology of Petawrista 
taguansides.—Capt. F. W. Hutton, the Mollusca of the Pareora 
and Oamaru systems of New Zealand. 
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, vol. ii. parts 
I and 2, June 1886, contain, among others :—W. E. Armit, 
notes on the philology of the islands adjacent to the south- 
eastern extremity of New Guinea (pp. 2-12), and on the 
Papuans (pp. 78-116).—C. W. De Vis, on the bones and teeth 
of a large extinct lizard (pp. 25-31, plates I-3),—On an extinct 
Ornithorhynchus (pp. 35-40, plate 4).—On some new species of 
Salarias, and on a new species and genus of lizard (pp. 56-61). 
—On afossil Saurian (pp. 181-192, plates 10-15).— Henry Tryon, 
on Queensland harvesting-ants.—W. A. Tully, short account of 
the measurement of the base-line in connection with the trigono- 
metrical survey of Queensland.—Baron yon Miiller, on a new 
tiliaceous tree (Z/eocarpus Bancroftit) from North Eastern 
Australia. 
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania for 1885 (Tas- 
mania, 1886).—From the records of the Proceedings it is inter- 
esting to learn that, though the Society has lost the exclusive 
control over the Museum and Gardens, which now are managed 
by trustees, some of whom are elected by the Society, yet the 
work of the Society continues to develop, and its library to 
increase. This volume is accompanied by a sketch-map, 
coloured, giving the general geological features of Tasmania, 
by C. P. Sprent and R. M. Johnston; anda geological chart, 
by Mr. Johnston, showing the proposed provisional classification 
of the stratified rocks of Tasmania and their equivalents else- 
where.—Among the more important papers we note the fol- 
lowing :—R. M. Johnston, various memoirs on the geology and 
paleontology of ‘Tasmania.—R. A. Bastow, on the mosses and 
Jungermania of Tasmania.—W. F. Pettard, new Tasmanian 
marine shells.—Baron F, von Miiller, notes on J. J. H. de 
Labillardiere (with: a portrait)—Capt. Shortt, earthquake- 
phenomena in Tasmania.—T. Stevens, on boring for coal in 
‘Tasmania. 
ON THE OCCURRENCE OF CELLULOSE IN 
TUBERCULOSIS 
ELLULOSE, the principal constituent of the vegetable 
cell-wall, has been found to occur also in some animals ; 
the mantle of Phal/usta mamillaris and of Cynthia, and the exter- 
nal coat of Salpa consist mainly of tunicin, or animal cellulose. 
Now a further very valuable contribution to our knowledge of the 
occurrence of this body has been made in Vienna by Herr Ernst 
NATURE 
581 
Freund, working at Prof. E. Ludwig’s laboratory. Freund has 
succeeded in preparing from some of the organs and blood of 
tuberculous persons a substance exactly resembling cellulose, 
and showing all the reactions which have hitherto been described 
as peculiar to the latter. The reactions employed were the 
following :—(1) Conversion of cellulose when dissolved in 
concentrated sulphuric acid into dextroe on boiling with 
dilute sulphuric acid ; (2) resistance if treated with Schultze’s 
reagent, a mixture of nitric acid and chlorate of potas- 
sium ; (3) yielding of a collodion-like mass by the action of 
nitric acid and ether ; (4) assuming a blue colour by the action 
of iodine in presence of concentrated sulphuric acid or chloride 
of zinc solution ; (5) assuming a violet colour by the action of 
a naphthol when dissolved in concentrated sulphuric acid 
(Molisch’s reaction) ; (6) insolubility in common (indifferent) 
solvents (dilute alkalies) ; (7) solubility in a solution of cupric 
hydroxide in ammonia. The substance obtained from miliary 
tubercles and from the blood of tuberculous persons was sub- 
jected to ultimate analysis in three cases, and yielded between 
45°12 and 44°70 per cent. C, and between 6°41 and 6°19 per 
cent. H ; while 44°74 per cent. C and 6°17 per cent. H corre- 
sponds to C,H,,O;. A quantitative determination of the cellu- 
lose of the tubercles has not been made, ‘The researches 
were carried out on material from twenty-five tuberculous 
and thirty non-tuberculous cases. The tuberculous material 
(lungs, spleen, peritoneum with miliary tubercles, blood) em- 
braced cases of conglomerated as well as of infiltrated tubercu- 
losis in the different stages of the disease. The non-tuberculous 
material examined was taken partly from healthy organs, partly 
from organs affected by various diseases—as, ¢.g., from pneu- 
monia, emphysema, pulmonary gangrene--and failed to show 
any of the reactions described above. Carcinomatous, sarco- 
matous, lupoid, syphilitic, and other non-tuberculous granulations 
were also examined with negative results. From his researches 
Herr Freund makes the suggestion that in tuberculous growths 
and in the blood of tuberculous persons cellulose forms an 
intrinsic constituent. We need not refer to the importance and 
suggestiveness of Freund’s discovery for pathological science, 
making further researches on this subject very de-irable. 
DISINFECTION BY HEAT 
qeHE Annual Report for 1884 of the Medical Officer of the 
Local Government Board contained a memoir, by Dr. H. 
F. Parsons, on the subject of disinfection by heat. Of this 
memoir the leading points are here given. 
In considering the applicability of heat as a means of disin- 
fection, several distinct questions present themselves for solution. 
It has first of all to be determined what degree of heat and 
duration of exposure are necessary under different conditions, as 
of moisture and dryness, in order to destroy with certainty the 
activity of the contagia of infectious diseases. 
We have next to ascertain how the required degree of heat 
may be made to penetrate through bulky and badly conducting 
articles, e.g. of clothing and bedding, for the disinfection of 
which the application of heat is especially employed. 
We have also to learn whether such articles can be submitted 
to the required degree of heat without injury, for if not, disinfec- 
tion presents little advantage over destruction. 
After giving a résumé of the results of previous experiments 
to ascertain the degree of heat necessary to destroy the contagia 
of infectious diseases, from those of Dr. Henry published in the 
Philosophical Magazine for 1831, to those of Koch and his co- 
adjutors (AZittheilungen aus dem katserlichen Gesundheitsamte, 
Berlin, 1881), the author states the results of a series of experl- 
ments made by him in conjunction with Dr. Klein, who prepared 
the infective materials, and, after these had been exposed to 
disinfecting processes, tested the results by inoculation on ani- 
mals ; control inoculations with unheated portions of the same 
materials being also in all cases made. 
The following were the infective materials employed :— 
(1) Blood of guinea-pig dead of anthrax, containing bacillus 
anthracis without spores. 
(2) Pure cultivation of bacillus anthracis in rabbit broth, with- 
out spores. 
(3) Cultivation of bacillus anthracis in gelatine, with spores. 
(4) Cultivation of bacillus of swine fever (infectious pneumo- 
enteritis of the pig) in pork broth. 
(5) Tuberculous pus, from an abscess in a guinea-pig which had 
been inoculated with tubercle. 
