May 1 8, 1882] 



NATURE 



;i 



a property of gases to liquids and to solids, by C. Cellerier. — 

 Recent changes in the appearances of Jupiter, by E. Gautier. 



Atti delta R. Accademia dei Lincei, vol. vi. fasc. 8. — Observa- 

 tions on the topography of the planet Mars, by G. Schiaparelli. 

 — Communication on a geyser discovered at Montrond (Loire), 

 by F. Lauri. — On the same subject, by F. Keller.- -On the 

 embryo of Cuphea, by G. Briosi. — Influence of different electric 

 resistances on the dimensions of the excitative spark of con- 

 densers, by E. Villari. — On the dynamical value of a calorie, by 

 G. Cantoni and G. Gerosa. — Oxidation of titanic acid, by A. 

 Piccini. — Reports. 



Morphologisches J-ahrbuch. Eine Zeitschi ififiir Anatom'u und 

 Entwickelungsgeschichte, Bd 7, Heft iv., 1S82, contains — Dr. 

 Hans Virchow, on the lens and retinal vessels of the eel (pi. 27). 

 — Dr. Sigbert Ganser, comparative anatomy studies of the brain 

 of the mole, pp. 590, 725 (plates 28-32. — A most minute and 

 painstaking account of the mole's brain), Dr. \V. Pfitzner. — On 

 nerve-endings in epithelium (pi. 33). 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Mathematical Society, May II.— S. Roberts, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Mr. A. L. Daniels was elected a 

 Member. — Dr. Hirst, F. R.S., communicated an accou t (similar 

 to that he had given before the Royal Society in the afternoon of 

 the same day) of a paper by M. Vanecek entitled "Sur l'lnver- 

 sion generale." — The following further communications were 

 made : — Elementary analytical proof of Graves's and Mac- 

 Cullagh's theorems, with an extension of the former, by J. 

 Griffiths. — Note on a system of confocal bicircular quartics, by 

 R. A. Roberts. — On the vibrations of an elastic sphere, by Prof. 

 Lamb. — On a formula relating to elliptic integrals of the third 

 kind, by Prof. Cayley, F.R.S. ; and a short note by the 

 president. 



Physical Society, May 6. — Prof. Clifton, president, in the 

 chair.— New Member, Mr. W. H. Heato >.— Mr. Lecky described 

 a form of battery arranged by Mr. A. R. Bennet, of Glasgow, at 

 a cost of 6d. per cell. The vessel and electro-negative plate 

 consists of an iron meat or milk tin, into which is placed a 

 porous pot containing a zinc plate stuck in a paraffined cork 

 cover, fitting the porous pot. A solution of caustic soda is the 

 liquid. In it iron does not rust, and is electro -negative to zinc. 

 The electromotive force is 1 '23 volts where the Daniel is taken 

 as I volt and the Leclanche as I '30 volts. Iron filings round the 

 iron plate facilitate depolarisation by the e cape of hydrogen 

 from their points. The cell pitted against a Leclanche was found 

 to ring an electric bell even longer than the latter. — Prof. Guthrie 

 (in the absence of Dr. F. D. Brown, the author) gave a summary 

 of a paper entitled "Notes on Thermometry." This described 

 a method of calibrating the tubes by means of a microscope 

 having an extra half-lens before the object-glass, which focussed 

 the end of the mercury column, whilst the ither lens focussed 

 the tube, so that no alteration of the focus of the micro cope 

 was necessary in making an observation. Dr. Brown also found 

 that a constant zero temperature was better obtained from a 

 mixture of ice and water than from drained ice ; and that it was 

 preferable to mix the ice with distilled water rather than ordinary 

 water. Acting on the suggestion of Dr. Guthrie, Dr. Whipple, 

 of Kew, had found that the ice itself might be from different 

 sources without appreciably affecting the result. Dr. Whipple 

 called attention to the change of zero in thermometers by heat- 

 ing, and recommended buyers to see that makers had not let 

 them be heated afcer their calibration. Mr. J. Macfarlane Gray 

 suggested that the thermometers used by Regnanlt should be 

 examined now, as our standards are based on his results. 

 Prof. Clifton pointed out that the half-lens in the microscope 

 would probably distort the image of the mercury column. — Prof. 

 Guthrie then read a paper on the repul-ion of a su-pended horse- 

 shoe magnet by a rotating copper di-c below it. He gave 

 tables of quantitative results and a plotted curve, showing that 

 the repulsion v.nricd on the square of the rate of rotation. For 

 a surface velocity of the disc of 163 metres per minute the repul- 

 sion was '41 grammes. 



Anthropological Institute, May 9, Major-General Pitt 

 Rivers, F.R.S. , president, in the chair. — The election of Mr. 

 Henry Ling Roth was announced. Mr. G. M. Atkinson made 

 some remarks upon a palaeolithic implement found eighteen ft et 

 below the bed of the Thames at Chelsea, ar.d exhibited by Mr. 



Lambton Youn.j, C.E., and a jet ornament from Garvagh, co. 

 Londonderry, exhibited by Mr. A. G. Geoghegan. — Mr. 

 YVorthington G. Smith exhibited a series of large palaeolithic 

 imp'ements recen ly discovered. — Dr. Beddoe, F.R.S., read a 

 paper on the evidence of surnames as to ethnological changes in 

 England. The discussion was sustained by Messrs. Hyde Clarke, 

 Holt, Park Harrison, Prideaux, Atkinson, C. Roberts and the 

 chairman. — Mr. Park Harrison, M.A., read a paper on the 

 survival of certain racial features in the population_of the British 

 Isles at the present day. Dr. Beddoe, Prof. Thane, Mr. Atkin- 

 son, and the president joined in the discussion. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, May 9. — Sir Frederick 

 Bramwell, vice-president, in the chair. — The paper read was on 

 "Coal Washing," by Mr. Thos. F. Harvey, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E. 



Royal Horticultural Society, May 9. — Sir J. D. Hooker 

 in the chair. — Larches attacked by Larvce : From a communica- 

 tion received by Sir J. D. Hooker it would appear that the trees 

 mentioned in the last report had suffered much more extensively 

 than was supposed, whole trees having been stripped of their 

 foliage.— Fungus in Dilute Sulphuric Acid: Mr. W. G. Smith 

 exhibited a specimen of the vinegar fungus, Penicillium cms- 

 factum, growing in dilute sulphuric acid. Sir J. D. Hooker 

 suggested it should be ascertained what nitrogenous :ubstance 

 was present in the acid, which alone could not support life. — Pro- 

 liferous Mushroom : He also exhibited a specimen in which one 

 pileus was inverted and adherent to the summit of another mush- 

 room growing in the ordinary way. — Foliage Injured by the Gale: 

 Dr. M. T. Masters exhibited leaves injured in various ways by 

 the late severe gale, which by destroying the growing parts only 

 revealed the different developmental orders of leaves. It appeared 

 that salt spray had injured trees in some cases ; but it was thought 

 that the duration and great cold of the wind was more generally 

 the cause of injury. Beeches, it was noticed, withstood it better 

 than oaks. 



Victoria (Philosophical) Institute. — A paper was read by 

 Prof. Lionel S. Beale, F.R.S., on " Dictatorial and Scientific 

 Utterances and the Decline of Thought." The author tried to 

 show that the opinion now generally entertained by scientific 

 men that the phenomena of the living world are due to the 

 properties of the material particles is erroneous. 



Berlin 

 Physiological Society, Mays. — Prof, du Bois Reymond. 

 president, in the chair. — Dr. J. Sander read a paper upon the 

 distribution of the vaso-motor nerve-centres. In addition to the 

 well-known centre of the vaso-motor nerves in the medulla- 

 oblongata, several other centres in the spinal chord were 

 determined by the experiments that were made. In the case of 

 each of these centres the degree of stimulation was determined 

 which produced the greatest effect, and beyond which no further 

 excitation produced a rise in the blood-pressure. If this degree 

 of maximum excitation was not reached, a cumulative effect was 

 perceived by the simultaneous stimulation of two vaso-motor 

 centres, and the weak excitation of two centres had always a 

 much greater effect than that which would have been expected 

 to result from the degree of stimulation. The increased bl ji id- 

 pressure that resulted from the stimulation of the centre lasted 

 for a prolonged period, which proves that the smooth muscular 

 tissue of the walls of the blood-vessels does not tire quickly. — In 

 a previous meeting of the Sciety held on March 29, Dr. R. 

 Koch had demonstrated his important discovery that tuberculosis 

 is a parasitic disease, that its occurrence is connected with the 

 presence of tubercle Bacillae, which are always found in those 

 tissues which had undergone tubercular change. The Bacillae 

 can be isolated and can be cultivated for long periods quite iso- 

 lated ; animals that were infected with the isolated bacteria by 

 very different methods became, without exception, affected with 

 tuberculosis. The important demonstration of these tubercle 

 Bacillae was accomplished by Dr. Koch by a staining method 

 » hich consisted in the employment of an alkaline solution of 

 methyl-blue and a watery Vesuvian solution ( Vesuvialosung) ; 

 under this treatment all tissues and cells became stained 

 brown, while the tubercle Bacillae alone became stained 

 blue ; by this means it was easy to demonstrate the tubercle 

 Bacillae in the excreta of consumptive patients, in which they 

 regularly occur. This interesting relation of the tubercle- 

 Bacillae to the staining-fluids has been made the subject of 

 investigation by Dr. Ehrlich, the principal results of which may 

 be condensed into the statement that the cru e of this extra- 



