
SE 
of Physicians. 

p< é 
_ Fepruary 17, 1923] NATURE 243 
hemoglobin solution in lar; antities. Oxidation of the observation that leaves of Aucuba * i ac 
takes place exceedingly rapidly, in suffer no loss of vitality over a period of several 
gee eg one- 
hundredth part of a second at ro° C., whereas reduc- 
tion takes approximately one second. The rate of 
reduction agrees with the formula deduced on the 
assumption that the reaction is mono molecular, and 
the ratio of the rates of the two reactions was of the 
_ same order as the value of the equilibrium constant. 
In the body both changes take place at temperatures 
considerably higher than those used. They would be 
expected therefore to be even faster (some ten or 
eet times) in the body than in these experiments. 
—J. T. Saunders : A method of measuring the carbon 
dioxide output of aquatic animals. The method is 
based on the fact that, from measurements of the 
hydrogen ion concentration of solutions of bicarbon- 
ates of known concentration in equilibrium with 
carbon dioxide, the tension, and so the amount dis- 
solved, of carbon dioxide can be calculated.—Miss D. 
Eyden: Changes in the specific gravity of Daphnia 
ulex L. Daphnia pulex increases in specific gravity 
immediately after feeding and diminishes after 
starvation. These changes may account for the 
vertical movements of forms living in the plankton. 
DUBLIN. 
Royal Irish Academy, January 22.—Prof. Sydney 
_ Young, president, in the chair—A. K. Macbeth: The 
action of sulphur chloride on ammonia and on organic 
bases. The action of sulphur chloride on ammonia 
was examined quantitatively. No sulphur nitride 
hitherto unknown was isolated, but a new derivative 
containing sulphur, nitrogen, and hydrogen was 
described. This compound, which it is proposed to 
call hexasulphamide, appears to have the com- 
position S,NH,. The action of sulphur chloride on 
the aromatic amines was examined qualitatively, and 
the course of the reaction at low temperatures 
was studied with o0-toluidine, N-dithiotoluidine 
being isolated—T. P. C. Kirkpatrick: Charles 
Willoughby, fellow of the King and Queen’s College 
In 1690 Dr. Charles Willoughby 
wrote a paper dealing with the political economy and 
vital statistics of Ireland which he sent to William 
King, then Bishop of Derry. It was published in full 
in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy in 
1857. Recently a letter from King has come to light 
in which he gives information about the condition of 
the people in the country, and the difficulties in 
collecting statistical information. Some letters from 
Willoughby to King throw an interesting light on 
medical practice in Dublin at the end of the seventeenth 
century. While studying medicine in Padua, where 
he graduated M.D. in March 1663/4, Willoughby 
made a collection of botanical specimens, which he 
afterwards presented to Merton College. Willoughby 
was one of the founders, and was the first director of 
the Dublin Philosophical Society, and in 1675 he was 
elected president of the College of Physicians. He 
died in 1694. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, January 22.—M. Albin 
Haller—G. Bigourdan: The co-ordinates of the 
Observatories of Muette and Passy.—L. Lecornu: 
The orbit of Mercury. A development of a sugges- 
tion of M. Haag in a recent note, showing that the 
displacement of the perihelion of Mercury can be 
explained by adding to the Newtonian attraction a 
small tangential force and a small force directed 
towards the sun.—L. Maquenne: Remarks on a 
recent communication of MM. P. A. Dangeard and 
Pierre Dangeard. A discussion of some consequences 
NO. 2781, VOL. 111] 
months if preserved in a vacuum and exposed to 
light—E. Leclainche and H. Vallée: Vaccination 
against symptomatic anthrax by toxins. A discus- 
sion of the difficulties and limitations attending 
vaccination by toxins derived from B. Chauvoei.— 
A. Blondel: The determination as a function of the 
initial conditions of the free oscillations of alternators 
working in parallel and connected individually with 
motors with theoretical regulation, instantaneous and 
fixed. Application to synchronous motors.—A. de 
Gramont: Observations on the structure of the 
chromium spectrum. Directing attention to the 
recent experimental confirmation by M. Catalan of 
the theoretical views propounded by the author in 
November 1922.—C. Guichard: Polar figures re- 
ciprocal with respect to a sphere.—A. Guntz and 
Benoit: The heat of oxidation of the metals of the 
alkaline earths. A repetition of earlier work with 
purer material. The heats of oxidation of calcium, 
strontium, and barium were found to be 152-7, 141-8, 
and 134-04 calories respectively.—A. Bigot and Mme. 
E. Jérémine : New observations on the geology of the 
Hague (Manche). M. Philippe Glangeaud was elected 
corresponding member for the section of mineralogy 
in the place of the late Otto Lehmann.—Erwand 
Kogbetliantz: The double means of Cesaro.—S. 
Stoilow: Continued functions and their derivatives. 
—C. Kuratowki: The effective existence of functions 
representable analytically every Baire class.—M. 
Alliaume: The nomographic resolution of systems of 
equations.—H. C. Levinson: The Einstein gravita- 
tion of systems.—Emile Picard: Remarks on the 
preceding communication.—G., Poivilliers : A method 
of stereoscopic representation of topographical sur- 
faces.—Paul Dienes: The relativist electromagnetic 
theory.—G. Gire: The dissociation of potassium 
chloro-iridate.—Pierre Steiner: The ultraviolet ab- 
sorption spectra of the alkaloids of the isoquinoline 
group. Narcotine, hydrastine, and hydrocotarnine. 
The ultraviolet absorption spectrum of narcotine is 
determined by the benzene ring of its molecule; the 
isoquinoline nucleus only displaces the absorption 
towards the red end. For papaverine, on the con- 
trary, it is the isoquinoline and not the benzene ring 
which is the determining factor.—A. Catalan: The 
structure of the arc spectra of molybdenum, selenium, 
and chromium.—F. W. Klingstedt: The ultraviolet 
spectra of aniline and the toluidines. The results are 
given in diagram form, and differ considerably from 
the data obtained by earlier workers in the same field. 
—Mlle. Chamié: The ionisation produced by the 
hydration of quinine sulphate. A direct connexion 
between ionisation and the amount of water taken up 
is proved.—A. Bouzat: A class of unstable hydrates 
known as hydrates of gases. Confirmation of M. 
Villard’s hypothesis. Many gases form hydrates 
possessing the following properties: their formula is 
M.6H,O, they are unstable, formed with a small 
heat evolution starting with the constituents in the 
solid state, and on dissociation lose all the six mole- 
cules of water at once.—L. Franchet: A new in- 
dustrial material of the neolithic age. An account of 
the discovery of neolithic agricultural implements 
made of polished sandstone, at Piscop.—Pierre 
Lesage: The persistence of the characters produced 
in plants by salt.—Antonin Némec and Kvapil Karel : 
The biochemical study of forest soils.—V. Crémieu: 
The growth of plants and the principles of physics.— 
L. M. Betancés: The ageing of the hamatic cell.— 
G. Ramon: Dissociation of the diphtheria toxin- 
antitoxin complex and the recuperation of the anti- 
toxin.—F. Heim, E. Agasse-Lafont, and A. Feil: The 
réles of lead and turpentine in the professional 
