30 



NA TURE 



\_Nov. 1 1 , I < 



and the exposed mouths of the tubes, allows one to catch 

 the influence of any gust and read the pressure at leisure. 

 The theoretical problem of the precise mechanical 

 action of these tubes, especially that which Hagemann 

 calls a Magius tube, i.e. one across which the wind blows 

 at right angles, will, I hope, prove attractive to the 

 mathematical physicists of England. Some interesting 

 experimental work by Robinson will be found in Van 

 No'^trand's Magazine, vol. xviii., 187S, p. 235, and xxxv., 

 j8S6, p. 89. A small closed room with only a chimney 

 flue opened, such as usually obtains at the mountain 

 stations of meteorologists, is virtually a Magius tube, and 

 the barometer within must, under favourable conditions, 

 show a depression depending on the so-called suction or 

 draft up chimney. The direction of the wind combines 

 with the structure of the building and the aspect of the 

 various doors and windows to modify the influence of the 

 force of the wind ; the sluggishness due to the close 

 cisterns, and the pumping due to the inertia of the liquid 

 of ordinary mercurial barometers, further complicate the 

 phenomena of suction during gusty winds, so that a 

 simple general rule for correctmg the observed baro- 

 metric readings becomes impracticable, but the use of 

 aneroids within closed Pitot or other tubes, with air-tight 

 stop-cocks as above, simplifies the wind's action, and 

 allows of its measurement at definite moments. 



The distribution of pressure over the face of a large 

 building fronting the wind, and in some part of which is 

 the window of the room containing the barometer, is 

 approximately known from Curtis's and Burton's measure- 

 ments for a thin flat plate. 



The location of each station with respect to ir.ountains 

 or other orographic features has also an influence on the 

 pressure, which will still remain to be investigated ; thus, 

 on the leeward side there is a diminution, and on the 

 windward side an increase of pressure, but this may be 

 generally inappreciable. 



It may also be mentioned in this connection that in 

 delicate barometric measurements, such as those made 

 by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, it 

 is important to prevent even the slightest currents from 

 blowing across the open end of the siphon tube. 



The suction effect of wind blowing over chimneys sur- 

 mounted by cowls of diflerent shapes was under investi- 

 gation from 1878 to 1881 by a special coirimittee of the 

 Sanitary Institute, but, so far as I can learn, their experi- 

 ments were never completed. Lord Rayleigh also read 

 a short paper on the same subject at the meeting of the 

 British Association in 1882, but as I do not know of its 

 publication, I take this opportunity to express the hope 

 that he will give meteorologists both a theoretical and 

 experimental exposition of the action of the Pitot, the 

 Magius, and the reversed Pitot tubes, and a suggestion 

 as to the best method of determining, by means of 

 stationary apparatus, the static pressure within a mass of 

 moving air. CLEVELAND Abbe 



Washington, October 23 



M. PASTEUR'S TREATMENT OF RABIES 



AT the meeting of the Paris Academy of Sciences on 

 November 2, M. Pasteur submitted a further com- 

 munication on the results hitherto obtained from his 

 method of treating hydrophobia by inoculation, which 

 has now been in operation for a twelvemonth. The 

 paper is divided into three parts, the first giving the 

 statistical details brought down to the present date, the 

 second describing certain modifications in his method as 

 originally applied, the third giving the results of fresh 

 experiments on animals. Up to October 31 as many as 

 2496 persons were inoculated at his Paris establishment, 

 and at first the treatment was uniform for all alike, what- 

 ever their age, sex, or other varying conditions. Of the 

 total number 1726 were from France and Algeria, 191 



from Russia, 165 from Italy, 107 from Spain, 80 from 

 England, 57 from Belgium, 52 from Austria, 22 from 

 Roumania, 18 from the United State;, 14 from Holland, 

 the rest from various other parts of Europe, besides 3 

 from Brazil and 2 from British India. Of 1700 French 

 patients, apart from 2 who arrived too late, 10 only suc- 

 cumbed, whereas of the small minority not treated at the 

 laboratory as many as 17 died in the same period in the 

 rest of France, while for the last five years the average 

 yearly mortality from hydrophobia was 11 in the Paris 

 hospitals alone. Last year it rose to 21, but since 

 November i8S5,when the new system was introduced, 

 2 only died, and these had not been inoculated, besides a 

 third who had been imperfectly treated. Most of those 

 who perished were children bitten in the face and sub- 

 jected to the simple treatment, which experience now 

 shows to be insufficient in such cases. 



A first lesson on the necessity of stronger doses was 

 taught by the 19 Russians bitten by a mad wolf, one of 

 whom died while under treatment, and two others shortly 

 after. In consequence of these deaths the 16 sur- 

 vivors were subjected to a second and third treatment 

 with th2 strongest and freshest virus from the spine of 

 the rabbit of 4, 3, and 2 days' standing, whereas, for the 

 milder treatment, virus from 14 to 5 days' old had alone 

 been used. To these repeated treatments should most 

 probably be attributed the recovery of these Russians, who 

 are reported to be all still in excellent health. 



Encouraged by these results and by the fresh experi- 

 ments described further on, M. Pasteur modified his 

 treatment, making it at once more rapid and more active 

 for all cases, and even still more energetic for bites on the 

 face, or for deep and numerous lacerations of exposed 

 parts of the body. In such cases the inoculations are 

 now hastened, in order to arrive more promptly at the 

 freshest virus. Thus, on the first day, virus of 12, 10, and 

 8 days will be used at 1 1, 4, and 9 o'clock ; on the second 

 day that of 6, 4, and 2 days, at the same hours ; on the 

 third, virus I day old. Then the treatment is repeated : 

 the fourth day with virus 8, 6, and 4 days old ; the fifth 

 with that of 3 and 2 days ; the sixth with that of i day ; 

 the seventh with virus of 4 days ; the eighth with that of 

 3 ; the ninth that of 2 ; the tenth with that of i day. 



If the bites are not healed, or the patients arrive some- 

 what late, the same treatment may be renewed at inter- 

 vals of two or a few days for four or five weeks, which are 

 the critical periods for children bitten in the face. This 

 system of vaccination has been in operation for the last 

 two months, hitherto with excellent results, as shown by 

 comparing the case of the six children who perished 

 under the mild treatment, with that of ten others also 

 seriously bitten last August, and subjected to the more . 



energetic treatment, and all of whom were doing well on 

 the first of this month. This new system requiring an 

 increase of the staff, M. Pasteur and his assistant, Dr. 

 Grancher, have been aided for some time past by Dr. 

 Terrillon, Dr. Roux, Dr. Chantemesse, and Dr. Charrin. 

 With regard to the fresh experiments on dogs, an ob- 

 jection to the inoculation of human beings after being 

 bitten might be raised on the ground that the immunity 

 of animals treated before being bitten had not been 

 sufficiently demonstrated after their undoubted infection 

 by the virus. In reply to this objection M. Pasteur 

 points to the immunity of dogs after trepanning and 

 intracranial inoculation with the virus of ordinary street 

 rabies. Trepanning is the surest method of infection, 

 and its effects are constant. The first experiments on 

 this point, dating from August 18S5, had but partial suc- 

 cess. They were resumed during the last few months, 

 with certain modifications which produced the best 

 results. The vaccination is begun the day after inocula- 

 tion, and proceeded with rapidly, the series of pro- 

 phylactic virus being all administered within twenty-four 

 hours and even in a shorter period, and then repeated 



