264 



NA TURE 



\yan. 13, 1887 



Physical Society, November 19, 18S6. — Prof, du Bois- 

 Reymond in the cliair. — Prof. Liebreich reported on phenomena 

 he had obseived in the course of experiments respecting slowly- 

 proceeding chemical reactions. Jf hydrate of chloral were mixed 

 with an alkaline solution, then was chloroform formed in the 

 shape of a white precipitate. This reaction occurred with all 

 alkaline solutions, only the time varied according to the alkali. 

 While, however, chemical reactions usually ensued in the whole 

 mass of the reacting substances, it was here observed that, 

 when the process of mixture was effected in a test-glass, the 

 uppermost layer remained clear, no turbidity and precipitate 

 formation occurring in it. This layer, which the speaker named 

 the "dead space" (" todter Raum"), was bounded on the 

 upper side by the meniscus of the fluid, and on the lower side 

 by a sharp boundary, having, apparently, a curve opposed to 

 the meniscus. In the capillary space between two glass plates, 

 the dead -space displayed itself in very beautiful formation. In 

 horizontal capillary tubes the dead space came into shape at 

 both ends, and in veiy short capillaries the reaction failed en- 

 tirely. If from the dead space a little clear fluid were witli- 

 drawn and warmed, then did the reaction set in. This showed 

 that in the dead space both fluids were contained, and that it 

 was only their chemical action that was prevented. The dead 

 space showed itself in drops at the edge of the curve. In 

 the capillary space between two menisci was found an external 

 ring, and the middle clear, while reaction occurred only in a small 

 ring. If tubes were closed by a membrane above and below, 

 and filled with the mixture of hydrate of chloral .and alkali, 

 then did the dead space appear both at the top and the bottom. 

 The same phenomenon presented itself likewise in animal mem- 

 branes — for example, in a rabbit's bladder or in an intestine. On 

 the other hand, the dead space was observed neither in a gutta- 

 percha alembic nor in a similar shaped glass retort. The 

 speaker also discussed many other sorts of phenomena in respect 

 of the dead space, both with the fluids already named and with 

 other fluids, demonstrating a large part of them by experiments. 

 In conclusion, he set up the hypothesis that, in the experiinents 

 referred to, the chemical reaction was hindered by phenomena 

 of surface-tension, a matter which should be further investigated 

 by additional experiments. A lengthy discussion followed 

 this paper. — Dr. Weinstein then reported on a publication of 

 the Normal Standard of Weights and Measures Commission, 

 "Construction and Repeated Trial of the Principal Standards 

 and the Control Standards" ("Die Herstellung und Wieder- 

 kehrende Priifung der Hauptnormalen und der Controll- 

 normalen "). He brought out that in this publication the 

 idea of weight was officially defined by a mass, the unit 

 of which, the kilogramme, was equal to a cubic deciinetre 

 of distilled water at 4° C. The trial of the normal metre 

 of platinum resulted in the establishment of its invaria- 

 bility. The kilogramme of platinum was likewise unchanged, 

 while , on the other hand, the control standard-kilogramme 

 showed a slight increase of weight through oxidation. The 

 examination of the dry measures resulted in showing a consider- 

 able diminution of volume, a fact which would have to be 

 ascribed to elastic and thermal after-effects in the material that 

 had been employed for the standard dry measures. 



Physiological Society, November 26, 1886. — Prof, du 

 Bois-Reymond in the chair. — After the re-election of the President 

 and Council, in accordance with the statutes of the Society, and 

 the disposal of several business motions, Prof. Falk communicated 

 a case taken from his forensic practice, which was not without 

 physiological interest. A boy was run over by a heavy van and 

 in a few minutes died. A fost-mortem showed a gaping rupture 

 of the thyroid and of the cricoid cartilage, the entrance of 

 blood into the air-passages — causing death by suffocation — and 

 into the digestive organs. It was, now, a remarkable and 

 physiologically interesting fact that the blood had penetrated not 

 only into the stomach, but into the small intestine, and that, as 

 far as the neighbourhood of the ccecum. Seeing that the 

 abdominal organs were perfectly intact, and the intestines even 

 to a high degree anaemic, the blood must have proceeded from 

 the stomach, and that during the brief time of the agony ; for 

 peristaltic movements appeared indeed after death, but in no 

 case in the stomach, and the passage of the contents of the 

 stomach into the intestine was never observed after death had set 

 in. The speaker had, on the other hand, observed very violent 



swallowing movements as well as increased peristaltic move- 

 ment in the intestine and stomach in uien, and especially in 

 his experiments with animals during the agony of suffocation. 

 In the discussion following, Prof. Zuntz corroborated the fact 

 of the appearance of increased peristaltic movements, and of 

 the abnor jially far advance into the intestine of the contents of 

 the stomach during death by suffocation, citing, as he did, sime 

 earlier experiments he had not yet published. By way of testing 

 the assertion proceeding from the laboratory of Prof. Ludwig, 

 that acid chyme was normally found in the small intestine of 

 animals, he had instituted experiments in which very soon after 

 death he opened the abdomen of animals, and by a ligature 

 isolated the small intestine from the stomach ; he then in every 

 case found the contents of the intestine neutral or alkaline. If 

 on the other hand he poisoned the animals, as in the case of 

 Ludwig's experiments, with curare, then were the contents of 

 the intestine acid. The cause of that, however, was that the 

 animals had died from suffocation, and that the asphyctic blood 

 had induced a lively peristaltic movement of the smooth intes- 

 tinal muscles not paralysed by curare, and so, therefore, an ab- 

 normally rapid propulsion of the contents of the stomach into 

 the small intestine. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 



Mind, J.inuary (Williams and Norgate).— The Cruise of the Marcliesa to 

 Kamchatka and New Guinea, 2 vols ; F. H. H. Guillemard (J. Murray).— 

 Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada for the Year 

 1885, vol. iii. (Montreal).— Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, January 

 (Williams and Norgate). — Elements of Harmony and Counterpoint : F. 

 Davenport (Longmans). — Bees and Bee-keeping, vol. i., parts 11, I2, 13 : 

 vol. ii., parts I, 2, 3, 4 : F. R. Cheshire (Gill) —Journal of the Chemical 

 Society for January, and Supplementary Number (Van Voorst). — Journal of 

 the Scottish Meteorological Society, third series, No. 3 (Blackwood). — Le 

 Mesure du Metre ; W. de Fonvielle(Hachette, Paris).— Annalen der Physik 

 und Chemie, 18S6, No. 12 (Leipzig) — Beiblatter zu den Annalen der Physik 

 und Chemie. 18S6, No. 11 (Leipzig).— Text-bcok of British Fungi: W. D. 

 Hay (Sonnenschein).— Hand-book of Practical B.)tany : Strasburger and 

 HiUhouse (Sonnenschein).— Historical Basis of Modern Europe; A, Weir 

 (Sonnenschein)— The Primula : Report on the Primula Conference (Mac- 

 millan).— ResatillGronland : NilsO. Hoist.— ProprietMndustriale (Roma). 

 — Beitrage zurStatistik der Blitzschlage in Deutschland : Dr. G. Hellmann 

 (Beriin).— History and Biology .of Pear-filight; J. C. Arthur.— An Address 

 before the American Association for the Advancement of Science : T. C. 

 Chamberlin (Salem).— Jahresbericht Am., 25 Mai, i836, dem Cimite der 

 Nicolai-Hauptsernwarte (St. Petersburg). — Grundziige einer Theorie der 

 Kosmischen AtmosphSren : W. Schlemuller (Prag) — Ueber die Allege- 

 meine Beugungsfigur in Fernrohren : H. Struve (St. Petersburg). 



CONTENTS PAGE 



Science and the Jubilee, II 241 



Marine Engineering 242 



An Arctic Province 243 



Antiquities of Spain and Portugal 244 



Our Book Shelf: — 



"Educational Exhibits and Conventions at the 

 World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposi- 

 tion, New Orleans, 1884-85 " 245 



Ziegler's "Text-book of Pathological Anatomy and 



Pathogenesis."— Dr. E. Klein, F. R.S 246 



Noble's " Hours with a Three-Inch Telescope " . . 246 



Harley's "Lunar Science" 246 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Mr. W.all.ice on Physiological Selection. — Dr. George 



J. Romanes, F.R.S 247 



Meteor of December 28, 1886. — W. F. Denning . 248 



The Production of Ozone. — W. H 248 



John Arthur Phillips, F.R.S 248 



Botanical Federation in the West Indies. By D. 



Morris 248 



Art and Science in a Nevsr Light 250 



The National Science Collections 252 



Notes 254 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Six Inner Satellites of Saturn 257 



Stellar Parallax 25S 



Astronomical Prizes of the Academy of Sciences . . 25S 

 Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1887 



January 16-22 25S 



Geographical Notes 258 



War and Ballooning. By Eric S. Bruce ... 259 



Societies and Academies 262 



Books and Pamphlets Received ......... 264 



I 



