Feb. 17, 1887] 



NATURE 



583 



and isobutylic pota?sa. — On pho phoplalinous chloride, 

 PhClsPlClj, by M. E. Pomey.— On a combination of 

 orthotoliiidine and the bichloride of copper, by M. E. Pomey. 

 The formula of the combination here determined is shown to 

 be CuCI..,. SfC^HdN. 4CI).— On the hydrochlorate and platino- 

 chlorate of di-isobulylamine, ar.d the platinochlorate of tri iso- 

 butyla nine, by M. II. Malbot. The^e substances, apparently 

 not hitherto produced, have for formulas: HCl . N^CjH^VjH ; 

 PtClj . 2HClN(C4H9)sH : and PtClj . aHClNfCjUnV— On 

 !»luconic acid, by AI. L. Boutrou.K. The author has suc- 

 ceeded in preparing sufiicient quantities of this acid by means 

 of the process indicated by MM. Kiliani and Kleemann. — On 

 the characteristic properties of olive oils, by M. Albert Lcv.il- 

 lois. It is shown that the most constant character of olive oils 

 prepared in the l.-iboratory from various berries from the south 

 of France is density. A simple method is described for distin- 

 ijuishing these from the oils of sesame, cotton, colza, linseed, 

 and cameline. — On sardine-fishing, by M. Launette. The 

 abundance and scarcity of this fish on the west coast of France is 

 shown to be intimately associated with the animal refuse drifting 

 across the Atlantic from the Newfoundland cod-fisheries. — On 

 the formation of the so-called "red wood" (hois rouge) in the 

 fir and Epicea, by M. Emile Mer. The occasional development 

 of these hard and yellow-coloured layers in the relatively soft 

 and white wood of the fir and Epicea is here attributed to the 

 superabundance of nutritive elements a: certain points under 

 various conditions of gro-.vth. — On the Miocene vertebrate fauna 

 of Grive-Saint-Alban, Isere, by M. Charles Uepeiet. Amongst 

 the most interesting remains of this fauna is an anthropoid ape, 

 Sansan's Pliopilhccus antiquus, whose molars point to a relation- 

 ship with the present gibbons. — Synthetic experiments on the 

 abrasion of rocks, by M. J. Thoulet. These experiments have 

 been carried out to determine the laws regulating the weathering 

 of rocks under the action of drift sand. — On the age of the 

 bauxite deposits in the south-east of France, by M. Louis Roule. 

 This formation seems to have been deposited on the bed of the 

 hake formerly stretching between Provence and Languedoc, and 

 belongs to the lacustrine series closing the Chalk epoch in this 

 region. — On the distribution of mean cloudiness on the surface 

 of the globe, by M. L. Teisserenc de Birt. 



Berlin 



Physiological Society, December 10, 1886 — Prof, du Bois- 

 keymond in the chair. — Dr. Hermes showed the luminous 

 Bacillus brought some time ago with marine fish from the West 

 Indian Ocean an 1 bred in pure cultures. In nutrient gelatine the 

 Bacillus formed funnel-shaped cultures at the surface. Inoculated 

 into sterilised fish it rendered them luminous to a ver)' high 

 degree. The Bacillus developed also in fresh-water fish, but 

 only when these were placed in salt water. In fresh water the 

 Bacillus disappeared. At temperatures below 15' Celsius, the 

 luminosity ceased. It was easy with this fish-Bacillus to render 

 a large quantity of sea water luminous. If, however, the water 

 were allowed to stand for twenty-four hours, only the surface 

 was luminous ; but by stirring it up the whole mass again 

 became luminous in con-.equence of the interpenetration of 

 the air. — Prof. Zuntz reported on experiments which, in con- 

 junction with Dr. Berder, he had instituted with a view 

 to ascertaining the effect of alcohol on metastasis in man. 

 The respiration was especially examined. An essential pre- 

 paratory condition for such experiments was the complete 

 cessation of all muscular activity, which increased the absorption 

 of oxygen and the formation of carbonic acid, as was also pro- 

 tection against the too rapid cooling, promoted by the flow of 

 blood in the skin, consequent on the operation of the alcohol. 

 With the moderate use of alcohol (20 ccm.), so as to produce 

 no perceptible sign of intoxication, the absorption of oxygen 

 was somewhat increased without corresponding increase in the 

 formation of carbonic acid, a relation corresponding with the 

 combustion of the alcohol, in which two molecules of carbonic 

 acid are formed for every three molecules of oxygen consumed. 

 — Dr. Wurster described a new reagent for the demonstration 

 of active oxygen in the living organism. Tetramethylpara- 

 phenylenediamine and dimethylparaphenylenediamine were 

 colourless substances not liable to be changed in the air ; but 

 with active oxygen, in form of ozone, peroxide of hydrogen, or 

 nitrous acid, they formed colouring matters, the tetramethyl- 

 compound giving a blue colouring matter, which with an excess 

 of active oxygen again lost its colour ; whilst the dimethyl-com- 



pound with a little oxygen yielded a red colouring matter, and 

 with excess of oxygen a violet colouring matter. The speaker 

 had saturated paper with these substances. Reagent papers of 

 this description were admirably adapted in all cases for the 

 detection of active oxygen. In cutaneous evaporations, and, in 

 particular, in perspiration, copious quantities of active oxygen 

 were in this way cipable of being demonstrated. The presence 

 of sucli active oxygen might further be demonstrated in the saliva 

 of healthy persons, and in the sap of plants, especially in iTie 

 milky juices of plants. Seeing that in all these cases ozone was 

 absent, otherwise it would have been recognised by its odour, 

 only peroxide of hydrogen or nitrous acid could be present. By 

 means of other reactions it was shown that in these cases there 

 was no question of anything but peroxide of hydrogen. 



January 14. — Prof. Munk in the chair. — Dr. Gad commu- 

 nicated the results of some experiments, which had been 

 carried out by him in conjunction with Dr. Wurster, respecting 

 the active oxygen in the aniinal organism. By means of the 

 two reagents in active oxygen discovered by Dr. Wurster — 

 dimethylparaphenylenediamine and tetramethylparaphenylene- 

 diamine, the properties of which were demonstrated by Dr. 

 Wurster at the last meeting of the Society — animal fluids and 

 tissues were tested in respect of the presence in them of active 

 oxygen. On the skin the reagent papers either remain colour- 

 less, or they become coloured symptomatic of slight oxidation, or 

 they become rapidly coloured and rapidly discoloured, which 

 was an invariable phenomenon in the case of stronger oxidation 

 of the diamines. Blood produced no change on either the 

 dimethyl or the tetramethyl, whereas fresh muscles, and even 

 flesh bought at the butcher's, yielded a very strong reaction, an 

 energetic oxidation. If moderate quantities of a solution of 

 the two diamines were injected subcutaneously into frogs 

 or rabbits, or into their venous system, then they got com- 

 pletely oxidised in the body and were no longer capable of 

 being demonstrated. They were altered into colourless com- 

 binations ; and only in the heart, in the liver, and at the places 

 of application were strong colorations discernible. The stomach 

 was coloured at all places to which the oxygen of the air had 

 entrance ; the places, on the otherjhand, which were protected 

 from the air were colourless, and became coloured only when 

 they were exposed to the air. The brain presented a 

 colouring of olive-green — a phenomenon which would have to 

 be more particularly investigated, seeing that the colourings of 

 oxidation under dimethyl were red or blue, under tetramethyl, 

 blue. In consideration of the fact that the living protoplasm of 

 the cells did not readily take up foreign .substances, and taking 

 account of the fact above demonstrated, that the blood did not 

 oxidise either of the two substances in question, the speaker 

 assumed that the complete consumption occurring after the intro- 

 duction of the two bodies into the living organism was accom- 

 plished by the juices of the tissues, or by the fluids which 

 secreted the protoplasm of the cells. The objection made 

 against the experiments, that the diamins were not found 

 because they were not absorbed, was refuted by the fact that the 

 animals operated on always showed the ph enomena of intoxica- 

 tion proceeding from the central nervous system. Experiments 

 would be further continued by Dr. Ga 1 and Dr. Wurster. The 

 experiments had hitherto yielded the important fact that ill the 

 living organism the protoplasm worked in an especially oxidising 

 manner. 



Physical Society, December 17, 1886. — Prof, von Bezold in 

 the chair. — Prof. Neesen exhibited a tuning-fork of variable 

 pitch of tone. It had a hollow stem and hollow prongs, so 

 that it could be filled with quicksilver to any desired height. 

 With the increasing mass of the vibrating-fork the pitch of its 

 tone changed. The excitation was efl^ected by electro-inagnetic 

 methods. — Dr. Aron developed the theory of the inductionless 

 coils constructed by him. In this task he pursued the practical 

 object of putting an end to, or at least very much reducing, the 

 spark arising from the extra-current on the interruption of the 

 electric current, and veiy soon rendering the contacts unavail- 

 able. The induction exercised by the iron-nucleus on the wind- 

 ings might, as was well known, be obviated by a copper case, 

 and the induction of the difierent windings of the spirals on one 

 another was overcome by the speaker by intercalating a tin-foil 

 layer between each layer of windings and embedding the iso- 

 lated wiles in a good conductor. The speaker showed theoretic- 

 ally that by this encasement the heat, and consequently the 

 opening spark, became considerably reduced, especially in the 



