March lo, 1887] 



NATURE 



45: 



^lluws that the micrococci were present in the blood in but small 

 numbers. 



Having ascertained the identity in morphological and cultural 

 re>pec;s of the micrococcus of the blood of human scarlatina with 

 the organism obtained froai the Ilendon cows, the action of the 

 C'lllivations of both these sels of micrococci was then tested on 

 animals and the results compared. It was found that mice — 

 wild mice better than lame ones — after inoculation or after 

 (ceding, became affected in exactly the same manner, no matter 

 whether the one set of cultivations or the other was used. Th ■■ 

 great majority of these animals died after between seven an<l 

 twenty days; \\\c posl-iiiorlciii examination revealed great con- 

 gestion of the lungs, amounting in some cases to consolidation of 

 portions of the organ, congestion of the liver, congestion and 

 swelling of the spleen, great congestion and general disease of 

 the cortical part of the kidney. From the blood of these 

 animals, taken directly from the heart, cultivations were esta- 

 blished in nutritive gelatine, and hereby the existence of the 

 same species of micrococci was revealed ; they possessed all those 

 special characters distinguishing the cultivations of the micro- 

 coccus of the Hendon c >» s, and of the human scarlatina. 



In the third and concluding section of the work, cultivations of 

 the micrococcus of two cases of luiman scarlatina were used for 

 infecting calves : two calves were inoculated, and two were fed 

 from each set of cultivations. All eight animals developed 

 disease, both cutaneous and visceral, identical with that produced 

 in the calves that hid been last year infec:ed with the micrococcus 

 fr im the Hendon cows. 



From the heart's blood of calves thus infected from human 

 scarlatina the same micrococcus was recovered by cultivation, 

 jtossessing all the characters shown by the cultures of the micro- 

 . iccus of the Hendon cows, and of the c.ises of human 

 -larlatina. 



It must be evident from these observations that the danger of 

 scarlatin.il infection from the disease in the cow is real, and that 

 towards Ih; study and careful supervision of this cow disease all 

 efforts ought to be directed in order to check the spread of scarlet 

 fever in man. It is also obvious that in the agricultural interest 

 investig.itions of this cow disease are greatly called for. 



Anthropological Institute, February 22. — Mr. Francis 

 Calion, F. R. S., President, in the chair. — The election of Mr. 

 Jo eph Straker was announced. — Prof. Ferrier read a paper on the 

 functional topography of the brain. He discussed the question 

 how far recent investigations into the functional topography of 

 the brain could be brought into relation with craniological and 

 anthropological researches with a view to establish the foundatio is 

 of a scientific phrenology. Then he sketched the functional 

 topography of the brain so far as it hid been settled, but pointed 

 out that the psychological a-pects of brain functions were still 

 far from being made out, although that correlation must be 

 established and proved before a practical psychology, in any 

 degree serviceable lo the physician or the anthropologist, could 

 be regarded as possible. He offered some speculations on the 

 subject, and illustrated them by reference to certain facts and 

 phenomena of disease in man. On the question as to how far it 

 wxs possible from an anatomical exammation of the brain to 

 form an estimate of the forces and capacities of the individual, 

 he pointed out many great difficulties which had to be en- 

 countered, delcris paribus, greater anatomical development 

 might be considered as an index of greater functional capacity. 

 He thought the attempt to determine differences in functional 

 capacity from the examination of the head involved all the 

 difficulties connected with the examination of the brain, and a 

 great many more. He indicated the cranial relations of the 

 principal convolutions, bu' expressed his belief that in the present 

 state of our knowledge the data of a scientific phrenology were 

 still very deficient. There was reason lo believe, however, that, 

 if the subject were taken up from different points of view by 

 anatomists, physiologists, psychologists, and anthropologists, great 

 progress might be made.— -Mr. II. l3. Rolleston read a paper on the 

 cerebral hemispheres of an adult Australian ; and a paper by Mr. 

 Siiren Hansen on a fossil human skull from Lagoa Santa, Brazil, 

 was taken as read. 



Entomological Society, February 2. — Dr. D. Sharp, Presi- 

 dent, ill the chair. — The President nominated Mr. R. McLichlan, 

 F.K.S., Mr. O. Salvin, F.K.S., .mdMr. H. T. Stainton, F.R..S., 

 \ice-Presidents during the Session 1887-88. — The Rev. W. J. 

 Holland, Dr. F. A. Dixey, Mr. C. J. Gahaii, and Mr. S. Klein, 

 were elected Fellows. — Mr. P. Crowley exhibited a new species 



of Syiuliloc — .9. johnstoiii — from Kilima-njaro ; also, for com- 

 parison, specimens of Synchloi' incsenlina and S. Iidlka, which 

 the new species closely resembled. — Mr. W. White exhibited a 

 number of preserved larvcc of European Lepidoptera in various 

 stages of growth, illustrating the gradual development of the 

 markings and colour-, as explained by Prof. Weismann, in his 

 " Srudies in the Theory of Descent." — Mr. Gervase F. Mathew 

 cxhiliiled a variety of a female of Lycicna tdicanus, from the 

 neighbourhood of Gallipoli ; some specimens of a I.y ccua from 

 Vigo, believed lo be varieties of Lycicua ha'oit ; and several 

 examijles of a Leucophasia from Vigo, which appeared to be 

 identical with /,. lesliva. — Mr. Porritt exhibited, on behalf of Mr. 

 N. F. Dobree, a series of a remarkable red form of Tciiiocainpa 

 grjcilis, bred from larvae collected in Hampshire. — Mr. Eland 

 Shaw exhibited specimens of Pachy.'yhis cincidscens (Fab.), 

 MciosUthut grossiis (Vjmni), z.\\& Gryllus flavipes (Gmel.), and 

 read a note on the identity of Gryllus {Loctista] flavipes (Gmel.). 

 — .Mr. H. Goss read a communication from Prof. Riley, of 

 Washington, on lue subject of the Australian bug {Icerya 

 purchasi). It was stated that the insect had of late years become 

 very destructive to various trees and shrubs in California, into 

 which country, as well as into New Zealand and Cape Colony, 

 it had been introduced from Australia. — The Rev. T. A. 

 Marshall communicated a monograph of the British Braconidiv, 

 part 2. — Mr. F. P. Pascoe read a paper entitled "Descriptions of 

 some new species oi BracAycenis." — Mr. Francis Gallon, F. R.S., 

 read a paper " On pedigree moth-breeding as a means of verifying 

 certain important constants in the general theory of heredity," in 

 which he suggested the institution of a system of experimental 

 breedings, to be continued for several years, with the object of 

 procuring evidence as to the precise measure of the diminution of 

 the rate at which a divergence from the average of the race pro- 

 ceeds in successive generations of continually selected animals. — 

 Mr. F. Merrifield read a paper entitled " A proposed method of 

 breeding SWcva'aiUus/raria, with the object of obtaining data for 

 Mr. Gallon." Mr. McLachlan said he considered the fact that 

 S. illuslraria was dimorphic an objection to its selection for the 

 experiments proposed, and suggested that the common silkworm 

 moth would be more suitable. Prof. Meldola remarked that, 

 although for some reasons the species selected was well adapted 

 for testing Mr. Gallon's conclusions, he believed that the fact of 

 the moth being seasonally dimorphic was likely to introduce dis- 

 turbing elements into the experiments which might influence the 

 results. The discussion was continued by Dr. Sharp, Messrs. 

 Haly, Kirby, White, Klein, Porritt, Dunning, Waterhouse, Bates, 

 Merrifield, Gallon, and others. 



Chemical Society, February 17.— Dr. Hugo Miiller, F.R.S., 

 President, in the chair. — It was announced that the following 

 changes in the Council list were proposed by the Council : — As 

 President: Mr. W. Crookes, F.R.S., vice Dr. Hugo Miiller, 

 F.R.S. As Vice-Presidents: Prof. McLeod, F.R.S., Prof. Schor- 

 lemmer, F. R.S., and Mr. Ludwig Mond, vice Mr. Crookes, 

 F.R.S., Prof. Liveing, F.R S., and Prof. T. E. Thorpe, F.R.S. 

 As ordinary Members of the Council : Prof. A. H. Church, 

 Dr. P. F. Frankland, Prof. Kinch, and Dr. H. F. Morley, vice 

 Messi-s. H. T. Brown, A. E. Fletcher, and Profs. Meldola and 

 Pickering. — The following papers were read : — The influence of 

 temperature 'on the heat of dissolution of salts, by Prof. S. U. 

 Pickering. This is an extension of the author's previous work 

 on the sulphates, entitled " The Influence of Temperature on the 

 Heat of Chemical Combination" (Trans., 1886, 260), which 

 tended to show that the heat of dissolution of a salt does not 

 increase regularly with a rise of temperature, but that irregularities 

 occur at various points, so that the heat of dissolution must be 

 represented by a series of curves. The experiments with potas- 

 sium sulphate, hydrated and anhydrous magnesium sulphate, and 

 hydrated and anhydrous cojiper sulphate have been repeated, and 

 the investigation extended to pot.issium, sodium, hydrated and 

 anhydrous strontium chloride, potassium and the two strontium 

 nitrates, the two sodium carbonates, sodium acetate and potassium 

 sodium tartrate. The investigation comprises over 700 determin- 

 ations, the mean results with each salt being deduced from two 

 to five distinct series of experiments, each performed with differ- 

 ent thermometers. The observations extended from 3° to 25°. 

 In all cases it was found that ihe irregularities previously noticed 

 were the result of error, and that the heat of dissolution of a salt 

 is represented by a series of straight lines. In rising from low 

 temperatures the heat of dissolution is expressed by a straight line 

 up to a certain point, when the rale becomes suddenly lowered 

 and remains constant till a further sudden reduction occurs at 



