April io, 1913] 



NATURE 



155 



out the use of any apparatus for dispersion by the 

 use of suitable absorbing solutions (didymium chloride 

 for the yellow ray, eosin for the green ray). — M. 

 Dussaud : The separation of the lighting and heating 

 effects produced by a source of light. Instead of 

 concentration by single lenses, a group of optical 

 systems arranged to succeed each other automatically 

 is used. During displacement out of the path ol the 

 rays, the system cools. In this way a separation of 

 the heating and lighting effects is produced. 

 Numerous applications are suggested. — Mile. L. 

 Chevroton and M. F. Vies : Kinematography of the 

 vocal chords and their laryngial annexes. — G. Lafon : 

 The formation of fat at the expense of the albuminoid 

 materials in the animal organism. The formation of 

 fat from albuminoid material, although theoretically 

 possible, is physiologically difficult. The nutritive 

 value ol albumin, considered as a source of energy, 

 must be measured, not by the total energy it contains, 

 but by the energy contained in the amount of glucose 

 which can be derived from it. — P. Chausse : The con- 

 ditions of respirability of the virulent particles ob- 

 tained bv liquid polarisation. In experimental infec- 

 tion by the inhalation of liquid tuberculous virus, it is 

 only the dried particles which are effective. — Em. 

 Bourquelot and Em. Verdon : The reversibility of fer- 

 ment actions : emulsin and /3-methylglucoside. The 

 action of emulsin upon 0-methylglucoside and upon a 

 mixture of glucose and methylglucoside shows that the 

 reaction is reversible, the final state of equilibrium 

 being identical in both systems. — R. Goupil : Re- 

 searches on the. phosphorus compounds formed by 

 Amylomyces rouxii. — L. Launoy and K. Oechslin : 

 Concerning secretin (Bayliss and Starling) and vaso- 

 dilatine (Popiclski). By repeated precipitation with 

 absolute alcohol secretin can be obtained possessing 

 no depressive action on the blood pressure ; a depressor 

 substance has also been isolated from the alcoholic 

 solutions, for which the name depressine is proposed. 

 These results are in agreement with the views of 

 Bayliss and Starling, and opposed to those of Popiel- 

 ski. — Louis Gentil : The structure of the coast line of 

 western Algeria. 



March 31. — M. F. Guyon in the chair. — Gaston 

 Darbonx : Minimum surfaces engendered by a variable 

 1 in Ie. — Emile Picard : A class of transcendentals 

 generalising elliptic and Abelian functions. — J. Bous- 

 sinesq : The existence of a superficial viscosity in the 

 thin transition layer separating a liquid from another 

 fluid. — MM. Leclainche and" Vallee : Vaccination 

 against anthrax. Details of a method of obtaining 

 with certainty attenuated races of the anthrax bacillus. 

 More than 345,000 successful inoculations have been 

 made with this virus during the last three years. — The 

 secretary announced the death of V. Dwelshauvers- 

 Dery, correspondant for the section of mechanics. — M. 

 \ iimn 11 : Observations of the mutual occultations of 

 the satellites of Jupiter. — Leon Lichtenstein : The 

 fundamental functions of linear differential equations 

 of the second order and the development of an arbi- 

 trarv function. Application of the theory of quadratic 

 forms to an infinity of variables. — Georges Polya : A 

 theorem of Laguerre. — M. Barre : A series of surfaces 

 of which a family of lines of curvature is constituted 

 bv indeformable helices. — Henri Benard : The zone of 

 formation of alternate vortices behind an obstacle. — 

 Ernest Esclangon : The motion of the support in pen- 

 dulum observations. — J. Chaudier ; The magnetic rota- 

 tory polarisation of liquefied oxygen and nitrogen. — 

 M. de Broglie : The multiple images produced by Ront- 

 gen rays after traversing crystals. — Victor Henri and 

 Rene Wurmser : The energy absorbed in photochemical 

 reactions. In the three cases examined experiment- 

 •illv the energy necessary for the destruction of a 

 molecule is less than the quantum of energy of 

 NO. 2267, VOL. 91] 



Einstein. — L. Gay : The pressure of expansibility of 

 normal fluids. — M. Barre : Combinations of cerium 

 chloride with ammonia gas. Five definite compounds 

 are described, all of which are decomposed by water. 

 — A. Saint-Sernin : The estimation of calcium as 

 tungstate. The determination of calcium as tungstate 

 possesses some advantages, especially as regards its 

 separation from magnesium. — E. Chablay : The pre- 

 paration of the primary alcohols by reducing the esters 

 by means of absolute alcohol and sodammonium. The 

 ester R.CO.(OR') is converted by this reaction into 

 the alcohol R.CrL.(OH). Examples of the generality 

 of the reaction are given. — A. Duffour : A new crystal- 

 line form of potassium bichromate. — L. Blaringhem : 

 A remarkable case of heredity in hybrids of barley, 

 Hordeum distichum nutans xH. distichum nudum. — 

 Albert Berthelot and D. M. Bertrand : Researches on 

 the intestinal flora. The possible production of 

 ptomaines in acid medium. In the intestinal flora of 

 subjects showing symptoms of enteritis or of muco- 

 colitis, together with fcecal matter possessing an acid 

 reaction, an organism is frequently found (B. amino- 

 philus intestinalis) capable of removing the carboxyl 

 group from histidine even in a slightly acid medium. 

 — M. IMansuy : Limestones of Indo-China containing 

 Productus. — Gustave F. Dollfus : The use of drainage 

 wells. The attempt to modify the flooding of the 

 Seine valley by borings is useless, and likely to aggra- 

 vate the trouble it is intended to alleviate. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Palaobotaniscb.es Praktikum. By Prof. H. Potonie 

 and Dr. \Y. Gothan. Pp. viii+152. (Berlin: 

 Gebriider Borntraeger.) 4 marks. 



Modern Geography for High Schools. By R. D. 

 Salisbury, H. H. Barrows, and W. S. Tower. Pp. 

 ix4-4iS + vii plates. (New York: H. Holt and Co.) 

 1.25 dollars. 



Der Mensch und seine Kultur. By Neophilosophos 

 Tis. Pp. 101. (Konstanz : E. Ackermann.) 3 marks. 



Theorie der Erdgestalt nach Gesetzen der Hydro- 

 statik. By Clairaut. Edited by P. E. B. Jourdain 

 and A. v. Oettingen. Pp. 162. (Leipzig : W. Engel- 

 mann.) 4.60 marks. 



Die Druckkriifte de-, Lichtes. By P. Lebedew, 

 Edited by P. Lasareff. Pp. 58. (Leipzig : W. Engel- 

 mann.) 1.80 marks. 



Dispersion und Absorption des Lichtes in ruhenden 

 isotropen Korpern. By Dr. D. A. Goldhammer. Pp. 

 vi+144. (Leipzig u. Berlin: B. G. Teubner.) 3. bo 

 marks. 



Ministry of Finance, Egypt. Survey Department. 

 Meteorological Report for the Year 1910. Part ii., 

 Climatological and Rainfall Observations. Pp. 199 + 

 ii plates. (Cairo : Government Press.) 15 P.T. 



Examples in Algebra. By H. S. Hall. Pp. viii + 

 168 + xxxvii. (London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 2s. 



Elementary Biology : Plant, Animal, Human. By 

 J. E. Peabody and A. E. Hunt. (London : Macmillan 

 and Co., Ltd.) 5i. 6d. net. 



Die Vererbung und Bestimmung des Geschlechtes. 

 Bv C. Correns and R. Goldschmidt. Erweiterte Fass. 

 uiig. Pp. viii + 149 + plates. (Berlin: Gebriider 

 Borntraeger.) 4.50 marks. 



Tracks of the Sun and Stars, a.d. 1900 to a.d. 

 37900. By T. E. Heath. Pp. 17 + vi. (London: W. 

 Wesley and Son.) 5s. net. 



Are the Planets Inhabited? By E. W. Maunder. 

 Pp. iv+ 166. (London : Harper and Brothers.) 2x. 6d. 

 net. 



The Age of the Earth. By A. Holmes. Pp. xii + 

 196. (London : Harper and Brothers.) 2s. 6d. net. 



Service Chemistrv. Bv Prof. V. B. Lewes and 



