December 2, 1922] 



NA TURE 



75i 



the inherited qualities of children. There is no 

 spontaneous degeneration and no ageing of a race, 

 though the transmitted substance may be damaged 

 by such poisons as alcohol and tobacco. Race-suicide 

 among the educated classes is threatening the con- 

 tinuance of our civilisation. In order to lead to 

 practical results in improving the race, racial biology 

 must be supported by the State. 



A very interesting series of lectures was given on 

 the action of electrolytes on the organism, tin- first 

 of these, entitled " Colloids and Ions," was delivered 

 by Prof. Wo. Ostwald of Leipzig, and it provided 

 the starting-point for a number of addresses. Prof. 

 Hoeber, Kiel, dealt with the effect of the ions on 

 physiological surfaces. We know to-day that no 

 organ of the human or animal body, no plant, and 

 no micro-organism reacts normally if the ions in the 

 neighbourhood of the cells are not present in the 

 proper proportions. The heart beats abnormally if 

 it is surrounded by a minute excess of potassium ions 

 or calcium ions. The corpuscles of the blood, in the 

 same circumstances, may perish prematurely, or 

 in the plant, growth may be abnormal. The ions 

 are carriers of electric charges and they are active 

 in all processes of stimulation of living tissues by 

 means of electric currents. Their movements are 

 also the cause of the curious electric currents which 

 all living beings are capable of producing, and which 

 represent the highest degree of excitement. The 

 explanation of the nature of the effect of the ions 

 is of the greatest importance for the proper under- 

 standing of the phenomena of life. 



It is a curious fact that the ions need not penetrate 

 into the living cells themselves. The conclusion is 

 that they react with the surfaces of the cells, the 

 " physiological boundaries." Three groups of pheno- 

 mena were discussed. In the first instance, the cells 

 themselves carry electric charges, and they interact 

 with the charges of the ions. A result of this may be 

 clotting, or " agglutination," as, for example, in the 

 well-known case of the clotting of the blood-corpuscles 

 during pregnancy. Secondly, the interaction of the 

 salt-ions and the cell-surfaces produces the bio- 

 electric currents which have been referred to above. 

 In a model the substance of the cell-surfaces may be 

 replaced by organic oils, and by bringing these oil 

 films in contact with various salts the electro-physio- 

 logical phenomena may be well imitated. Thirdly, 

 a change in the composition of the normal mixture 

 of ions on the surface of the cells alters the power of 

 transmission of the surface, so that the normal 

 diffusion between the inside of the cell and the 

 surrounding fluid is disturbed. These results show 

 that medical science will have to study these purely 

 physico-chemical phenomena in order to be able to 

 explain fully and deal properly with the processes 

 of life. 



Prof. Spiro of Basel, in dealing with the same 

 subject, stated that every electrolyte seems to play 

 a special part in the organism. Especially the effect 

 of the small ions of water and of the colloid electro- 



lytes must be studied. For health there must be a 

 proper equilibrium of all the necessary ions. 



Quite a sensation was caused by the lecture of 

 Prof. Mayer of Hamburg on the new preparation 

 against trypanosome diseases, " Bayer 205," pro- 

 duced and manufactured by Friedrich Bayer, Lever- 

 kusen (near Cologne). This new drug, which is 

 said to contain neither arsenic, antimony, mercury, 

 nor any other inorganic therapeutic reagents, has 

 been extensively tested, both in Europe and tropical 

 countries, and found to give excellent results in 

 advanced stages of sleeping-sickness and other 

 trypanosome diseases. A station for further ex- 

 periments has been fitted up in South Africa. 



In the geographical section Dr. Sven Hedin lectured 

 on his travels in Tibet, summarising the results 

 contained in his various works and producing a great 

 number of fine lantern-slides. The lecture was 

 enthusiastically received. 



A great number of papers was read by eminent 

 medical workers on special subjects. Prof. Flechsig 

 gave a survey of his well-known studies in mental 

 pathology in a lecture on the localisation of the 

 brain functions. Many lectures were also delivered 

 on technical and industrial subjects, such as workshop 

 control by means of optical measuring instruments 

 and modern methods of rapid reception and despatch 

 of wireless messages. 



The two lectures on enzymes, by Profs. Willstatter 

 of Munich and von Euler of Stockholm, were well 

 attended and full of interest. Prof. C. Neuberg of 

 Berlin lectured on recent advances in the study of 

 fermentation. 



A special feature of the congress was the lecture 

 by Prof. Wilhelm Ostwald of Leipzig on his new 

 methods of quantitative determination of colours. 

 Based on the Law of Fechner, his system of colours 

 includes the dull colours which Helmholtz excluded. 

 The colours of our environment cannot be measured 

 by wave-lengths, but only by means of revolving 

 coloured discs with a variable black sector. New 

 was the communication that we nowadays no longer 

 distinguish six principal colours, but must assume 

 eight, which number agrees with Fechner's Law. 



Space forbids more than a short reference to the 

 valuable lecture by Prof. Svante Arrhenius of 

 Stockholm on physical law in the cosmico-chemical 

 processes, by Prof. V. M. Goldschmidt of Christiania 

 on the metabolism of the earth, and by Prof. Nernst 

 of Berlin on photo -chemical processes. In the last 

 of these it was stated that Einstein's law of photo- 

 chemical equivalents no longer holds good. Light 

 does not produce a primary splitting up of the 

 chemical substance, but an addition of energy. Our 

 photographic plates would have to be 6000 times 

 more sensitive in order to approach to the ideal. 



Many more valuable lectures on special subjects 

 were delivered. The town of Leipzig showed its 

 splendid hospitality and provided entertainments 

 and many occasions for social and personal inter- 

 course. B. Rassow. 



The Present Position of Darwinism. 



/^\NE of the discussions which aroused most 

 ^-^ interest during the British Association meeting 

 at Hull was that held jointly by the botanical and 

 zoological sections on " The present position of 

 Darwinism." There was a large attendance, the 

 discussion being presided over by Prof. H. H. Dixon, 

 who was supported by Dr. E. J. Allen. The theory 

 of the origin of species by natural selection, which has 

 already been assailed by the geneticists, was attacked 



NO. 2770, VOL. I IO] 



from a different point of view by Dr. J. C. Willis 

 and Mr. I'dnv Yule, who treated the subject with 

 special reference to geographical distribution and 

 the statistical analysis of genera and species. During 

 the discussion the older view as to the significance 

 of natural selection was stoutly maintained by some 

 speakers. 



After a few introductory remarks by Prof. Dixon, 

 the discussion was opened by Dr. J. C. Willis, who 



