Fuly, 30, 1885 | 
NATURE 301 
IN a paper read before the last meeting of the French 
Academy of Medicine M. Lagneau described his researches into 
the ancesthetics employed in Europe by physicians in the Middle 
Ages. That such were known is beyond any doubt. Abelard, 
speaking of the creation of Eve from a rib of Adam, speaks 
of the deep sleep which fell upon the jlatter as similar to 
that which physicians produce in patients upon whom 
they wish to operate. Pliny speaks of a stone of Memphis 
which, when crushed and treated with vinegar, renders 
any part to which it is applied insensible to pain; and 
many old authors speak of surgeons producing sleep in their 
patients before an operation by mixing with their food a decoc- 
tion of the leaves or root of the mandragora, or some grains of 
the plant called ‘‘morion.” Preparations of these two plants, 
as well as of other narcotics, were employed by surgeons down 
to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, but much less in sub- 
sequent times. Opium was also used for a similar purpose, 
while in the East the anesthetic properties of hemp have been 
known from the earliest times. These were all taken into the 
stomach ; but anzesthesia by inhalation was also known. Two 
different preparations were discovered in the thirteenth century : 
one by a Dominican of Rome, the other by a surgeon named 
Theodoric, who was also a preaching friar, and subsequently a 
bishop. Both of these were prepared from opium, henbane, 
mandragora, hemlock, and many other plants, and were inhaled 
from a sponge. It is, however, difficult to believe that prepara- 
tions so little volatile could produce anzesthesia by simple in- 
halation. M. Perrin, who has studied ancient anesthetics, has 
given the composition of a liquid which contains all the ingre- 
dients required for chloroform, and it is said that this was applied 
to witnesses or prisoners who were about to be tortured in the 
judicial tribunals of the Middle Ages. After inhaling it the 
unfortunate subject was plunged into a semi-comatose state, 
which diminished in a certain degree the pain of the torture. 
This liquid was always kept in a place adjoining the torture- 
chamber. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Leadbeater’s Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri) 
from Australia, presented by Mr. H. Grant ; two Great Eagle 
Owls (Bubo maximus), European, presented by Mr. E. G. 
Carpenter ; a Common Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) from India, 
presented by Miss Rowland; an Indian Shama (Cofsychus 
macrurus) from India, deposited ; an Axis Deer (Cervus axis), 
two Squirrel-like Phalangers (Belideus sciureus), bred in the 
Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
_TuttLe’s Comet.—In No. 2674 of the Astronomische Nach- 
richten, published during the last week, are elements and an 
ephemeris of this comet, by Herr Johannes Rahts of Kénigs- 
berg. The orbit has been deduced from the observations of 1858 
and 1871—2, with perturbations by Mercury, Venus, the Earth, 
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus to July 11, 1885. Under 
such conditions it may be anticipated that Herr Rahts’ ephemeris 
will closely represent the track of the comet. His elements are 
as follows :— 
Perihelion passage, 1885, September 11°14265 G.M.T. 
Longitude of perihelion... 116 28 58:8 
ascending node 269 42 are ne Eq. 
Inclination erie ee 54 19 45°5 { te9o50 
Angle of eccentricity 55 14 226 
Mean daily motion ... 2577-8648 
Log. semi-axis major nee 0°7590765 
Motion—direct. 
Hence we have— 
Eccentricity ... ... 0°8215436 | Semi-axis major 5°7422 
Perihelion distance 102475 nS minor 3°2739 
Aphelion distance... 10°4596 | Semi-parameter 1°8666 
Period of revolution, 13°76 years. 
Tuttle’s comet was first seen by Méchain at Paris on January 
9, 1790, and was observed there till February 1. Parabolic 
elements calculated by Méchain did not lead to any 
suspicion of ellipticity of orbit. On January 4, 1858, Mr. 
Tuttle, of Cambridge, U.S., discovered a comet, which was in- 
dependently detected by the late Prof. Bruhns a week after- 
wards, and its orbit was found to present so close a resemblance 
to that of the second comet of 1790 as to immediately lead to the 
comets being considered identical, the identity being established 
by Bruhns, who found that five revolutions had been completed 
between 1790 and 1858. The dates of perihelion passage in 
this interval were thus determined by Clausen after taking into 
account the perturbations produced by the planet Jupiter— 
G.M.T. G.M.T. 
1790, January 30°87 | 1830, December... 6°64 
1803, November 7°27 | 1844, June ... 28°96 
1817, May ... 18°76 | 1858, February ... 23°52 
The comet was not recognised at any one of the four inter- 
mediate returns. 
From Herr Rahts’s ephemeris we have the following positions 
during the absence of moonlight in August :— 
Al Greenwich Midnight 
188< R.A. Decl. Log. Dist. Intensity 
a h. m.s. ° A from earth of light 
August 6... 7 13 27 ... +29 48°! ... 0°2853 0°39 
Tina LORS Mees 2OMLZ eT, 
Sa 2ORTAY ee 2590:0) = O2600 
Oe 723) 30Lre eT SOLO) 
HO} cee Hoss 9 27/f OIG fro OH EO 042 
1G 5 Y/ SOLU ey Hey CLI 
D2i eee S615) 20) LOLS O27 AF. 
He} con 9/ BIOL age AG 7/733 
PAbe- 74 Op he). 24 47°7 ... 0°2708 0'46 
To ec PASE ZO! «= 2A TEA: 
UO c=) 7°40) 43) as 23 26°6 ... 0°2674 
17 ... 7 49 59 .. 22 45°3 
08) Sen SBeLSir 22 3°5 ... 0°2640 0°49 
LOM 7 O27) ce 21 21°! 
20% ee 7159) 40) 20 38'0 ... 0°2607 
PA ire tens) ch 19 54°5 
7M ani te) 15) ois ea 19 I0°5 ... 0°2575 0°52 
22err One ON LO) ccm LOn250) 
2higees Ob I2) Zien 107, AO; Ons hOP25A 4. 
The intensity of light when [the comet was first observed at 
Marseilles at its last appearance, October 12, 1871, is taken as 
unity. On September ro it will be 0°55, the comet rising two 
hours before the sum. It must always be faint at its present 
return, so much so probably as to render observation difficult. 
THE NEW CoMET (BARNARD, July 7).—From observations 
on July 9, 12, and 15 the following elements result :— 
Perihelion passage, 1885, September, 20°6740 G.M.T. 
Longitude of perihelion 290 10°5 
oe ascending node 93 27°I 
Inclinatlonigercesarssimesec) Wrasse 76 61 
Log. perihelion distance... ... : 0°36549 
Motion—direct 
An orbit calculated by Dr. Holetschek, of Vienna, much 
resembles the above. 
It would appear that the perihelion distance of this comet may 
prove to be greater than in the case of any other comet hitherto 
computed, excepting the extraordinary one of 1729, which did 
not approach the sun within four times the earth’s mean 
distance. 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 
WEEK, 1885, AUGUST 2-8 
(For the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 
Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, is here 
employed. ) 
At Greenwich on August 2 
Sun rises, 4h. 27m. ; souths, 12h. 5m. 58°2s.; sets, 19h. 45m. ; 
decl. on meridian, 17° 40’ N.: Sidereal Time at Sunset, 
16h. 31m. 
Moon (at Last Quarter on August 3) rises, 21h. 56m.* ; souths, 
4h. 29m. ; sets, 11h. 13m, ; decl. on meridian, 5° 34’ N. 
