142 



NATURE 



[July 29, 1909 



A. J. Martin. J. T. Thompson, and G. A. Hart. Mr. 

 Silcock dealt with a new method now at worlc at Roth- 

 well, in which, after removing grit, the sewage is pumped 

 on to a revolving fine-mesh screen, then taken to deep 

 percolating bacteria beds, then through sand filters, and 

 discharged. 



In the section of preventive medicine an important paper 

 was read by Dr. Robertson (Birmingham) initiating a 

 discussion on tuberculosis. He pointed out that more 

 human suffering is due to tuberculosis than to any disease, 

 that it was produced by infection derived from cases of 

 phthisis, from milk, and possibly from meat, and developed 

 slowly after the germ is taken into the system. He 

 emphasised the importance of milk and meat in carrying 

 infection, and pointed out that more than 30 per cent, 

 of dairy herds are infected. In this connection more 

 attention should be given to the ventilation of cowsheds. 

 Dr. Woodcock (Leeds) followed with a paper on the 

 physique of the phthisical as a means of diagnosis, whilst 

 Dr. Trevelyan (Leeds) discussed the methods of preventing 

 infection from tliose already suffering from the disease. 

 An interesting discussion followed, and a resolution was 

 passed " that the Health Congress wishes to direct the 

 attention of agricultural societies to the great assistance 

 which they might render to the community by making it 

 one of their conditions in offering prizes for dairy cattle 

 that the animals should be free from tuberculosis." 



Subsequently papers were read on the protection of 

 the food supply. Imported and canned foods were dealt 

 with by Dr. H. Williams (London) and Dr. W. F. Dearden 

 (Manchester), whilst Dr. Savage (Colchester) discussed the 

 administrative measures for examining food supply in 

 general, Mr. W. G. Barnes (London) advocated measures 

 for eradicating tuberculosis from the milk supply, and Dr. 

 Stedman explained methods of administering the " Dairies' 

 Order." In the bacteriology section papers were con- 

 tributed by ^Ir. J. Johnstone; on the significance of leuco- 

 cytes in milk as indicating a need for detailed examina- 

 tion, by Dr. Savage (Colchester) ; on the catalase of milk 

 as an indicator of disease, by C. Revis (London) ; and on 

 the growth of the bacillus tuberculosis, by Dr. Moore and 

 R. S. Williams (Liverpool). In the latter the important 

 observation was made that the bacillus will only grow 

 between certain definite limits of oxygen pressure', being 

 equally stopped by absence of oxygen or by more than 

 60 per cent. To stop and kill the organisms completely 

 about 70 per cent, of oxygen must be present, which doe's 

 not mterfere with the majority of other organisms tested. 

 In the same section a ioint paper was read by Prof. 

 Grunbaum and Dr. M. Coplans (Leeds) on the selective 

 action of preservatives, in which thev discuss the effect of 

 different preservatives on the growth of organisms. 

 Papers were also contributed bv Mr. J. C. G. Ledingham 

 (Aberdeen), on the bacteriology of summer diarrha?a ; bv 

 Dr. S. G. Moore (Huddersfield), on the advantages derived 

 from Its notification to the authorities ; and by Dr. Buchan 

 (St. Helens), on administrative measures for its reduction. 

 _ -An interesting scries of papers was read in the engineer- 

 mg and architectural section on \vater supply and treat- 

 ment of trade water, and in the section 6n industrial 

 hygiene lead poisoning, its pathologv and prevention 

 abstracts of which, from want of spaceV cannot be given. 



Sir Charles Cameron gave an attractive popular lecture 

 on underground and overground air. 



During the congress the University of Leeds took 

 advantage of the occasion to confer deg'rees honorh causa 

 on the president of the congress. Colonel T. A\' Hnrdino- 

 and on Sir James Crichton-Browne, F.R.S., and Alaior 

 Ronald Ross, F.R.S. 



LANCASHIRE FISHERY INVESTIGATIOWS.' 

 'P HE report of the Lancashire Sea-fisheries Laboratory at 

 _ Liverpool for 1908 gives evidence of sustained ' in- 

 vestigation into problems that demand several years' work 

 for their solution. The articles are in almost' every case 

 continuations of those contributed to the report of' 1907, 

 It is therefore unnecessary in a brief review to do 



and 



NO. 2074, VOL. 81] 



more than summarise the findings of the several workers 

 on the fishery questions with which they have been so 

 long occupied. 



Prof. Herdman gives a further instalment of results ob- 

 tained by tow-netting with modern nets in the Irish Sea. 

 This method of obtaining the floating or drifting organisms 

 is now becoming more delicate, and the catching power of 

 the nets is more accurately known than was formerly the 

 case. The object in view being an exact determination 

 of the distribution and fluctuation of the " plankton," no 

 trouble is too great and no determinations arc too laborious 

 to deter the director of the fisheries work. Accordingly, 

 this paper contains an immense amount of data both as 

 to methods and results with regard to the seasonal and 

 local variations in this fauna, and also with reference to 

 the influence of conditions upon its abundance and be- 

 haviour. The statistical work involved in such a report 

 is very great, and the credit of these laborious tables is 

 due to the zeal of Mr. Andrew Scott. On the whole) the 

 results of 1908 show the correctness of the conclusions 

 arrived at in the previous contribution to this " intensive 

 study " of plankton round the Isle of Man, but they also 

 demonstrate some seasonal divergences which are in all 

 probability of considerable importance to fishermen, as 

 affecting the arrival of spring or autumn migrants. The 

 only criticism that we feel justified in making upon such 

 a heavy and valuable undertaking is the absence of any 

 analysis of the light-factors that influence plankton, but 

 we hesitate to press this criticism, as Prof. Herdman has 

 not published the whole of his results. 



Of the more striking fishery papers, attention may be 

 directed to Mr. Johnstone's important experiments on 

 quarantining mussels. Mr. Johnstone has determined the 

 degree of bacterial pollution in a number of shell-fish taken 

 from Welsh and Lancashire bays, and finds that the con- 

 tamination, though, as a rule, not serious, is probably due 

 to general contamination of the water or sea-bed in these 

 districts. In some cases, however, the pollution is more 

 serious, and, bv transferring these heavily infected mussels 

 to cleaner open water, Mr. Johnstone finds that in four 

 days' quarantine the maximum amount of sterilisation is 

 effected. The bare fact, of course, has long been known, 

 for oysters infected by typhoid, for instance, but this report 

 is a continuation of that more extended investigation which 

 is needed in order to enable fishermen themselves to increase 

 a healthy supply of shi41-fish near the larger towns. Mr. 

 Johnstone also contributes papers on the temperatures of 

 the Irish .S(\a, on the growth and migration of plaice, on 

 oarasitic growths in flat fish, and a joint paper with Capt. 

 Weigall on the outfit of the fine new boat. Jatnes Fletcher, 

 which the Lancashire Sea-fisheries Committee com- 

 missioned recently. In addition to these papers, the wider 

 aspects of biological investigations are not overlooked, and 

 we are glad to see that Dr. Bassett has continued his 

 hvdrogrophical study of the Irish Sea by a further analysis 

 of its salinities. It is to be hoped that aid wU\ be forth- 

 coming to provide the Lancashire committee with a member 

 of staff specially devoted to such work. 



Lastly, reference must be made to an excellent n'siimf 

 of the method for finding the coefficient of plnnkton-nets 

 (in regard to catching power) by Mr. Dakin. This gentle- 

 man's elaborate study of Pecten, forming an appendix 

 to this report, has been noticed already in these columns 

 (May 6, p. 27.^), and we may merely, therefore, refer to 

 it as an example of the good results obtained by bringing 

 different methods to bear upon the study of an organism. 



ORIGIN AND RITES OF GYPSIES. 



TN the journal of the Gypsy-lore Society for April Miss 

 D. E. Vates publishes a translation of a paper by 

 Prof. R. Pischel, originally published in the Deutsche 

 Ru)idschaH for 1SS3, on the home of the Gypsies. Review- 

 ing various references to the origin of this race, he comes 

 to the conclusion, on the evidence of philology, that the 

 Gypsy dialects are closely connected with those of 

 Dardistan, and he accordingly fixes this region as the 

 original Gypsy home. This view is based largely on 

 materials collected by Drew, Biddulph, and Leitner. It 

 is unfortunate that this opportunity was not taken to 



