SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—I, J. 371 
discoveries to commercial storage practice, in obtaining longer storage life 
and better quality; gas storage. The control of the composition of the 
storage atmosphere ; providing a fruit store with ‘ lungs.’ 
Dr. C. H. Lea and Dr. J. A. Lovern.—On certain aspects of the 
biochemistry of animal fats. 
The development of an unpleasant odour or flavour in the fat frequently 
determines the storage life of a foodstuff. 
Keeping quality in a fat is determined by its composition and storage 
environment. The factors influencing composition have been studied 
particularly with regard to fish oils. The type of fat deposited is shown to 
depend upon the diet, the environment (salt water or fresh), and sometimes 
the species. 
In the species so far studied the mobilisation of depot fat appears to be 
a non-selective process, but fat is selectively transferred to the developing 
gonads. Further, the theory of desaturation in the liver, which has been 
advanced in the case of mammals, is not supported from results from fish. 
Recent work has led to a clearer distinction between the parts played by 
the action of tissue enzymes, by micro-organisms, by atmospheric oxida- 
tion, and by the absorption of foreign odours in promoting deterioration of 
fats. 
Low temperatures, reduced atmospheric humidity or the presence of 
carbon dioxide retard tainting of fats by micro-organisms. 
Oxidation can be followed quantitatively by determination of peroxide 
oxygen or of aldehyde oxidation products, the former method serving also 
as the basis of a method for estimating susceptibility. The oxidation of 
fats is accelerated by light and retarded by antioxidants. 
Some practical applications of recent discoveries. 
SECTION J.—PSYCHOLOGY. 
Thursday, September 6. 
Mr. D. Kennepy-FrRaseR.—The immature reaction to number of older 
feeble-minded boys (10.0). 
A group inventory test of addition, subtraction and multiplication applied 
to older feeble-minded boys aged thirteen to sixteen revealed that they were 
slower, less accurate, more subject to typical errors and more prone to use 
primitive methods than normal boys of the same or a younger age. Finger- 
counting was especially noticeable. An individual diagnostic test exposing 
m rows of n discs (3 X 5, 4 X 6, 5 X 7,3 X 4,3 * 3) demonstrated the 
immaturity of the boys’ reactions. A total of 1,000 reactions made by 
200 boys gave only 289 multiplicative reactions of the form m x_n and 
423 additive types m + m + m, while as many as 288 were of the primitive 
form of counting by units. It is further clear that even where a boy appears 
to succeed in an ordinary class exercise, an individual diagnostic test may 
reveal faulty modes of reaction. 
Dr. M. E. BickersteTH.—Bilingualism (10.45). 
Gaelic is the home language of children living in the sparsely populated 
districts of the Western Highlands and Islands, and they enter school 
