Jan. 22, 1880] 



NATURE 



289 



the collective work of those who labour in the wide field of 

 natural 'Science, all most important advances in hygiene, being 

 made by the researches of eminent specialists in natural science. 

 Finally, Prof. Mendeleeff made the proposal to publish a new 

 scientific periodical. 



At the last public meeting of the Congress, Professors 

 Sokhotsky and Kovalsky made a proposal to found a Russian 

 Astronomical Society, and Prof. Tchebysheff proposed to solicit 

 from the Government pecuniary help to the Moscow Mathe- 

 matical Society ; both proposals were agreed to. M. Severtsoff 

 gave a very interesting lecture on the orogra; hical structure of 

 Central Asia and on its influence upon the geographical distribu- 

 tion of animals. Prof. Andreieff developed the idea as to the 

 necessity of giving instruction in natural sciences in primary 

 schools, and M. Gerd^gave an address on the impulse which 

 could be given to the study of nature in Russia, its flora, and 

 fauna, by the teachers of the primary schools ; he demonstrated 

 by numerous facts that this help would be very effective, 

 as a great number of teachers would be ver/ gl id to work on 

 that field ; therefore, he proposed to draw up good programmes 

 for these studies, as well as simple manuals of the necessary 

 elements of science. Both proposals were met with the warmest 

 cheers of the numerous auditory, but we fear that they will meet, 

 as have former proposals of that kind, with strong opposition from 

 the actual Ministry of Pablic Instruction. After an address by 

 Trof . Wagner, on the sociability of animals, the Congress closed 

 its sittings ; the next Congress to be held at Odessa. 



In the Section of Astronomy and Mathematics we notice the 

 following communications : — By Prof. Davidoff, on a new 

 method for the exploration of functions, which method enables us 

 to deduce various theorems from one general principle ; by M. 

 Preobrajensky, on the integration of Laplace's equation by means 

 of quaternions, the communication having given rise to very 

 animated discussion ; and by M. Tchebysheff, on parallelograms 

 being a brilliant exposition of their importance in mechanics, 

 together with a discussion of several points of theoretical import- 

 ance. An interesting memoir was read by Prof. Bougaeff, on 

 subtractionjnthe theory of numbers, which deals with several 

 important philosophical points of mathematical investigation. 

 Other communications 11 ere by MM. Markoff, Joukovsky, and 

 Yasilieff, on Bernoulli's equation. 



In the Section of Physics and Meteorology we notice the fol- 

 lowing communications :— By M. Ziloff, on the magnetisation of 

 liquids ; by M. Collin, on the luminous properties of electrodes ; 

 by Prof. Oettinger, on electricity ; by M. Pantioukhoff, on the 

 meteorology of Bulgaria as compared with South-Western 

 Russia ; by Dr. Woeikof, on the various causes of perturbations 

 in the diurnal changes of temperature ; and by Baron W range], 

 on changes of level in the Black Sea. This level has continuous 

 fluctuation^ ; it is always lower during the night, and reaches its 

 maximum at mid-day in all sea-ports of the northern and the 

 eastern coast ; it is also at a minimum in October and a maxi- 

 mum in May, the difference between these two levels being 18 

 inches. The following communications of general interest were 

 also made in the Section of Physics :— Dr. Woeikof exhibited a 

 new map, showing the distribution of rainfall in all parts of the 

 world ; M. Borgmann made a communication on the influence 

 of the inductive currents on the development of temperature 

 during magnetisation ; Prof. Lemstrbm (Helsingfors) expounded 

 his theory of terrestrial magnetism ; Prof. Tchebysheff read a 

 memoir on centrifugal regulators, and exhibited two of his in- 

 vention ; and M. Tchikoleff, on electric lighting. 



In the Section of Geology and Mineralogy we notice commu- 

 nications by Prof. Lentz, on the level of the Amu-Darya ; by 

 Prof. Fr. Schmidt, on recent formations on the shores of the 

 Gulf of Finland ; and by M. Armatelsky, on diluvial formations 

 in the Government of Chernigov. 



In the Sections of Botany and Zoology we notice the commu- 

 nications by M. Tikhomirofi on the bacteria which cause disease 

 of the bladder, and on the artificial production of these bac- 

 teria ; by Prof. Ganin, on the development of fishes ; and by 

 M. Sidoroff, on the insects destroying corn in Russia. 



A most interesting communication was made to the Section of 

 Physiology by Prof. Setchenoff, on the absorption of oxygen 

 and nitrogen by blood. Besides, we notice communications by 

 Prof. Goloubeff", on the vibratile epithelium ; by Dr. Tsiboulsky, 

 on a new method of determining the amount of blood in ani- 

 mals ; by M. Wedensky, on the innervation of the respiratory 

 motions of the Rana Umporaria ; and by Prof. Tarkhanoff, on 

 the amount of blood of man. 



In the Section of Anthropology were the following commu- 

 nications : — By Prof. Slid (Dorpat), on the relation between 

 the indexes of the s'sull and that of the head ; by Dr. Lubinsky 

 on the sight, being the result of numerous observations upon the 

 crews of the Russian navy, which observations establish a cer- 

 tain connection, difficult to explain, between the power of sight 

 and the breadth of the chest. The communication by M. 

 Dokouchaeff, on the pre-historic man of the downs of the Oka 

 river, deals with a subject of great interest, as he affirms that 

 the range of downs which wc see along the whole of the course 

 of that river must afford a great amount of pre-historic remains, 

 as is the case with the downs of Volosovo and Lviniy, both 

 having yielded thousands of such remains. Prof. Inostrantseff 

 discussed at length the various sub-divisions of the stone period, 

 and M. Anoutchin gave an interesting note on the frontal 

 suture, which seems to appear most frequently in races of a 

 higher degree of civilisation. 



An interesting feature of these Russian congresses is the 

 existence of two special sections, those of scientific medicine and 

 of hygiene ; the latter section lias assumed a great importance, 

 thanks to the energy of several eminent hygienists, as Drs. 

 Erisman, Dobroslavine, Vyrouboff, and others. A question 

 being raised about the hygiene of railways, the section of hygiene 

 had two special sittings on this subject, and a committee was 

 appointed to draw up a programme of investigations on the 

 dress of railway employes, the number of hours of work, 

 the sanitary state of railway stations, and of dwellings of 

 employe's, accidents, the transport of cattle, &c. A great number 

 of other questions, as to the disinfection of dwellings, epidemics, 

 &c, were discussed, and we hope that the work of the section 

 will be of great importance for this kind of investigation. 



Several other important communications were made in the 

 Physical Society, and in the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists. 

 which both have had their annual meetings during the Congress. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — On February 3 the question of the Natural Science 

 Degree will again come on for discussion in congregation. La-t 

 term, it will be remembered, the proposal to giant a special 

 natural science degree was defeated after a close division, the 

 principal opposition to the motion coming from the scientific 

 members of congregation. It was thought that a separate 

 science degree, not carrying with it the privileges of the master 

 of Arts Degree, would be regarded as an inferior degree, and tend 

 to lower the position of science in the University. A clause is 

 now proposed by an influential body of residents — including 

 Prof. Odling, Dr. Mark Pattison, Rector of Lincoln, A. Vernon 

 Harcourt, Prof. Green, Prof. Lawson, and Prof. Nettleship — to 

 the following effect : — " Every person who shall have been 

 admitted to the degree of Master of Natural Science, shall also 

 be admitted to the degree of Master of Arts." 



At the University Museum Prof. Clifton will continue his 

 course on Statical Electricity and Magnetism ; Dr. Odling will 

 continue his lectures on Organic Chemistry on Mondays and 

 Fridays at noon, instead of on Mondays and Thursdays as here- 

 tofore. The examination for the Radcliffe Travelling Fellow- 

 ship will begin in the Museum on Tuesday, February 10, at 

 10 A.M. Candidates are requested to send in their names to Dr. 

 Acland, at the Museum, on or before February 1. 



At Christ Church Mr. Vernon Harcourt will form a class and 

 lecture on Quantitative Analysis ; Mr. Baynes will lecture on 

 Thermodynamics and Electrodynamics. 



M. Rouget, Professor of Physiology in the Faculty of Medi- 

 cine at Montpellier, is nominated Professor of General Physiology 

 in the Museum of Natural History of Paris, in succession to the 

 late Claude Bernard. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 

 Annalen der Physik mid Chemit, No. 12, 1S79. — Analogies 

 between fluidity and galvanic conductivity, by O. Grotrian. — On 

 the magnetisation of iron rings, by A. v. Ettingshausen. — The ball- 

 shaped electro-dyr.amometer, by J. Friihlich. — On gradual passage 

 of the band-spectrum of nitrogen into a line-spectrum, by A. 

 Wiillner. — On Stokes's law, by S. Lamansky. — On a bi-constant 

 dispersion formula, by E. Lornmel. — On the dichroitic fluores- 

 cence of magnesium-platinum-cyanide ; experimental proof or 



