April 14, 1899.] 



science: 



557 



lished in the Minnesota Botanical Studies as a 

 part of the pnblicatious of the State Geological 

 and Natural History Survey. Appearing at 

 intervals' in the form of a periodical, the 

 ' Studies ' are unique among the botanical 

 publications of the country. Here is a case of 

 the endowment of research which is to be com- 

 mended to other States. Eight titles appear in 

 the current number (Part II., Second Series) in- 

 cluding ' Seedlings of certain woody plants. 

 Comparative anatomy of hypocotyl and epicotyl 

 in woody plants, Seed dissemination and distri- 

 bution of Razoumofskya robusta, Observations on 

 Constantinea,' etc., etc. 



Charles E. Bessey. 

 The University of Nebraska. 



THE BRAIN OF HERMANN YON EELSrBOLTZ. 

 Professor David Hansemann, of the Uni- 

 versity of Berlin, has contributed to the Zeit- 

 schrift fur Psychologie (Part I. of Volume XX. , 

 issued on March 7th) an account of his examina- 

 tion of the brain of the late Professor von Helm- 

 holtz. Death was due to apoplexy and occurred 

 on September 8, 1894, when Helmholtz was 73 

 years of age. The circumference of the head 

 outside the scalp was 59 cm. and of the skull 

 55 cm. The width of the skull was 15.5 cm. 

 and its length 18.3 cm. The cephalic index 

 was consequently 85.25, which represents a 

 broad head. The size of the head was about 

 the same as that of Bismarck and slightly 

 smaller than that of Wagner, both of whom 

 had large heads. Darwin's head, on the other 

 hand, was only 56.3 cm. in circumference. 

 The weight of the brain with the coagulated 

 blood was 1700 g. and without the blood about 

 1440 g. , which is nearly 100 g. heavier than 

 the average. It is, however, now generally 

 recognized that the weight of the brain alone 

 is not an index of mental capacity. The 

 convolutions are more important, and here 

 the examination of von Helmholtz' s brain 

 showed that the sulci were peculiarly deep and 

 well marked, this being especially the case in 

 those parts of the brain which the researches 

 of Flechsig have shown to be concerned with 

 associations. The frontal convolutions are so 

 deeply cut by numerous sulci that it is difficult 



to follow the recognized fissures. The article 

 contains two photographs of the brain taken 

 from plaster casts. The brain itself has not 

 been preserved. 



We are informed, both on the authority of 

 von Helmholtz himself and as the result of the 

 post-mortem examination, that he had been in 

 youth somewhat hydrocephalous, which was 

 also the case with Cuvier, who had one of the 

 heaviest (1830 g.) brains known. It has been 

 maintained by Perls, and more guardedly by 

 Edinger, that hydrocephaly in youth is an ad- 

 vantage in enlarging the skull and giving the 

 brain space for growth. Hansemann thinks 

 that the pressure on the brain resulting from 

 slight hydrocephaly is an adequate anatomical 

 explanation of unusual intelligence. He re- 

 frains, however, from recommending the mak- 

 ing of geniuses by injecting fluid into the skulls 

 of babies. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



A MEETING of the Council of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science 

 has been called by the President, Professor F. 

 W. Putnam, and the Permanent Secretary, Dr. 

 L. O. Howard, on Tuesday, April 18th, at 4:30 

 p. m., at the Cosmos Club, Washington, D. C. 



The New York Academy of Sciences will hold 

 its annual exhibition and reception on Wednes- 

 day and Thursday, April 19th and 20th. As 

 has been the case in other years, the first even- 

 ing will be reserved for members of the Acad- 

 emy and specially invited guests, while a large 

 number of those interested in science will be in- 

 vited to be present on the second evening. On 

 Thursday afternoon students of the universities 

 and schools will be invited to attend. Tickets 

 for Thursday afternoon or evening can prob- 

 ably be obtained from Professor William Hal- 

 lock, Columbia University, Chairman of the 

 Committee of Arrangements. 



The Committee of Organization of the Inter- 

 national Geological Congress, which meets at 

 Paris from the 16th to the 28th of August, 1900, 

 is as follows : President, M. Albert Gaudry, pro- 

 fessor in the Museum of Natural History ; Vice- 

 Presidents, MM. Michel Levy and Margel Ber- 

 trand ; General Secretary, M. Charles Barrois. 



Dr. G. W. Hill has declined to accept the 



