414 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1321 



pears jwssible that when a minimal quantity 

 of strychnine is employed the reactions de- 

 scribed will be found to be confined to the 

 ipsilateral hind leg. Together with the hind 

 limb phenomena just described there is 

 usually to be noted a rigidity affecting both 

 forelimbs, which again strongly recalls the 

 appearances of decerebrate rigidity. 



The reactions above depicted do not apjwar 

 to be due to an action of the strychnine on 

 the spinal cord and bulb, since the symptoms 

 are confined to the hind and forelimbs. 

 Vigorous stimulation of other parts of the 

 body, i. e., the trunk and head elicits not the 

 slightest indication of strychnine convulsions. 

 There is no opisthotonus; the lower jaw is 

 constantly relaxed and the mouth open. 



Magnini and Beck and Bikeles had pre- 

 viously applied a solution of strychnine to the 

 cerebellar cortex for the purpose of localiza- 

 tion. The effects described by these authors 

 were, however, of an indefinite character and 

 involved widely-separated regions of the body. 

 According to Luciani the reactions were in 

 part due to diffusion of the drug to the 

 medulla oblongata and the observations of the 

 writers cited lend no support to the doctrine 

 of cerebellar localization. In my experiments, 

 on the contrary, precautions were taken to 

 prevent spread of the drug to the medulla ob- 

 longata and the symptoms themselves were of 

 a definite and restricted nature. My experi- 

 ments are being continued on the cat and 

 the method will be extended to the study of 

 the cerebellum of the dog, monkey and other 

 animals. 



Frederick E Miller 



Western XJniveesity Medical School, 

 London, Canada, 

 March 22, 1920 



A LOGIC TEST 



To THE Editor op Science: I have lately 

 came upon what I regard as the very best 

 Logic-Puzzle that I have ever met with; that 

 it is good is proved by the fact that the i)eople 

 I have put it to have been somewhat equally 

 divided as to whether they answer yes or no 

 to the question involved. Moreover, it is an 



actual case — a real advertisement of a cloth- 

 ing store that I had the good luck to find in 

 a recent newspaper. This is it: 



We have all known from our youth up that to err 

 is human. If this is so, it must be that all of our 

 eompetitors are thoroughly hiuian. 



The implication is, of course, that " our 

 competitors " are people who make (in their 

 cutting and fitting) plenty of errors, and the 

 inference drawn is that this proves them to 

 be human. Now this is either good reasoning 

 or bad; which is it? 



I should be extremely glad to receive an- 

 swers to this question, and especially if they 

 are accompanied with the grounds for the 

 answer — yes or no. 



Christine Ladd-Franklin 



COLUMBIA tTNrVERSITT, 



Marcih 2, 1920 



THE SITUATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEN IN 

 RUSSIA 



A RECENT letter to Science (March 26, 1920, 

 p. 322) having brought up the question of 

 " the situation of scientific men in Russia," 

 with jyarticular reference to Professor Pavlov, 

 it seems fitting to publish the following letter 

 from Professor Boris Babkin, who was for 

 many years assistant to Professor Pavlov. We 

 are all interested in the welfare of our scien- 

 tific colleagues in Russia as well as in other 

 countries, and this direct statement may 

 throw some light on the situation, 



H. Gideon Wells 



The Otho A. Speagde Memokial Institute, 

 Chicago, III,, 

 April 5, 1920 



Dec. 17, 1919. 

 1 Physiological Labokatort, 



, IlNiVEESirsr or Odessa. 



Dear Professor Wells, 



I take advantage of my old acquaintance with 

 you in E. Fischer's laboratory and beg you to as- 

 , sist me in the following matter. 



The bolshevik revolution has brought Russia into 

 suei a state that not only has scientific work come 

 to a standstill, but even our lives are in danger. 

 Many professors have been put to death, many are 

 in prison. I consider it necessary to continue my 

 scientific activity. I therefore beg you to help me 



