382 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 168. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF 

 PHYSIOLOGY. 



An laternational Congress of Physiologists is 

 lield triennially, with the object of contributing 

 to the advancement of physiology by affording 

 to physiologists of various nationalities an op- 

 portunity of personally bringing forward ex- 

 periments and of exchanging and discussing 

 views one with another and further of making 

 mutual personal acquaintance. 



At the conclusion of the Congress at Bern, in 

 1895, it was unanimously resolved that the 

 Fourth International Congress of Physiologists 

 should be held at Cambridge, England, in the 

 present year. The usual circular letter of the 

 Executive laternational Committee, concerning 

 the arrangements for and regulations of the 

 Conference, will be issued shortly after Easter. 

 Meanwhile, the National Organizing Committee 

 for the Congress send the following information : 



The Congress will open on Tuesdaj^, August 

 23d, and will hold sittings on that and the 

 three immediately following days. The place 

 of meeting will be the Physiological Labora- 

 tory of the University. The sessions will be 

 devoted especially to experimental forms of 

 demonstration. At the last Congress Professor 

 Foster was elected President for the forth- 

 coming Congress. Professor Foster has kindly 

 expressed his readiness to aiford to members of 

 the Congress all possible facilities for experi- 

 mental demonstration, as well as for the ex- 

 hibition of preparations and of scientific appa- 

 ratus. Three languages are recognized as 

 official at the Congress, namely, English, 

 French, German. Each member of the Con- 

 gress is required to contribute the sum of ten 

 shillings towards defraying the expenses of the 

 meetings. In receipt for that subscription a 

 card of membership of the Congress will be 

 issued by the Local Secretary, Dr. L. E. Shore, 

 Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge. 



Those who intend to be present and those 

 who wish to present papers should address the 

 Local Secretary, Dr. L. E. Shore, Physiological 

 Laboratory, Cambridge, before July 4th. 



In connection with the Congress, an Exhi- 

 bition of Physiological Apparatus will be held. 



Exhibits may be contributed by members of the 

 Congress, by directors of physiological labo- 

 ratories, and by makers recommended by any 

 member or director. The exhibition of appa- 

 ratus will open on Monday, August 22d, and 

 remain open for the five following days. 



The national organizing committee consists 

 of M. Foster, President; C. S. Sherrington, 

 Ron. Secretary ; F. J. Allen, W. M. Bayliss, 

 T. G. Brodie, J. S. Edkins, W. H. Gaskell, F. 

 Gotch, W. D. Halliburton, J. B. Haycraft, 

 Leonard Hill, J. N. Langley, J. G. M'Kendrick, 

 C. MacMunn, O. Noel Paton, M. S. Pembrey, 

 J. M. Purser, P. H. Pye-Smith, Waymouth 

 Eeid, W. Rutherford, J. B. Sanderson, E. A. 

 Schafer, L. E. Shore, W. Stirling, W. H. 

 Thompson, A. D. Waller. 



THE ALLEGHENY OBSERVATORY. 



In order to retain the services of Professor 

 James E. Keeler, who had been offered an im- 

 portant position in the Yerkes Observatory,, 

 steps have been taken at Pittsburg and Alle- 

 gheny to build for him a new observatory with 

 a thirty-inch telescope. It is to be hoped that 

 the call of Professor Keeler to Lick Observatory, 

 announced elsewhere in this issue of Science, 

 will not interfere with the construction of a. 

 new observatory for the Western University 

 of Pennsylvania. The present observatory 

 is so surrounded by buildings and its equip- 

 ment is so meager that it must be removed 

 and enlarged if it is to maintain the rank 

 given to it by Professor Langley and Professor 

 Keeler. Allegheny City has given the Univer- 

 sity a site in an elevated position surrounded 

 by parks and comparatively free from smoke, 

 and the sum of about $100,000 has been sub- 

 scribed towards the new building and its equip- 

 ment. This sum, it is expected, will very soon 

 be greatly increased. At the close of a course 

 of lectures given at the Carnegie Library, Pro- 

 fessor Keeler, as reported in the Pittsburg Com- 

 mercial Gazette, referred to the need of a new 

 observatory as follows : 



" I desire to say a few words about a subjec*' 

 that should interest all very greatly. The ob- 

 ject of this society is the diffusion of knowledge. 

 It is well that we should found colleges and 



