488 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1136 



great; for example, what chemical consid- 

 erations can be adduced to explain why the 

 central nervous tissues react differently to 

 bromide and chloride, while to the other 

 tissues these are almost equally indifferent ; 

 or how can the known chemical differences 

 between potassium and sodium be brought 

 into relation with the fact that they differ 

 in their effects in almost every form of 

 living tissue? 



Less attention has been paid to the other 

 factor in the reaction, the properties of the 

 living tissue which lead one cell to react to 

 a poison, while another fails to do so. I 

 have pointed out some curious relations be- 

 tween different organs, but much needs to 

 be done before any general view can be ob- 

 tained. Further detailed examination of 

 the exact point at which poisons act, and 

 much greater knowledge of the physical 

 characters of the drugs themselves and of 

 the relation of colloid substances to these 

 characters, are needed. "We must attempt 

 to classify living tissues in groups not 

 determined by their morphological or even 

 functional characters, but by their ability to 

 react to chemical agents. Advance is slow, 

 but it is continuous, and if no general at- 

 tack on the problem is possible as yet, our 

 pickets are at any rate beginning to give us 

 information as to the position of the dif- 

 ferent groups to be attacked. And when a 

 sufficient number of these qualitative re- 

 actions have been ascertained for any form 

 of living matter, it may be possible for some 

 Darwin to build a bridge from the struc- 

 tural chemistry of the protein molecule to 

 the reactions of the living cell. We can 

 only shape the bricks and mix the mortar 

 for him. And my purpose to-day has been 

 to indicate how the study of the effects of 

 drugs on the living tissue may also con- 

 tribute its mite towards the great end. 



A. R. Cushnet 



FIELD MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIA- 

 TION OF AMERICAN STATE 

 GEOLOGISTS 



The state geologists of Connecticut, Florida, 

 Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Caro- 

 lina, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wis- 

 consin, the director and chief geologist of the 

 Federal Survey, together with the staff of the 

 New York Geological Survey and a few invited 

 guests were in attendance on some or all of the 

 field meetings of the Association of American 

 State Geologists on September 4 to 9. The 

 meetings were held in New York state by 

 invitation of the director of the New York 

 Geological Survey, Dr. John M. Clarke. 



September 4-5. The field meetings began 

 September 5 after a preliminary meeting on 

 the previous evening in the oflice of the di- 

 rector in the State Museum at Albany. The 

 first excursion was by autobus to the Indian 

 Ladder of the Helderberg escarpment, where 

 the classic Helderberg section is well devel- 

 oped. The more refined subdivisions were 

 pointed out by Dr. J. M. Clarke, Dr. R. Ruede- 

 mann and Dr. E. 0. TJlrich, and the reasons 

 for the subdivisions and for some recent 

 changes in nomenclature were discussed. 

 Contacts between the Indian Ladder beds 

 (Hudson River) and Brayman shales, and be- 

 tween the Brayman shales and Manlius lime- 

 stone were studied and the cause of the brec- 

 ciated character of the beds was considered. 



The karst topography developed where the 

 Onondaga limestone reaches the surface was 

 seen as the party motored to Thompson's Lake. 

 This lake is believed to rest in a solution basin 

 from which the water drains through under- 

 ground passages. 



At Altamont the party was most agreeably 

 entertained at tea by Mrs. John Boyd Thacher, 

 donor to the state of New York of the Helder- 

 berg escarpment, of which the Indian Ladder 

 is the most picturesque portion and which is 

 known as the John Boyd Thacher Park. In 

 the evening the party assembled in the office 

 of the director of the New York Survey for 

 a conference. 



September 6. Wednesday morning the party 

 went by train to Saratoga Springs, where it 



