218 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VI. No. 1183 



result of hastening metamorpliosis with all of 

 the attendant modifications, as had been known 

 from the work of Gudernatseh, it did not in 

 any wise modify the rate of development of 

 the germ glands and germ cells. 



The most striking result of all is the evi- 

 dence brought forth to show that germ cells 

 and soma are different in their nature, that 

 the germ cells are unaffected by the thyroid, 

 while the soma is so profoundly influenced by 

 it. It is possible that further work may show 

 that there are other structures that continue 

 their development unhindered in the absence 

 of the thyroid gland, but the work thus far has 

 failed to demonstrate them. 



This investigation throws light upon the 

 problem of neoteny. We can with perfect 

 justice say that we are here dealing with a 

 case of artificially produced neoteny in a form 

 which does not show it in nature. Here we 

 can point to a very specific cause for this 

 phenomenon, about which there has been so 

 much conflicting speculation. 



Bennet M. Allen 



IjNrVBRSITT OF KANSAS 



THE STANSIPHON 



Amongst the many interesting and useful 

 pieces of apparatus shown in the scientific ex- 

 hibit during the Christmas meetings of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science was a self-starting siphon, the trade 

 name for which is the Stansiphon. 



For the information of those members of the 

 society who did not see the model shown at 

 that time and in the general interest of sci- 

 ence, I am giving a brief description of its 

 construction and operation followed by a 

 statement of some of its more practical appli- 

 cations as well as inherent limitations as at 

 present constructed. 



The self-starting device is shown in Fig. 1 

 and consists of a bulb (4) sealed into the lower 

 end of the tube (2) and an inner tube (5) 

 sealed into the base of the bulb and reaching 

 into the opening of the bulb at the top. Here 

 the end is somewhat constricted and its size 

 and position with respect to the top of the 

 bulb is so adjusted that an " air trap " is 



produced at (6). A small opening (7) is made 

 at the lower part of the bulb. 





Pig. 1. 



If the bulb be inserted to a considerable 

 depth into the liquid to be siphoned, the liquid 

 flows into the bulb through (7) and displaces 

 the air which with the water passing through 

 the inner tube (5) rises in a broken column in 

 tube (2) and flows out through the delivery 

 tube. 



The height to which the given liquid may be 

 raised will depend on the size of the bulb, the 

 depth to which it is immersed, the construc- 

 tion of the " air trap," the material of which 

 the siphon is made, the rate at which the bulb 

 is inserted, etc. To operate successfully on 

 ordinary liquids the Stansiphon should be im- 

 mersed to a depth at least two or three times 

 the length of the bulb. 



Preliminary experiments were made by the 

 inventor on water and the present design has 

 greatly increased the efficiency of the siphon, 

 both as to height lifted, and the rate of flow. 

 A design of larger size has been made which 

 successfully siphons acids from carboys, but 

 owing to the heavy density of these acids it 

 works relatively slowly as compared with 

 water. Light oils such as kerosene and gaso- 

 line are readily siphoned by this method, but 

 as yet a suitable design depending on this 

 principle has not been found for the heavier 

 oils. 



The wide application of the Stansiphon is 



