320 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1161 



(c) The normal nerve was cut near the mus- 

 cle and was at once reimplanted into another 

 part of the muscle. A foreign motor nerve was 

 also implanted into the same muscle. 



After eight to ten weeks, the muscle con- 

 tracted upon stimulation of the normal (reim- 

 planted) nerve, but not upon stimulation of 

 the foreign (implanted) nerve. 



Conclusions. — Under similar conditions, the 

 normal nerve to a muscle will regain its motor 

 connections with the m,uscle fibers and will in 

 some way prevent a foreign nerve which has 

 been implanted at the same time from making 

 any effective neuro-muscular connections. It 

 is impossible to state whether this is due to a 

 more rapid regeneration of the normal nerve 

 or to the fact that the regenerating normal 

 nerve has an inhibitory influence upon the in- 

 tramuscular regeneration of the foreign im- 

 planted nerve. The axis cylinders of the nor- 

 mal nerve to the muscle seem to be able to re- 

 establish their former connections with the end 

 plates or bulbs or to form new end organs 

 more quickly or more powerfully than do those 

 of a nerve which had belonged to a different 

 muscle. 



These exx)eriments prove that if a muscle has 

 once its normal nerve supply no other motor 

 nerve is able to make neuro-muscular connec- 

 tions with the same muscle; and that if the 

 normal nerve is cut and reimplanted into a 

 muscle and at the same time a foreign motor 

 nerve is also implanted into the same muscle, 

 only the former will make neuro-muscular con- 

 nections. The experiments are being con- 

 tinued. Chaeles a. Elsberg 



New Tore 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR 

 THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 



SECTION B— PHYSICS 

 The recent, December 26-30, 1916, meetings of 

 Section B of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science were, as usual, held jointly 

 with the American Physical Society. President R. 

 A. Millikan, of the Physical Society, and Vice- 

 president H. A. Bumstead, of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science, alternately 

 presided. 



The address of the retiring vice-president of the 



association and chairman of Section B, Dr. E. P. 

 Lewis, printed in fuU in Science, December 29, 

 1916, was an admirable summary of the numerous 

 researches and important discoveries recently made 

 in spectroscopy. 



The symposixim held jointly with Section C, was 

 on the "Structure of Matter." The eight in- 

 vited papers together with their formal and in- 

 formal discussions occupied an entire day, and 

 aroused exceptional interest. Indeed the interest 

 was so pronounced that it has been decided to have 

 as many as possible of the formal papers published 

 in Science. 



Other matters of interest to physicists were: 

 some 60 technical papers, representing a wide range 

 of investigations, presented and discussed at the 

 joint meetings of Section B and the Physical So- 

 ciety; recent additions to the equipment of the 

 laboratories of Columbia University; exhibits of 

 apparatus and results loaned some by other uni- 

 versities, and some by manufacturers; and the 

 usual physics dinner. 



The number of physicists that attended these 

 meetings was unusually large, but should have 

 been even larger. No scientist can afford habitu- 

 ally to ignore these great gatherings of creative 

 workers, nor can any university afford to tolerate 

 such apparent indifference — for the reputation of 

 a university is the reputation of its faculty and 

 nothing more. 



Just before adjourning a well-deserved vote of 

 thanks was extended to the officers and faculty of 

 Columbia University for their courteous hospitality 

 that so materially had contributed to both the 

 pleasure and the success of the meetings. 



At present the officers of Section B are as fol- 

 lows: 



Vice-president and Chairman of the Section: W. 

 J. Humphreys, Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C. 

 Secretary: G. W. Stewart, State University of 

 Iowa, Iowa City, la. 



Member of Council: P. G. Nutting, Kodak Ee- 

 search Laboratory, Eochester, N. Y. 



Sectional Committee : Vice-president, New York, 

 H. A. Bumstead; Vice-president, Pittsburgh, W. J. 

 Humphreys; D. C. Miller, one year; G. W. Stew- 

 art, two years; E. E. TatnaU, three years; W. S. 

 Franklin, four years; C. W. Waggoner, five years. 

 Ex-officio: E. A. Millikan, President, American 

 Physical Society; A. D. Cole, Secretary, American 

 Physical Society. 



Member of General Committee: G. P. Hull, Dart- 

 mouth College. W. J. HUMPHKETS, 



Secretary 



