Dkcbmbek 13, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



783 



results of electrical stimulation of the 

 cerebral cortex of the dog, cat, rabbit and 

 hedgehog. He found that the method of 

 relative arrangement of the different motor 

 centers was in all the animals investigated 

 essentiallj' the same, although specific dif- 

 ferences of location and of relative func- 

 tional importance existed. 



Mr. J. IST. Langley (Cambridge) gave a 

 general account based especially on his own 

 researches of the sympathetic system, the 

 fibres of which he classed as pre-ganglionic 

 and post-ganglionic, according as they are 

 central or peripheral (in relation to the cen- 

 tral nervous system) to sympathetic gang- 

 lia. He discussed the nature of the ' re- 

 flexes ' possible in sympathetic ganglia, and 

 demonstrated such a one — stimulation of a 

 post-ganglionic sympathetic trunk in the 

 cat producing erection of the hairs covering 

 a certain skin area. Stimulation of the cor- 

 responding pre-ganglionic trunk produced 

 the same effect over a larger area. 



Prof J. Gaule (Zurich) gave the results 

 of his investigation as to the growth of 

 skeletal muscles. This is not continuous, 

 but periods of increase are separated by 

 periods of inactivity or even of decrease, in 

 which crystals of calcium oxalate occur in 

 the muscles. Faradic stimulation of long 

 duration of the lower spinal ganglia caused 

 in the periods of increase relative decrease; 

 in the periods of inactivity relative increase. 



Afternoon demonstrations and papers 

 (Chairmen, Profs. Hensen and Mosso). 

 Prof. A. Herzen (Lausanne) described 

 the isolation of a dog's stomach made by 

 himself and Dr. Fremont (Vichy), in a 

 manner analogous to that of Thiry in the 

 case of the small intestine. He showed 

 some of the gastric juice obtained from the 

 stomach; it was strongly acid, colorless and 

 odorless, and capable of digesting its own 

 weight of coagulated albumen . The amount 

 daily secreted was 800 grams, which would 

 correspond to 4 litres in the case of a man. 



Prof Herzen also described experiments 

 tending to show that the spleen secretes in- 

 ternally a substance capable of developing 

 digestive properties. The addition of blood 

 from the splenic vein to pancreatic extract 

 enables it to digest more actively ordinary 

 arterial blood not having this action. 



Discussion by Prof. Schifif. 



Prof M. Schifif (Geneva) gave the re- 

 sults of his investigation of the eifect of 

 local lesions of a bulbar pyramid. This 

 does not produce degeneration of the corre- 

 sponding crossed pyramidal tract or any 

 motor disturbance. 



Prof. R. Tigerstedt (Stockholm) de- 

 scribed in detail his large apparatus for the 

 investigation of the respiratory gaseous ex- 

 change. The respiration chamber has a 

 content of 100 cubic meters and can contain 

 several persons at once. Control experi- 

 ments in which petroleum and stearin were 

 burnt in the chamber showed an average 

 error of 1.08%, i. e., not more than that of 

 Petterhofer and Voit's apparatus which was 

 ten times smaller. Prof Tigerstedt gave 

 the results of an experiment on the effects 

 of hunger made on himself and three others 

 at the same time. 



Discussion by Pi'ofs. Richet and Zuntz. 



Dr. K. Giirber (Wiirzburg) described his 

 modification of Hoffmeister's method for the 

 preparation of crystals of serum-albumin 

 from horse's serum. He had obtained four 

 varieties of crystallized serum-albumin. If 

 the crystals, after the removal of excess of 

 ammonium sulphate, were heated to 67° C. 

 in |— f % ammonium svilphate solution, they 

 were coagulated and became insoluble with- 

 out losing their crystalline form, although 

 their power of double refraction disap- 

 peared, but returned after some weeks. 

 Specimens of the crystals were shown under 

 the microscope. 



Prof I. Rosenthal (Erlangen) demon- 

 strated his Calorimeter. 



Tuesday, September 10th. Morning 



