Decembke 27, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



\1 



in the dark, which rendered simulation ex- 

 tremely difficult. 



Prof. Burden Sanderson (Oxford) showed 

 projections of photographic records of the 

 movements of the capillary electrometer 

 •caused by muscle currents. These justified 

 the proposition that there are two kinds 

 of electrical response of a muscle to indirect 

 stimulation, that accompanying the wave 

 of excitation and in addition to this a dimin- 

 ution of the E. M. F. of the previously ex- 

 isting muscle current. This latter is evoked 

 by the constant current, by stimuli of great 

 frequency, by chemical stimulation, and in 

 the strychnine spasm. 



Dr. .A Waller (London) projected photo- 

 graphs of the excursions of a Thomson's 

 galvanometer produced by the action cur- 

 rent of nerve stimulated for one eighth of a 

 minute every minute and subjected to the 

 action of equimolecular solutions of ISTa CI, 

 Na Br, and Na I, of ether and chloroform, 

 and of various alkaloids. 



Discussion by Dr. Boruttau and Pi-of. 

 Fano. 



Dr. P. DuBois (Berne) showed an electro- 

 dynamometer for physiological and thera- 

 peutical purposes. 



Dr. A. Beck (Lemberg) and Prof. Cybulski 

 (Cracow) demonstrated the electrical effects 

 accompanjing cerebral activity in the 

 monkey. 



Prof. K. Wedensky (StPetersburg) dem- 

 onstrated the effects of simultaneous stimu- 

 lation in different rhythms of two points of 

 a nerve, the action currents of which were 

 led through a telephone. Variations of the 

 tone heard were produced by interference 

 between the two stimulations. 



Afternoon demonstrations and papers 

 (Chairmen, Profs. Vitzou and Fredericq). 



Dr. F. Laulanie (Toulouse) described 

 his respiration experiments in a closed 

 chamber, and discussed the results ob- 

 tained. 



Discussions by Prof. Zuntz. 



Prof. W. Rutherford (Edinburgh) pro- 

 jected micro-photographs of preparations of 

 crayfish muscle, the structure of which he 

 has investigated in the contracted and in 

 the relaxed condition. He believes in the 

 fibrillary structure of muscle. Three stages 

 of the process of contraction can be 

 made out, the first two of which are due 

 to the absorption of water by Bowman's 

 elements, which in the third stage actually 

 shorten. 



Prof, de Burgh Birch (Leeds) described 

 with the aid of lantern projections the 

 graphic methods used in his laboratory by 

 students, which combine convenience with 

 economy. 



Prof. I. Eosenthal (Erlangen) showed his 

 method for the estimation of carbonic acid 

 in air for hj'gienic purposes. Tlie final 

 titration is done with the aid of phenol- 

 pthalein. 



Discussion by Profs. Zuntz and Griitzner. 



Dr. M. Cremer (Munich) described his 

 experiments ou the formation of starch in 

 potato sprouts from various sugars. Ex- 

 periments made hitherto have shown a 

 parallelism between the fermentibilitj^ and 

 power to form glycogen of the simple sugars. 

 Dr. Cremer found that the fermentible su- 

 gars, Dextrose, Ljevulose and d. Lactose 

 form starch in potato sprouts kept in the 

 dark and free from or with but little starch. 

 A positive result was also obtained once 

 with d. Mannose. On the other hand, the 

 unfermentible sugars, Ehamnose, Arabi- 

 nose. Sorbose and Glucoheptose, gave nega- 

 tive results, biit Xylose a positive one. Mi- 

 croscopical preparations were shown. 



Dr. E. Gley (Paris) demonstrated experi- 

 mentally that the intravenous injection of 

 ' peptone ' into a dog, the great lymphatic 

 vessels of the liver of which had been tied, 

 does not hinder the coagulation of the blood 

 as usual. He concluded that under the in- 

 fluence of peptone the liver gives rise to 

 some substance preventing coagulation. 



