900 
The last number of the American Chemical 
Journal contains a paper by Dr. G. P. Baxter, 
of Harvard University, on the occlusion of 
hydrogen by cobalt and other metals. State- 
ments in literature regarding this subject vary 
very much, but Dr. Baxter claims that this is due 
chiefly at least to the different degrees of purity 
of the metal. Ingot cobalt, or very pure cobalt, 
when very finely divided, has the power of oc- 
cluding hydrogen toa very slight extent. Most 
of those cases where there is a large amount of 
hydrogen absorbed are, at least, in part due to 
the presence of impurities in the cobalt used. 
Nickel, silver and copper act similarly to co- 
balt in occluding but small quantities of hydro- 
gen. Indeed, it is questioned whether silver 
actually occludes any hydrogen. 
Japanese farms are, to a large extent, ex- 
hausted of phosphoric acid, so that the discovery 
of phosphate beds in that country is very wel- 
come. This discovery is described by K. Tsuneto 
in the Chemiker Zeitung. The phosphate beds 
which are on island Kinshu are largely lime and 
sand running only up to 20% phosphate; but 
this can be very successfully used in lieu of bet- 
ter material and will prove of great service to 
Japan. The remainder of the material of the 
phosphate beds seems to be a sand cemented 
together by limestone. Some fossil remains are 
present. Jy Ibe Isl, 
CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. 
LECTURES ON METEOROLOGY. 
In the Public Educational Course, now being 
given in Baltimore, under the auspices of the 
Johns Hopkins University, a series of fifteen 
class lectures, by Dr. Oliver L. Fassig, Instructor 
in Climatology in the University, is announced. 
These lectures are to come on Saturday morn- 
ing, beginning about the middle of December, 
and are intended especially for teachers. The 
fee for the course is $3, and with the additional 
privilege of class work, consisting of written 
exercises and final examination, the fee is $5. 
For regular attendance, satisfactory class or 
laboratory work, and final examination, a 
simple certificate will be awarded to successful 
students. The attendance at this educational 
course this year is to be about eighty-five. The 
subjects of Dr. Fassig’s lectures are as follows : 
SCIENCE, 
[N. S. Vou. X. No. 259. 
I., Il. The Temperature of the Atmosphere; 
Iil., IV. Forms of Water in the Atmosphere ; 
'V. The Weight and Extent of the Atmosphere ; 
VI., VII., VIII. The Movements of the Atmos- 
phere; IX.- Weather; X. Climate; XI. Do 
Climates Change? XII., XIII. Fortelling the 
Weather; XIV. The Work of a National 
Weather Bureau; XV. Two Centuries of Prog- 
ress in Meteorology. 
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ANTARCTIC COLD 
AND NIGHT. 
Dr. FREDERICK A. Cook, Surgeon of the Bel- 
gica expedition to the Antarctic, writes of some of 
the incidents of the voyage in McClure’s Maga- 
zine for November. The physiological effects, 
noted as a result of the darkness and cold of 
the Antarctic night, are thus described: ‘‘ The 
long darkness, the isolation, the tinned foods, 
the continued low temperature, with increasing 
storms and a high humidity, finally reduced our 
systems to what we will call polar anemia. 
We became pale, with a kind of greenish hue. 
* * * The stomach and all the organs were 
sluggish, and refused to work. Most dangerous 
of all were the cardiac and cerebral symptoms. 
The heart acted asif it had lost its regulating 
influence. Its action was feeble, but its beats 
were not increased until other dangerous symp- 
toms appeared. Itsaction wasirregular, feeble, 
and entirely unreliable throughout the night. 
The mental symptoms were not so noticeable. 
The men were incapable of concentration and 
unable to continue prolonged thought. One 
sailor was forced to the verge of insanity, but 
he recovered with the returning sun.’’ Similar 
effects have been noticed in the Arctic, and 
hence show a well-marked series of physiolog- 
ical changes which take place under the pecu- 
liar conditions which surround Arctic and Ant- 
arctic explorers during the long polar night. 
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HIGH ALTITUDES. 
THE September number of the Zeitschrift fiir 
Luftschiffahrt contains a short paper by Dr. 
Mertens on the physiological effects of high 
altitudes ; the suggested causes of these vari- 
ous effects, and possible remedies. The article 
gives a compact summary of this interesting 
problem. It is to be noted that Dr. Mertens 
