DECEMBER 29, 1899. ] 
THE thirteenth International Medical Con- 
gress will be held at Paris from the 2d to 9th of 
August, 1900, in connection with the Paris Ex- 
position. The work of the Congress is divided 
into five classes, each of which is sub-divided 
into from two to nine sections. The classes are, 
(1) biological sciences ; (2) medical sciences ; (3) 
surgical sciences; (4) obstetrics and gynecology, 
and, (5) public medicine. The biological sciences 
are divided into three sections (a) descriptive 
and comparative anatomy, (5) histology and 
embryology and (ce) physiology and biological 
physics and chemistry. An American National 
Committee has heen formed with Dr. William 
Osler as Chairman, and Dr. H. B. Jacobs (8 
West Franklin street, Baltimore, Md.), as Secre- 
tary. 
TuE third International Ornithological Con- 
gress will be held from the 26th to the 30th of 
June, 1900, as one of the series of official con- 
gresses of the Paris Exposition. The work of 
the congresses has been divided among five 
sections, as follows : (1) Systematic ornithology : 
classification ; species; anatomy and embry- 
ogeny of birds ; paleontology ; (2) geographical 
distribution ; appearance of rare species in 
certain districts ; (8) biology ; odlogy ; (4) eco- 
nomic ornithology ; (5) organization and work- 
ing of the international ornithological commit- 
tee. 
From the 18th to the 23d of June an Inter- 
national Congress of Mining and Metallurgy 
will be held at Paris. The program proposes 
the following subjects for discussion: Mining, 
use of explosives in mines; use of electricity in 
mines; mining at great depths; labor-saving 
methods as applied to mining. Metallurgy : 
progress in metallurgy ; progress in the metal- 
lurgy of iron and stéel since 1899; application 
of electricity to metallurgy—(a) chemical, and 
(6) mechanical ; progress in the metallurgy of 
gold; recent improvements in the dressing of 
minerals. 
THE Congresses of the Paris Exposition also 
include the first International Congress of Phi- 
losophy which will be held from the 2d to the 
7th of August. There will be four classes: (1) 
general philosophy and metaphysics (2) ethics, 
(8) logic and (4) history of the sciences and his- 
SCIEN CE. 
981 
tory of philosophy. Under the third class espec- 
ially a number of topics of interest to men of 
science are proposed for discussion. 
AN International Congress of Ethnology will 
be held in connection with the Exposition, on 
August 26 to September 1, 1900. There will 
be seven sections, dealing respectively with 
general ethnology, sociology and ethics ; eth- 
nographical psychology; religious sciences ; 
linguistics and paleeography ; sciences, art, and 
industries ; descriptive ethnography. 
TuE British Medical Journal states that an 
attempt is being made to ascertain in which 
house in the Hotwell it was that Humphrey 
Davy discovered the anesthetic powers of 
nitrous oxide. It is a well known fact that 
Davy was assistant to Dr. Beddoes, who had, 
in 1798, opened a house called the Pneumatic 
Institute for the treatment of disease, and more 
particularly phthisis by the inhalation of some 
of the then newly discovered gases, the Hotwell 
at Bristol being then a very popular watering 
place. Davy, it appears, was in the habit of 
administering the nitrous oxide to all comers at 
2d. a dose, and from all accounts it was a pop- 
ular amusement to go to the Institute and have 
the gas; the usual modern accompaniment of 
tooth drawing was omitted. The Institute ap- 
pears from Stock’s memoir of Dr. Beddoes to. 
have been in Hope Square, but the common 
report puts it in Dowry Square. The Clinton 
Antiquarian Society, who are pursuing the in- 
vestigation, hope to put a tablet on the house 
commemorating the fact that nitrous oxide was 
there found to have anesthetic powers. 
PROFESSOR WILLIS L. Moore, Chief of the 
U.S. Weather Bureau, has with the approval 
of the Secretary of Agriculture drafted a bill 
which has been introduced by the Hon. James 
W. Wadsworth in the House of Representa- 
tives. Professor Moore thus summarizes its 
chief features: It apportions appointments. 
among Senators, Representatives, and Dele- 
gates, without regard to their political faith. 
It provides that candidates shall be nominated 
by the representatives of the people, under 
such rigid restrictions as to age, physical condi- 
tion, and education as render it difficult, if not 
impossible, to effect the permanent appoint- 
