JANUARY 18, 1901.] 
between natural and artificial fertilization, and 
of the relation of his results to the theory of 
fertilization and of life phenomena in general. 
‘The Theory sof Phototactic Response’ is a 
clarifying paper by Holt and Lee. They aim 
to show that organisms do not react to direction 
of light as well as to intensity of rays. The 
conditions of the organism itself must be more 
closely regarded. Every ray impinging on an 
organism stimulates it at one point and in pro- 
portion to the intensity. If the light comes to 
one side of the organism, that side is naturally 
stimulated more than the other and the response 
is thus determined. The two factors, intensity 
of light and the side of the organism the light 
reaches, account for all the phenomena included 
under phototaxisand photopathy. Reaction to 
the ‘direction of the ray’ must, therefore, 
be regarded as an incorrect conception, and 
the term phototaxis relieved of that meaning. 
A. P. Mathews presents a paper on the sponta- 
neous secretion of saliva, which brings evidence 
against the theory of secretory nerves. On re- 
admitting blood to the dog’s submaxillary after 
having cut off the supply for 12 to 25 minutes, 
the gland secretes rapidly. This secretion is 
not due to nerve cells in the gland, since nerve 
cells are made ineffective by absence of blood 
supply during so longa period. The important 
fact is that atropine stops the secretion ; it must 
act directly on the gland cells. The value of 
this drug therefore as a witness for secretory 
nerves is seriously impaired. 
The Journal of the Boston Society of Medical 
Sciences for November 20, 1900, opens with an 
article on ‘Ergographic Studies in Muscular 
Fatigue and Soreness,’ by Theodore Hough. 
T. M. Rotch notes the ‘Treatment of the 
Proteids of Cow’s Milk’ and J. J. Thomas de- 
cribes, with illustrations, ‘Five Cases of Injury 
of the Cord resulting from Fracture of the 
Spine,’ showing among other things the diffi- 
culty of exactly locating the seat of injury and 
the necessity of taking into consideration the 
manner in which the accident took place. It 
is noted that early operations should be limited 
to cases where the neural arches are thought to 
be crushed and cases of knife and bullet wounds. 
John Dane notices ‘Some Variations in the 
Skeleton of the Foot,’ stating that some form 
SCIENCE. 
eet 
of variation from the type of foot described in 
our anatomies may be expected in thirty-three 
per cent. of human feet. 
The Popular Science Monthly for December has 
for its first article a paper by S. F. Peckham on 
‘ Asphaltum for a Modern Street’ telling what 
the material is, where it is found and how the 
deposits are worked. Allan Macfadyen dis- 
cusses ‘The Effect of Physical Agents on Bac- 
terial Life’ showing the varying effects of 
light, air and temperature on these simple 
organisms, and stating the remarkable fact 
that typical series of bacteria were subjected to 
the temperature of liquid hydrogen—250° C.— 
and that upon being thawed their vitality was 
unimpaired. L. O. Howard treats of ‘ Flies 
and Typhoid Fever’ and shows the danger of in- 
fection from several excreta-frequenting species 
and Edwin §S. Crawley has an interesting 
article on ‘Geometry : Ancient and Modern,’ 
Huxley’s ‘Address given before the Anthro- 
pological Department of the British Association, 
1878’ is reprinted. It is not republished in his 
‘Collected Essays.’ William Henry Hudson 
gives a brief abstract of the little known * Story 
of Autonous’ and ‘The Economic Life of 
France’ is considered by Edward D. Jones 
who notes the physical conditions of various 
portions of that country and their related in- 
dustries. Pearson’s ‘Grammar of Science’ is 
unfavorably criticized by ©. S. Peirce in a 
series of annotations on the first three chapters, 
and in the instalment of ‘Chapters on the 
Stars’ Simon Newcomb discusses the structure 
of the heavens and the distribution of the stars. 
Under discussion and correspondence an editor 
utters a well-founded protest against needless 
obscurity in scientific publications. 
THE opening article of The American Natural- 
ist for December is on ‘The Study of Mamma- 
lian Embryology,’ by C. S. Minot, and is a pre- 
liminary publication of portion of a text-book 
on which the author has been at work for a 
considerable time. The general plan of the 
work is outlined and samples are given of the 
fine wood cuts with which it is to be illustrated. 
Henry F. Osborn presents a third paper on 
‘The Origin of the Mammalia: Occipital Con- 
dyles of Reptilian Tripartite Type,’ the con- 
