SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 309. 



and London, England, the proportion was 1 

 to 21,000. Taking the last fifty years, we 

 find that for every 100,000 inhabitants of 

 France there were, from 1841-45, 9 suicides ; 

 from 1846-50, 10; from 1861-70, 13; from 

 1871-75, 15 ; from 1876-80, 17 ; for 1889, 21 ; 

 for 1893, 22; for 1894, 26. Durkheim shows 

 that from 1826 to 1890 the number of suicides in 

 Belgium increased 72 per cent. ; in Prussia, 411 

 per cent. ; in Austria, 238 per cent. ; in France, 

 318 per cent.; in Saxony, 212 per cent., while 

 in Sweden and Denmark the increase has been 

 the lowest, viz. , 72 and 35, respectively. That 

 religion seems to wield an important influence 

 in connection with self-murder is evident from 

 the fact that in Eoman Catholic communities 

 suicide is less prevalent." 



The Journal of Physical Chemistry, November, 

 ' On the Solubility of Manganous Sulphate, ' by 

 F. G. Cottrell. A determination of the solu- 

 bility of the hydrates containing 1, 4, 5 and 7 

 molecules of water of crystallization — no other 

 hydrates were found. The salt of commerce 

 is sometimes that with four, sometimes that 

 with five molecules of water. ' Catalysis and 

 Chemical Energy,' by Oscar Loew. In cataly. 

 sis "it is the oscillations of the free heat energy 

 of the atmosphere which are modified by cer- 

 tain peculiarities of the platinum atom in such 

 a manner that they can pass still more easily 

 than they usually do into the oscillations of 

 chemical energy. The catalytic action of cer- 

 tain organic compounds is due to the chemical 

 energy of labile atoms." 'The Reaction be- 

 tween Chloroform and Potassium Hydroxide,' 

 by A. P. Saunders. In all probability the ac- 

 tion proceeds in stages, in each of which only 

 two molecules react together. ' Vapor-Pressure 

 Relations in Mixtures of Two Liquids, III,' by 

 A. Ernest Taylor. Attention may well be 

 called to the fact that to almost every article 

 contained in this Journal since its inception is 

 appended a brief summary of the results ob- 

 tained and conclusions drawn. It would be a 

 great advantage if this practice prevailed in all 

 our scientific journals. 



The Medical Society of New York Univer- 

 sity has planned the establishment of a quar- 

 terly journal to be called The New York Uni- 



versity Bulletin of the Medical Sciences and to 

 be edited by a committee of the Society under 

 the business management to be designated by 

 the University. The contents of the Bulletin 

 are to be : (1) Original articles directly contrib- 

 uted to the bulletin. (2) Abstracts or extenso 

 reproductions of articles originally published 

 elsewhere. (3) Short communications made at 

 the meetings of the Medical Society. (4) Brief 

 minutes of those meetings. (5) Reports on 

 methods devised or tested in the departments 

 of the medical college. (6) A reference list of 

 publications by those connected with the med- 

 ical college. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADE3IIES. 



NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



At the winter meeting of the National Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, held at Brown University, 

 Providence, R. I., on November 13, 14 and 16, 

 the following program was presented : 



I. ' Investigations of Light and Electricity with 

 the Aid of a Battery of Twenty Thousand Cells, ' by 

 J. Trowbridge. 



II. ' Progressive Evolution of Characters in the 

 Young Stages of Cephalopods, ' by Alpheus Hyatt. 



III. ' Descriptive Jlethod of Presenting the Phe- 

 nomena of the Cycle of Evolution among Cephalo- 

 pods, ' by Alpheus Hyatt. 



IV. 'The Porous Cup Voltameter,' by T. W. 

 Richards. 



v. ' An Account of the Study of Growing Crystals 

 by Instantaneous Mierophotogiaphy, ' by T. W- 

 Hiohards. 



VI. ' Stereographio Projection and Some of its Pos- 

 sibilities from a Graphical Standpoint, ' by S. L. Pen- 

 field. 



VII. 'On the Development of the Pig,' by C. S. 

 Minot. 



VIII. ' Normal Plates illustrating the Development 

 of the Rabbit and the Dogfish,' by C. S. Minot. 



IX. ' Note on the Energy of Recent Earthquakes,' 

 by T. C. Mendenhall. 



X. ' Spectrum of Sodium in a Magnetic Field, ' by 

 A. A. Miohelson. 



XL ' A Report of the Spectrum Work carried on 

 with the Aid of a Grant from the Bache Fund,' by 

 H. A. Rowland. 



XII. ' On the Explanation of Inertia and Gravita- 

 tion by Means of Electrical Phenomena,' by H. A. 

 Rowland. 



XIII. 'Distribution and Phylogeny of Limulus,' 

 by A. S. Packard. 



