>5o 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVII. No 423 



which bear on biological studies, New Zealand stands out promi- 

 nently in all discussions on the subject of geographical biology. 

 It stands as a lone zoological area, minute in area, but on equal 

 terms, as far as regards the antiquity and peculiar features of its 

 fauna, with nearly all the larger continents in the aggregate. In 

 consequence of this, many philosophical essays — such, for in- 

 stance, as Hooker's introductory essay to the early folio edition of 

 the "Flora;" the essays by Hutton, Travers, and others; and 

 also the New Zealand references in Wallace's works — have all 

 contributed essentially to the vital question of the causes which 

 have brought about the distribution and geographical affinities of 

 plants and animals, and have thus been of use in hastening the 

 adoption of the doctrine of evolution. 



Much still remains to be done. Both as regards its fauna and 

 its flora, New Zealand has always been treated too much as a whole 

 quantity; and in consequence percentage schedules, prepared for 

 comparing with the fauna and flora of other areas, fail from this 

 cause. It is absolutely necessary not only to discriminate localities, 

 but also to study more carefully the relative abundance of individu- 

 als as well as of species before instituting comparisons. The facil- 

 ity and rapidity with which change is effected at the present time 

 should put us against rashly accepting species which may have 

 been accidental intruders, though wafted by natural causes, as 

 belonging to the original endemic fauna or flora. Further close 

 and extended study, especially of our marine fauna, is urgently 

 required. We have little knowledge beyond the littoral zone, 

 except when a great storm heaves up a gathering of nondescript 

 or rare treasure from the deep. Of dredging we have had but 

 little done, and only in shallow waters, with the exception of a 

 few casts of the deep-sea trawl from the "Challenger." When 

 funds permit, a zoological station for the study of the habits of 

 our sea-fishes, and for the propagation of such introductions as 

 the lobster and crab, would be advantageous. I observe that 

 lately such an establishment has been placed on the Island of 

 Mull, in Scotland, at a cost of £400, and that it is expected to be 

 nearly self-supporting. With respect to food-fishes, and still 

 more with respect to some terrestrial forms of life, we, in common 

 with all the Australasian colonies, require a more scientific and a 

 less casual system of acclimatization than we have had in the past. 



One must talk with bated breath of the injuries that have been 

 inflicted on these colonies by the rash disturbance of the balance 

 of nature. Had our enthusiasm been properly controlled by fore- 

 sight, our settlers would probably not have to grieve over the 

 losses they now suffer through many insect-pests, through small 

 birds and rabbits, and which they will in the future suffer through 

 the vermin that are now being spread in all directions. 



HEALTH MATTERS. 

 Why the Stomach does not digest Itself. 



From a new study of this subject Dr. E. Sehrwald announces 

 the following conclusions (Medical Record, March 7, 1891): 1. 

 The balance between the alkali of the blood and the acid of the 

 gastric juice does not follow, during life, the law of diffusion, but 

 moves in narrower limits ; 2. The self-digestion of the stomach is 

 partly prevented by the alkalinity of the blood, and partly by ceU- 

 action; 3. The living epithelium interposed between the blood 

 and the gastric juice prevents their mutual neutralization, and 

 preserves the alkalinity of the blood and the acidity of the gastric 

 juice ; 4. By this protection the stomach is spared a great deal of 

 work of secretion and absorption; 5. The protection furnished by 

 the flowing blood is partly due to its alkalinity, and partly to its 

 properties as a nutritive liquid ; 6. All influences which arrest the 

 nutrition of the cells of the walls of the stomach may lead to self- 

 digestion and ulceration. The conditions which may be men- 

 tioned in this connection are, first, disturbances in the circulation ; 

 second, direct injury to the epithelium; and, third, injuries of the 

 trophic nerves. 



Cremation and its Safeguards. 



The Lancet. Jan. 31, 1891, says, "Unfortunate circumstances 

 connected with the death of the late Duke of Bedford have 

 brought into prominence an important question respecting the 



procedure of the Cremation Society, of which the late duke was a 

 prominent member, in cases of death from other than purely 

 natural causes. It is clear that in the case of the society absolute 

 certainty as to the cause of death, when other than natural, can 

 alone justify the preferential application of its method. It will 

 therefore be interesting to examine the practical value of the 

 safeguards adopted by the society to prevent the chances of fallacy 

 in a matter so important. These are three: namely, (1) the cer- 

 tificate of the medical practitioner in attendance on the deceased 

 during his last illness ; (2) a second independent certificate by 

 another practitioner after careful inquiry into the circumstances 

 attending the illness; and jl^3), should any doubt remain, the evi- 

 dence afforded by necropsy. 



"A further, though possibly less permanent, security exists in 

 the resolution of the society to refuse cremation in any case where 

 the least doubt exists respecting the cause of death. Such doubt, 

 as observed by Sir Henry Thompson, could remain after necropsy 

 only in an extremely small number of cases, and would, in fact, 

 be virtually abolished. Not actually so, however. There still 

 remains a minimum uncertainty ; and this, it is apparent, is much 

 greater where certification, even on the very careful system em- 

 ployed by the society, is alone relied upon. The practitioner in 

 attendance might, in spite of diligence and skill, be misled ; for 

 example, in a case where the signs of poison were obscurely 

 blended with those of real or supposed disease. In this connec- 

 tion the case of the late Mr. Maybrick is suggestive. Is it, then, 

 to be believed that a second medical testimony, which would be 

 independent of the former, could be relied on to guarantee the 

 difference of opinion which would necessitate an appeal to the 

 coroner ? We should rather expect that this latter evidence, • 

 divested as it must be of various technical premises which guided 

 the statements in the first certificate, would be at best a carefully 

 weighed and usually confirmatory assertion of moral certainty. 



"After all, it is probable that the most reliable safeguard 

 against a too precipitate practice of cremation which we possess 

 is to be found in the resolutions of the society above mentioned. 

 Cremation, therefore, under its present rules, is certainly a valua- 

 ble means of promoting accuracy in certification. As affording 

 an absolute guaranty of such accuracy, it cannot be depended on, 

 wbUe it must in all cases destroy every trace of morbid or mis- 

 chievous agency contained in the tissues. While, therefore, we 

 freely admit its practical security against any miscarriage of jus- 

 tice in the vast majority of cases, we cannot admit that it stands 

 in this respect on a level exactly so high as the practice of burial. 

 Moreover, while we also recognize its more absolute and destruc- 

 tive purity in the disposal of infectious dead, we do not see that 

 it possesses any such advantage in comparison with burial in other 

 cases, provided that burial be conducted, as it increasingly is con- 

 ducted, on a rational or ' earth to earth ' system." 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



*** Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The writer^ s name 

 is in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with the character 

 of the journal. 



On request, twenty copies of the nuinber containing his communication wilt 

 be furnished free to any correspondent. 



The Motion of Storms and High Areas. 



There was presented in this journal Feb. 27 a short discussion 

 of the origin and motion of waves of heat and cold. I desire to 

 still further discuss this question under an analogous heading. In 

 the previous note it is possible that too much prominence was 

 given to the occurrence of temperature falls in the rear of storms 

 when there were no high areas near. These falls seem to be ac- 

 companiments of storms, but are of very limited extent and slight 

 intensity. They seem to be due largely to radiation from the air 

 and earth to the clear sky. 



It may conduce to clearness if several propositions are advanced 

 and discussed. 



1. Storms and High Areas have the Same Velocity. — If this 

 were not so, the one would overtake the other when they were 

 moving along the same line. Of course, there may be such con- 

 ditions r.ri anv map, in different lines, which have widelv differ- 

 ent velocities. 



