December i i, 1891;] ' 



SCIENCE. 



327 



extract wa's administered to some of them. These remained alive, 

 .while all the others — that is to say, those which had not received 

 fLa injection of the liquid extract of the organs of the infected 

 rabbit ^ succumbed. Other experiments were carried out by 

 which it was shown that this same liquid is capable of confetring 

 immunity from the disease. Further experiments were made 

 which showed that the bacilli were destroyed in six hours, and 

 that in eight hours all were dead, or at least incapable of multi- 

 plication, but that the liquid extract produced extremely little 

 effect upon the same bacilli outside the organism, so that the 

 presence of living cells is evidently necessary for the destructive 

 effect of the liquid extract to manifest itself. Another interesting 

 result obtained was that bacilli taken fresh from the body were 

 very much more active than their cultures in broth. 



^ A National Conference on University Extension is to be held 

 in Philadelphia on Dec 29, 30, and 31. Representatives will at- 

 tend this conference from all the leading colleges and universities 

 of the United States and Canada, and delegates will be present 

 from abroad. An opportunity will be given for the fullest ac- 

 quaintance with this system of teaching, and discussions will be 

 held on points in connection with its development iu America. 



— It is known that ozone can be abundantly produced by the 

 electric silent discharge, and many years a^o Siemens devised an 

 " ozone-tube" for the purpose, consistmg of two thin glass tubes, 

 one within the other; the inner lined, and the outer coated, with 

 metal, to which alternnting currents of high tension are brought, 

 acting on the gas to be ozonized within. From recent experi- 

 ments in Siemens and Halske's laboratory, says Nature, it ap- 

 pears that a good result may be had with only one dielectric, and 

 for this not only glass, but mica, celluloid, porcelain, or the like, 

 may be used. Thus the ozone-tube may be arranged with a 

 metallic tube within, and the outer tube a metal-coated dielectric; 

 or the inner metal tube may have a dielectric coat, while a metal 

 tube is the endorsing body. As metals that are little or not at all 

 attacked by ozoae, platinum, tin, tinned metals, and aluminium 

 are recommended. Through the inner tube flows cold water, and 

 through the space between the tubes air, dried and freed from 

 carbonic acid. Several such tubes may be combined in a sjstem, 

 and worked with alternate currents (for single tubes the contiim- 

 ous current with commutator is best). An apparatus of this kind is 

 now at work in the laboratory, yielding 3.4 mg. of ozone per second. 

 Experiments are being made in supplying compressed ozone for 

 technical use; and this has been accomplished with a pressure of 

 nine atmospheres. One use of ozone, on which Herr Frolioh lays 

 special stress (in the recent lecture from which these data are 

 taken), is the disinfection and sterilization of water. And doubt- 

 less with an abundant supply of the substance, the use of it 

 would be greatly extended. 



— A statement of the operations of the Missouri Geological 

 Survey during the month of November has been issued by the State 

 geologist, Arthur Winslow. Detailed mapping has been prose- 

 cuted in Henry and Benton Counties, and about 135 square miles 

 have been covered. Field work of this kind is now suspended 

 with the approach of winter, and the members of the party will 

 be engaged during the winter months in plotting the results of 

 the past season's work. Inspections of iron ore deposits have been 

 made in Crawford, Dent, Phelps, Butler, Carter, Shannon, and How- 

 ell Counties. Inspections of zinc and lead deposits have been made 

 in Crawford, Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson Counties. In- 

 spections of coal deposits have been made in St. Clair County. 

 The crystalline rocks have been mapped over an area of about 300 

 square miles in Washington, Iron, and Crawford Counties In 

 Greene County geological mapping has been prosecuted in six 

 townships. Further, a small amount of work has been done in 

 the north western part of the State, in the study of the glacial 

 deposits of that region. In preparation for the report on the pal- 

 eontology of the State, collections have been examined in Wash- 

 ington, Ithaca, and New York, and much valuable material has 

 been acquired. In the office the preliminary report on the coal 

 deposits of the State has been finished and is now ready for the 

 printer. The preparation of the reports on the mineral waters of 

 the State and on the paleontology has al;o steadily progressed. 



In addition, reports on the Fredericktown and Higginsville sheets 

 have been begun. Proofs of the latter have been received from 

 the engraver and will soon be printed and ready for distribution. 

 Further, much work has been done in the office upon the prepa- 

 ration of maps and models, and material has been collected from 

 various railways in St. Louis for a correct dictionary of altitudes 

 and a hypsometric map of the State. The microscopic studies of 

 the crystalline rocks is still in progress. 



— The first news that has reached Europe concerning the new 

 Danish expedition to East Greenland is dated June 39. At that 

 date the " Hekla '' was in 71° north latitude, near Jan Mayen, and 

 far from the east coast of Greenland. The condition of the ice 

 this summer has rendered the navigation of the Arctic Seas ex- 

 tremely difficult. The pack extended far to the south, and sur- 

 rounded Jan Mayen with a circular barrier. The east coast of 

 Greenland was unapproachable, and the "Hekla'" was anchored 

 for the time in a bay of the pack. Still Captain Knutsen intended 

 to make for the Greenland coast between 73° and 76° north lati- 

 tude, the ice, according to the seal-hunters, appearing to be less 

 dense in that quirter. 



— The botanic exhibition of the Appalachian Mountain Club is 

 to lie held at the club room, 9 Park Street, Dec. 9-12, inclusive, 

 from 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Of the specimens of flowering plants, 

 many are foreign; but our own local flora is well represented by 

 collections personally obtained by club members expressly for this 

 exhibition. A good many alpine plants are shown, from the 

 White Mountains, the Catskills, Colorado, and Switzerland. There 

 is a fine California collection, including suijplementaiy flower- 

 studies in water colors; and some excellent specimens have been 

 brought from Alaska and British Columlsia. Among the flower- 

 less plants, there is an interesting set of more than three hundred 

 different ferns, many of them from New Zealand, the Canary 

 Islands, Africa, and other distant regions. Fully half of the speci- 

 mens are gifts to the club, so that a good beginning of a permanent 

 herbarium has been made. 



— Some interesting experiments were recently made ib Boston 

 by Edward Atkinson, to determine some questions relating to the 

 spontaneous ignition of wood-pulp. According to an exchange 

 the experiments were made in an AUadin oven with a thermome- 

 ter to indicate the temperature. Two slabs of wood-pulp were 

 tied in the oven, one in contact with a loose iron shelf, the other 

 without any contact. The first ignited at 370°, the last at 430°. 

 In two previous tests the oven was opened when the thermometer 

 reached 425°, b\rt the pulp did not take fire until the introduction 

 of air, when it ignited instantly. In speaking of the matter Mr. 

 Atkinson says: " We have been able heretofore to imitate spon- 

 taneous combustion by putting animal or mineral oil on fibrous 

 substances; we have tried experiments by mixing mineral or 

 parafnne oil with animal oil to determine the exact point or pro- 

 portion at which the paraffine or mineral oil will prevent oxyge- 

 nation of aniaial or vegetable oil, but there has been no apparent 

 means of making this oxygenation visible until the present test. 

 This test may explain the causes of many fires. Heretofore there 

 has been no knowledge of the ignition by rapid oxygenation of a 

 highly-heated substance, mainly carbon or almost pure cellulose, 

 without any admixture of grease or chemical. It would appear 

 that finely-divided and moderately heated carbonaceous material, 

 holding air in its pores, may ignite at a relatively lower tempera- 

 ture than ordinary wood. It would seem well, therefore, to 

 avoid the use of sawdust for sweeping floors, and its storage near 

 hot kitchens. Ice-houses are known to be bad risks A little 

 gudgeon -grease in the sawdust and some fresh air may explain 

 the reason '" 



— Professor Clarence A. Waldo, I'ecently of the Rose Poly- 

 technic Institute, is now at De Pauw University, Greencastle, 

 Ind. 



— Professor M. W. Harrington having been appointed chief of 

 the United States Weather Bureau, the astronnraical observatory 

 of the University of Michigan is temporarOy in charge of the 

 newly-appointed instructor in astronomy, Mr. W. J Hussey. 

 The former instructor, Mr. W. W. Caaipbell, has accepted a po- 

 sition as assistant at the I.ick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, Cal. 



