Mabch 25, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



459 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES 

 The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 

 VU., No. 3, issued February 26, contains the 

 following : " The Optical Inactivity of Allan- 

 toin," by Lafayette B. Mendel and H. D. 

 Dakin. The generally accepted formula for 

 allantoin contains an asymmetric carbon atom. 

 Yet examination of the substance from a 

 variety of sources showed that it is optically 

 inactive. Evidence is offered indicating that 

 the phenomenon is due to tautomeric change. 

 " The Mechanism of the Oxidation of Glu- 

 cose by Bromine," by H. H. Bunzel. Experi- 

 ments are described which support thd view 

 that glucose forms two series of salts : the first 

 in which it dissociates into metal and negative 

 glucose ions (CjEL^Oj") ; the second, in which 

 it dissociates into positive glucose ions 

 (CjHjjO/) and an acid ion. Positive glucose 

 ions are oxidized quantitatively to gluconic 

 acid and an equation is developed showing the 

 velocity of the reaction. " The Purine Meta- 

 bolism of the Monkey," by H. Gideon Wells. 

 The liver of the monkey resembles that of 

 lower mammals in containing a uricolytic 

 enzyme. The liver also contains xanthine- 

 oxidase; the liver and other viscera contain 

 nuclease, adenase and guanase. " The Effects 

 of Castration on the Metabolism," by Francis 

 H. McCrudden. An experimental study on 

 dogs, the results of which do not confirm the 

 view that castration is followed by a retention 

 of material, especially mineral elements. 

 " Chemical Analysis of Bone from a Case of 

 Human Adolescent Osteomalacia," by Francis 

 H. McCrudden. Bone from osteomalacia con- 

 tains more magnesium and sulphur, less cal- 

 cium and phosphoric acid than normal: the 

 increase in the former is far greater than the 

 decrease in the latter. " The Influence of 

 Dietary Alternations on the Types of Intes- 

 tinal Flora," by C. A. Herter and A. I. Ken- 

 dall. Extended experiments on monkeys and 

 cats show that an abrupt change from a dom- 

 inantly protein diet to a dominantly carbo- 

 hydrate diet is followed by alterations in the 

 intestinal flora, in the putrefaction products 

 in the feces and urine and in the clinical con- 

 ditions. Degeneration of the proteolyzing 



bacteria takes place and they are substituted 

 by acidophilic, non-protolyzing bacteria: 

 marked reduction in putrefactive products in 

 feces and urine occurs ; a marked improvement 

 in spirits and activity may be noted, indica- 

 ting a greater sense of bodily and psychical 

 well-being. 



HALLEY ON THE AGE OF THE OCEAN 



Edmund Halley was a very great man. He 

 was not only the first to predict correctly the 

 return of a comet, that which is now known 

 by his name, but also — ^before Newton had an- 

 nounced his results to any one — arrived at 

 the conclusion that the attraction of gravita- 

 tion probably varied inversely as the square 

 of the distance. While these and other im- 

 portant achievements of his are well known, it 

 seems to have been forgotten that Halley de- 

 vised a method of determining the age of the 

 ocean from chemical denudation. Indeed, I 

 find no mention of Halley in the indices of 

 some of the most authoritative works on geol- 

 ogy and geochemistry, while it is evident that 

 neither Mr. T. MeUard Eeade' nor Mr. J. 

 Joly" were aware of a predecessor in this im- 

 portant field. It was almost by accident that 

 I came across Halley's paper read before the 

 Eoyal Society in 1715, extracts from which 

 are given below. 



Halley recognized that the method as he 

 proposed it was almost impracticable, but 

 writing as he did twenty-eight years before 

 Lavoisier's birth, he could hardly have guessed 

 that accurate analyses of river waters, whose 

 solvent action he so clearly describes, would 

 ever become not merely possible but easy. It 

 is very interesting to note that Halley's rea- 

 soning is strictly " uniformitarian " while he 

 recognized the tendency involved to a maxi- 

 mum estimate. 



Subject to this same limitation (extended 

 to other features besides an original saltness 

 of the sea), Mr. Joly's method of determining 

 the rate at which the accumulation of salt in 

 the ocean takes place from the analysis of 



' " Chemical Denudation in Relation to Geolog- 

 ical Time," 1879. 

 ' Trans. R. S. Dublin, Vol. 7, 1899, p. 23. 



