680 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 800 



" Resistance to the Growth of Cancer Induced 

 in Rats by Injection of Autolyzed Rat Tissue," 

 Isaac Levin. 



" Parenteral Protein Assimilation," P. A. Levene 

 and G. M. Meyer. 



" The Inhibitory Effect of Magnesium upon In- 

 direct and Direct Irritability of Frog Muscle and 

 the Antagonistic Action of Sodium and Calcium 

 upon this Effect," Don R. Joseph and S. J. 

 Meltzer. 



" On the Vaso-motor Nerves of the Stomach," 

 R. Burton-Opitz. 



" The Change in the Venous Blood-flow on Ad- 

 ministration of Amyl Nitrate," R. Burton-Opitz 

 and H. F. Wolf. 



"" The Fate of Embryo Grafted into the Mother," 

 Peyton Rous. 



" The Behavior of Implanted Mixtures of Tumor 

 and Embryo," Peyton Rous. 



" Vaughan's Split Products and Unbroken Pro- 

 tein," Edwin J. Banzhaf and Edna Steinhardt. 



" Notes on Sensitization with Tuberculin to 

 Tubercular Rabbit's Serum," J. P. Atkinson and 

 C. B. Fitzpatrick. 



" Remote Results of the Replantation of the 

 Kidneys," A. Carrel. 



" Temporary Diversion of the Blood from the 

 Left Ventricle to the Descending Aorta," A. Carrel. 



" Remote Result of the Replantation of the 

 Spleen," A. Carrel. 



" The Mechanism of the Depressor Action of 

 Dog's Urine with Remarks on the Antagonistic 

 Action of Adrenalin," R. M. Pearee and A. B. 

 Eisenbrey. 



" On the Elimination of Bacteria from the 

 Blood through the Wall of the Intestine," Alfred 

 F. Hess. 



Eugene L. Opie, 



Secretary 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 

 RHODE ISLAND SECTION 



A SPECIAL public meeting of the section was 

 held in Rhode Island Hall, Brown University, on 

 the evening of March 4, 1910, at 8 o'clock. 



Professor Charles E. Munroe, dean of the grad- 

 uate department of George Washington Univer- 

 sity, Washington, D. C, and consulting expert 

 for the United States government at the Pittsburg 

 Testing Station, Pittsburg, Pa., gave a stereop- 

 ticon lecture on the subject " The Testing of 

 Explosives for Use in Coal Mines, with special 

 reference to the Prevention of Mine Disasters." 



The lecturer first called attention to the enor- 

 mous increase in the production of coal in the 

 United States and then, in the discussion of the 

 casualties attending coal mining, pointed out that 

 whether the comparison was made on the basis 

 of output or on the basis of the number of men 

 employed, the loss of life was greater in the 

 United States than in European countries. In 

 1907, under the auspices of the United States 

 Geological Survey, an investigation was begun at 

 the George Washington University to determine 

 the reason for the difference. It was found, he 

 said, that a reason lay in either the improper 

 use of explosives or the use of improper explosives. 

 While the university's investigation was being 

 carried on, a series of serious disasters occurred 

 at the Monongah mines. West Virginia, the Darr 

 and Naomi mines in Pennsylvania and the Yolande 

 mine in Alabama, in which 623 men were killed. 

 These mine horrors aroused public opinion to such 

 an extent that a suitable appropriation was made 

 for an experimental inquiry into the nature of the 

 explosives offered for use. A well-equipped testing 

 station was opened on the arsenal grounds at 

 Pittsburg, Pa., and since that time testing of 

 explosives has been carried on with a view to 

 determining which is most suitable for use in 

 coal mines. After testing these explosives to 

 determine the power and sensitiveness of each, 

 in comparison with a certain grade of dynamite, 

 which is taken as a standard, charges of known 

 weight are fired, by detonation, from a very strong 

 gun, into a mixture of natural gas, such as occurs 

 in coal mines, and air, or natural gas, coal dust 

 and air, or simply a mi.xture of coal dust and air, 

 which mixtures are confined in a long cylindrical 

 gallery made of boiler plate, to ascertain whether 

 or not the charge of explosive when fired will 

 cause the explosion of the mixture in the gallery. 

 The gallery represents a gallery in the mine, and 

 the hole in the gun represents the bore-hole in the 

 coal in the mine. A limit charge of explosive is 

 fixed upon, and if this quantity of explosive causes 

 an explosion in the gallery, the explosive is re- 

 jected, but if it does not cause an explosion, the 

 explosive is styled a permissible explosive, and is 

 recommended for use. Since the establishment 

 of the testing station at Pittsburg, 171 different 

 explosive substances have been tested, and of these 

 51 have been put upon the list of permissible 

 explosives. 



Albert W. Claflin, 



Secretary 

 Peovidence, R. I. 



