SCIENCE 



Friday, November 6, 1914 



CONTENTS 



The Germplasm as a Stereochemio System: 

 Peofessob Edward Ttson Beichert .... 649 



The Content and Structure of the Atom: Pro- 

 fessor G. W. Stewabt 661 



Methods of Besuscitation 663 



Awards of the John Scott Medal 664 



Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci- 

 ences 664 



Scientific Notes and News 665 



University and Educational News 669 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



The History of Science: Professor 

 Walter Libbt. Some Inconsistencies in 

 Physics Text-ioohs: Sue Avis Blake. 

 Chemistry in the Agricultural College: C. 

 A. Peters. The denouncing of Honorary 

 Degrees: A. E. Shipley 670 



Scientific BooTcs : — 



Preece's Telegraphy: Professor A. E. Ken- 

 nellt. Smith's History of Mathematics, 

 The Development of Mathematics in China 

 and Japan: Professor Louis C. Karpin- 

 SKL Eaton on The Birds of New YorTc: 

 Dr. J. A. Allen. Curtis on the Nature and 

 Development of Plants: Professor J. E. 

 KiRKwooD 674 



Botanical Notes: — 



The Anniversary of a Great Garden; Trioar- 

 pellary and Tetracarpellary Ash Fruits; 

 Stamens and Ovules of Carnegiea gigantea: 

 Professor Charles E. Besset 678 



Special Articles: — 



Activation of the Unfertilized Egg hy Ultra- 

 violet Rays: De. Jacques Loeb. Determi- 

 nation of the iMnar and Solar Deflection 

 of the Vertical: Dr. B. A. Harris. Ap- 

 proximate Measurement of Textile Fibers: 

 N. A. Cobb 680 



. MSS. intended for publication and books, etc.. intended for 

 perlew should be sent to Professor J. McKeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 On-Hndson, N. Y. 



THE GESMPLASM AS A STEBEOCHEMIC 

 SYSTEMi 



The discovery in 1883 by Dr. S. Weir Mit- 

 chell and myself that the toxic principles of 

 the venoms of serpents are albuminous marked 

 an era in the chemistry, physiology and 

 pathology of proteins, and among other things 

 laid the foundation of our knowledge of bac- 

 terial and other toxalbumins. Since that time 

 our information of the properties of albumin- 

 ous substances, then extremely meager and 

 somewhat chaotic, has greatly advanced, and 

 many inrestigations have been made to deter- 

 mine the precise nature of these poisons, with 

 the effect of more or less modifying the state- 

 ments we then set forth. The astonishing 

 fact that these terribly lethal substances were 

 found by the tests of the day to be proteins, 

 and that apart from their toxic properties 

 they were indistinguishable from eftrrespond- 

 ing bodies that are ingested as food or derired 

 therefrom by the processes of digestion, or 

 found as normal constituents of the living 

 tissues generally, naturally led me to much 

 speculation and ultimately to the pursuit of 

 the very elaborate series of researches that I 

 have been carrying on during the past decade 

 under the auspices of the Carnegie Institu- 

 tion of Washington, reports of two of which 

 have appeared as Publications Nos. 116 and 

 173. 



It would be futile for me to attempt within 

 the necessarily restricted time that can rea- 

 sonably be allotted to the reading of a com- 

 munication to present in a satisfactory form 

 even the briefest summary of the rery volu- 

 minous results and conclusions that are em- 

 bodied in these works, or eren an outline of 



1 Bead by title at the meeting of the American 

 Philosophical Society, April 25, 1914, and in full 

 before the Society of Normal and Pathological 

 Physiology of the Uaiveisity of Pennsylrania, 

 April 28, 1914. 



