Aveust 27, 1897.] 
two of the rare cases of inversion of the viscera 
were sent from the Charité, actinography re- 
vealing the inverted displacement of the organs, 
their size and motions, with the greatest dis- 
tinctness. 
PROFESSOR GOTCH, Waynflete professor of 
physiology at Oxford, in his annual report states 
that the following research work has been in 
progress during the present year: (1) The Pro- 
fessor and Mr. G. J. Burch. Upon the Electro- 
motive properties of Malapterurus electricus, 
being a continuation of previous work on the 
subject. (2) The Professor. On the Tendon Ef- 
fect and on the Influence of Temperature upon 
Excitability and Conductivity. (8) The Regius 
Professor of Medicine. On Muscular Contrac- 
tion. (4) Dr. J. S. Haldane and Professor Lor- 
rain Smith. On the Oxygen Tension of Arterial 
Blood, the Detection of Carbonic Oxide in Air 
and Blood, the Action of Nitrites upon Blood, 
ete. (5) Dr. Mann. On the Changes in Nerve 
Cells Associated with their Activity. (6) Mr. 
W. H. Vernon. On the Respiratory changes 
of Cold-blooded Animals. (7) Miss Huie. On 
the Changes in the Cells of Drosera. (8) Pro- 
fessor Sherrington and Mr. J. S. Macdonald. 
On the Neuro-muscular Mechanism of Respira- 
tion. (9) Mr. Buddicom. On the Effect of 
Ether and other Gases upon Nerve Excitability, 
ete. (10) Mr. W. E. Stainer. On the peptic 
properties of Pitcher-plant liquid. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 
THE University of Berlin has set an example 
in maintaining academic freedom by electing as 
Rector for the coming year Professor Gustav 
Schmoller, who is supposed to have incurred the 
enmity of the Emperor by the character of his 
lectures on political economy. 
THE Paris correspondent of the London 
Times states that under the law of July 10, 1896, 
decrees have been issued for the government of 
universities. Each university is to have a 
council consisting of the rector, the heads of 
faculties, and two delegates of each faculty 
elected triennially by the professors. The 
council, subject in certain cases to the approval 
of the supreme education council, will have 
control over the teaching, discipline, and 
property of the university. It will, however, 
SCIENCE. 
323 
have merely a consultative voice on the 
finances, and on the creation, abolition or 
transformation of professorships, for the State 
will continue to pay the stipends, The main- 
tenance of buildings, on the other hand, will 
fall on the university, and must be defrayed 
from students’ fees or from endowments. The 
State takes the fees for examinations and State 
diplomas, but all other fees go to the university 
treasury. It will, therefore, be to the interest 
of each university to attract as many students 
as possible. The receipts of Paris University 
are estimated at 600,000f. and of Lyons at 130,- 
000f., but Besancon and Clermont have at pres- 
ent only 700f. or 800f., and will obviously have 
to solicit subsidies either from the State or from 
local bodies. Failing this, the smaller univer- 
sities are likely to succumb. One of the features 
of the new system is that a student will, as in 
Germany, be able to migrate from one university 
to another without lengthening his studies or 
delaying his degree. 
THE Swiss government has for several years 
offered courses de vacance or university extension 
courses at Lausanne and Geneva, which have 
been attended by numbers of American, Eng- 
lish and other foreign students. The Department 
of Public Instruction has now decided to supple- 
ment the courses given by the Faculty of Let- 
ters by adding to the program scientific and 
historical excursions, with lectures given gra- 
tuitously by university professors. 
AT the meeting of the London County Coun- 
cil on July 20th the Technical Educational 
Board presented their report for the preceding 
quarter. It stated that arrangements had been 
made with King’s College and University Col- 
lege for evening courses of instruction, to be 
given to persons who are engaged during the 
day, in civil engineering, mechanical engi- 
neering, architecture, natural philosophy, pure 
mathematics, electrical engineering, magnetic 
and electric currents, the strength of materials, 
the principles of practical physiology, experi- 
mental physics, and the teaching of mathe- 
matics. Arrangements had also been made for 
a Saturday morning course to teachers to be 
held at Bedford College. In the teachers’ 
courses the aim would be to explain the best 
educational methods of teaching the respective 
