OCTOBER 8, 1897. ] 
Kellogg reported the results of a dynamo- 
metric study of the strength of the several 
groups of muscles and the relation of the 
corresponding homologous groups of mus- 
cles in man. 
The session of Friday morning, August 
20th, was devoted mainly to the presentation 
* of papers on the circulation. Professor G. 
N. Stewart (Western Reserve) gave a large 
number of measurements of the output of 
the mammalian heart examined by a new 
method. Professor W.T. Porter (Harvard) 
reported his observations on the mamma- 
lian heart concerning the cause of the heart- 
beat, fibrillary contractions, the influence 
of ventricular systole on the blood-flow 
through the heart-muscle, and the circula- 
tion through the veins of Thebesius. (See 
Scrence, p. 905, 906.) Professor Karl 
Hurthle (Breslau) discussed the resistance 
of the vascular channels. Resistance de- 
pends on two factors—the internal friction 
of the blood and the dimensions of the 
tubular system. Measurements of the 
former by the author’s method give the re- 
sult: internal friction of distilled water at 
37°C. : that of blood: :1: 4.5 (dog), 4.1 
(eat), 3.2 (rabbit). From this and certain 
other data, the author calculates the resist- 
ance expressed in terms of the dimensions 
of a tube through which, under the given 
conditions, the same quantity of blood could 
flow. The resistance through the several 
organs and over the entire vascular course 
is now being measured. Dr. W. H. Gas- 
kell (Cambridge) gave a comparative 
résumé of the physiology of the cardiac 
branches of the vagus nerve in the five main 
divisions of the vertebrates. Professor A. 
R. Cushny (Michigan) discussed rythmical 
variations in the strength of the contractions 
of the mammalian heart. Professor W. H. 
Thompson (Belfast) presented a report 
upon the physiological effects of peptone 
and its precursors when introduced into the 
circulation. The research is in the hands 
SCIENCE. 
55 
of a committee consisting of Professors 
Schafer, Sherrington, Boyce and Thompson, 
and the work of the past year has been car- 
ried on by Professor Thompson. The effects 
of Witte’s peptone, pure peptone, anti-pep- 
tone and deutero-albumose were given in 
detail. Professor HE. W. Reid (Dundee) 
presented the results of experiments on the 
absorption of serum in the intestine. Water 
and organic and inorganic solids are ab- 
sorbed against an excess of hydrostatic 
pressure in the blood-vessels. The results 
seem to exclude explanation by osmosis, 
filtration into capillaries or lacteals, imbibi- 
tion, electro-osmotic action, and aspiration 
by the blood-current. 
In the afternoon of Friday Professor An- 
derson Stuart (Sidney) spoke upon a newly 
discovered function of the canal of Stilling 
in the vitreous humor in receiving lymph 
during the accommodation of theeye. Pro- 
fessor Stuart also described a number of 
simple pieces of physiological apparatus 
which he had found useful for demonstra- 
tive purposes. Dr. Noel Paton (EHdin- 
burgh) discussed the phosphorus metabo- 
lism of the salmon in fresh water, with 
especial reference to the diminution of phos- 
phorus in the muscle and its increase in 
the reproductive organs. The loss of phos- 
phorus from the muscle is barely sufficient 
to account for the gain in the ovary, and 
amply sufficient for the gain in the testis. 
But the phosphorus compounds—chiefly 
lecithin and ichthulin in the ovary and nu- 
clein in the testis—must be formed syn- 
thetically. Lecithin is probably one of the 
first stages in the construction of nucleo- 
compounds. Professor J. Loeb (Chicago) 
demonstrated and discussed certain electro- 
statical stimulative effects upon nerves, 
which might be mistaken for electro-mag- 
netic effects. Professor G. Lusk (Yale) 
gave the results of experiments on the gas- 
tric inversion of cane sugar by hydrochloric 
acid, which show that the acidity of the 
