May io, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



3 61 



diminished by an increased ingestion of carbohydrates or fats. He 

 carried out experiments on the nutrition of two healthy persons, in 

 which the daily dose of proteids was very considerably diminished, 

 even down to 40 grams ; while, in compensation for the lessened 

 proteids, larger quantities of fats, sugar, and easily absorbed and 

 oxidizable alcohol, were administered. The nitrogen excreted in 

 the urine was constantly less in amount than that taken in the 

 food, thus showing that healthy, active men can be fed with large- 

 ly diminished amounts of proteid without the occurrence of any 

 destructive metabolism of their tissue-proteids. He next proceeded 

 to investigate whether, in diseases which are characterized by an 

 abnormally large breaking-down of tissue-proteids, this increased 

 nitrogenous metabolism could be lessened by the ingestion of an 

 increased quantity of non - nitrogenous food. An increased ni- 

 trogenous metabolism occurs in dyspnoea, fever, anasmia, cancer, 

 tuberculosis, diabetes, and Addison's disease. For dyspnoea, ex- 

 periments were made on animals ; while for anaemia, cancer, dia- 

 betes, and Addison's disease, observations were made on the 

 human subject, and results were obtained which corresponded 

 to the supposition under which the experiments were started. A 

 very considerable reduction of the nitrogen excreted in the urine 

 was observed when only moderate quantities of proteid were given, 

 while at the same time increased amounts of carbohydrates, fats, 

 and alcohol, were administered. It is impossible to enter here into 

 the interesting details of these experiments, which were all carried 

 out by very precise methods, or into a discussion of the hypoth- 

 eses which were advanced in explanation of the phenomena 

 which had been observed. 



— The following are the dates of some of the international 

 exhibition congresses which are to be held in Paris : technical 

 education, July 8 to 12 ; bibliography of the exact sciences, July 16 

 to 26 ; chemistry, July 29 to Aug. 3 ; ballooning, July 31 to Aug. 

 3 ; pigeons, July 31 to Aug. 3 ; hygiene, Aug. 4 to 11 ; higher edu- 

 cation, Aug. 5 to 10; physiological psychology, Aug. 5 to 10; 

 geography, Aug. 6 to 11 ; photography, Aug. 10 to 17; criminal 

 anthropology, Aug. 10 to 17; primary education, Aug. II to 19; 

 horticulture, Aug. 16 to 21 ; prehistoric man and remains, Aug. 19 

 to 26 ; electricity, Aug. 24 to 31 ; chronometry, Sept. 2 to 9 ; mines 

 and metallurgy, Sept. 2 to 11 ; applied mechanics, Sept. 16 to 21 ; 

 meteorology, Sept. 19 to 25 ; river utilization, Sept. 22 to 27 ; com- 

 merce and industry, Sept. 22 to 28 ; and hydrology and Clima- 

 tology, Sept. 30 to Oct. 15. 



— M. Berthelot, at a meeting of the Paris Academy of Sciences, 

 April 8, read a paper on the fixation of nitrogen by vegetable soil 

 with or without the aid of leguminous plants. The paper deals 

 with a fresh series of sixty-four methodic experiments carried out 

 during the year 1888, and fully described in the April number of 

 the Annates de Chiynie et de Physique. They form a sequel to the 

 systematic researches begun by the author in 1883, and tend fully 

 to confirm the views already announced by him on the fixation of 

 free nitrogen in the ground, effected either with or without the co- 

 operation of luzern, vetches, and other leguminous plants. He 

 considers the fixation now fully established, and finds in this fact 

 the true interpretation of a multitude of phenomena highly impor- 

 tant to agriculture. At the same meeting, M. J. Reiset described 

 some experiments on putrefaction and the formation of manures. 

 The more recent of these fully confirm the results of those under- 

 taken by the author so far back as 1854, and show, that, in the 

 process of organic decomposition, nitrogen is not fixed, but liberated. 



— According to Nature, a series of regulations with regard to 

 patents and designs has just been issued in Japan. All inventors 

 whose discoveries are beneficial, or are calculated to improve exist- 

 ing processes of manufacture, may apply for letters patent. No 

 patents, however, will be granted in the case of articles of food or 

 drink, or in case of medicines. Inventors who do not receive letters 

 patent are powerless to sue in respect of piracy of their inventions. 

 In order to register an invention, application must be made to the 

 Patents Bureau, and, if the officials are satisfied as to the genuine- 

 ness of the invention, it is registered, on certain forms being com- 

 plied with, and certain fees paid. A curious omission occurs in 

 the regulations, but it is not plain whether it is intentional or not. 

 Nothing whatever is said as to the rights of a foreigner to patent 



an invention, but it is presumed that he will not be able to do Fr. 

 nor has any provision been made for advertising applicatio ns for 

 letters patent. The Patents Bureau is to be the sole judge of alf 

 cases submitted to it, and from its decision there is no appeal ; but 

 in certain cases two judges sit with the bureau, and assist in deci d- 

 ing whether a patent should be granted or not. The duration of a 

 patent is to be five, ten, or fifteen years, according to the a moun; 

 paid in fees. The patent, of course, passes by assignment iTiter 

 vivos, or to the patentee's heir, but nothing is provided for t he 

 cases of bankruptcy or marriage. 



— Nature states in a recent issue, that, from a report of the 

 Belgian consul-general in the Kongo State, it appears that the 

 efforts made to introduce European vegetables and fruits in that 

 district have been rewarded with very great success. The go vern- 

 ment has imported tobacco-seed from Havana and Sumatra, w hich 

 is cultivated in conjunction with native tobacco. The natives cul- 

 tivate tobacco badly, but efforts are being made by the gover nment 

 to teach them better methods. The inhabitants of the Lower 

 Kongo have been very successful in cultivating not only the u sual 

 African products, such as manioc, sweet-potato, etc., but also 

 sorghum, maize, and the " wandu " haricot, called " boma " by 

 the natives. The cotton-plant grows in its wild state, and the 

 natives manufacture from it hats, wallets, etc. No effort has yet 

 been made to cultivate it for trade purposes. 



— A carbohydrate of the empirical composition C5H10O5, and 

 possessing properties very closely resembling those of the arabin 

 of " gum-arabic," has been artificially prepared by Professor Ballo 

 of Buda-Pesth. This achievement, we learn from Nature, is the 

 outcome of an attempt to reproduce the conditions under which 

 the acids of the vegetable world are reduced by chlorophyl. It 

 was assumed that the iron of chlorophyl is present in the ferrous, 

 state, and tartaric was the acid upon which operations were com- 

 menced. About equal quantities of tartaric acid and ferrous sul- 

 phate were dissolved in a minimum bulk of water, and the solution' 

 was warmed upon a water-bath. In a short time a grayish-yellow 

 pricipitate began to separate. The whole was then evaporated 

 until it completely solidified on cooling. The cold mass was next 

 extracted with alcohol, and the extract again evaporated. The 

 residue thus left by volatilization of the alcohol was neutralized 

 with milk of lime, and the filtered solution again placed on the 

 water-bath. It was now noticed, that, as the water was gradually 

 expelled, the contents of the evaporating-dish became more and 

 more viscid, until finally a sticky mass was left, reminding one 

 most forcibly of gum-arabic. Knowing that this familiar article 

 of commerce chiefly consisted of the calcium and potassium com- 

 pounds of arabin, the likeness was felt to be somewhat indicative of 

 the formation of an arabin-like substance. On allowing the concen- 

 trated sirup to cool, a calcium salt readily crystallized out, yielding, 

 on analysis, numbers pointing to the formula (C,H905)2Ca -|- 

 9 HjO. From this the free carbohydrate was obtained in one of 

 two ways, — either by precipitation of the solution in water with 

 lead acetate and subsequent decomposition of the lead salt with 

 sulphuretted hydrogen, or by addition of the calculated quantity of 

 oxalic acid. The sirup of " iso-arabin," as it is provisionally 

 termed, was further purified by repeated treatment with alcohol 

 and ether, and subsequent re-evaporation. It was then allowed to- 

 stand over sulphuric acid, — some specimens for a month, andl 

 others so long as a whole year. Each of these specimens, on 

 combustion, yielded numbers indicating the empirical formula 

 CoHidOs. Iso-arabin is an almost colorless sirup, readily mixing 

 with water. It does not reduce Fehling's solution, but rotates the 

 plane of polarization to the right. It behaves, in short, exactly like 

 the carbohydrates of the (C6Hio06)„ group. The potassium salt 

 obtained by decomposing the calcium salt with potassium carbon- 

 ate also crystallizes well in large anhydrous crystals. In additiot> 

 to iso-arabin itself, a small quantity of its hydrate (CeHmOs -f- 

 HjO) is also formed by the action of ferrous sulphate upon tartaric 

 acid, and separates out in crystals from the alcoholic washings of 

 the crude iso-arabin. Natural arabin itself forms a similar hy- 

 drate ; the precipitate formed by addition of hydrochloric acid and 

 alcohol to a solution of gum-arabic, when dried at 100° C, posr- 

 sessing this composition. 



