114 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 5. 



Account of its Fate. J. J. Abel and T. B. 



AXDEICH. 



Drs. Abel and Aldricli gave an experi- 

 mental demonstration of the use of the 

 solid trichloride of acetonic acid of Will- 

 gerodt, the so-called acetone chloroform, as 

 an anaesthetic for the laboratory, with an 

 account of its physiological action and of 

 its fate, from a chemical point of view, in 

 the economy. 

 Demonstration of Instances of Experimental 



Cachexia Tyreopriva in Dogs. J. J. Abel 



and A. C. Crawford. 



Drs. Abel and Crawford showed a number 

 of dogs whose thyroid glands had been re- 

 moved. They also gave an account of their 

 results in treating the diseased conditions 

 thus induced, and oiitlined the methods and 

 aims of a research on the functions of the 

 thj'roid gland. 

 Equilibrium in the Crustacea. G. P. Clark. 



(Introduced by F. S. Lee.) 



Dr. Clark stated that he had studied two 

 kinds of crabs, the ' Fiddler,' Gelasimus 

 pugilator (Latr.), and the 'Lady,' Platy- 

 onichus ocellatus (Latr.). The former is an 

 active runner, the latter an active swimmer. 

 The movable eyestalks show marked com- 

 pensating movements when the body is in- 

 clined. The compensating positions are 

 maintained without reaction so long as the 

 incUnation of the body continiies. ISTo com- 

 pensating movements accompany turning 

 around the vertical axis. The otocysts con- 

 tain no otoliths. Eemoval of both anten- 

 nules, inclusive of the otocysts, caused no 

 abnormal position of the body and no forced 

 movements, but was followed by a tendency 

 of the ' Fiddler ' crab when attempting to 

 run, and of the ' Lady ' crab when attempt- 

 ing to swim, to roll over on to the back. A 

 similar tendency has been observed by 

 others in the crayfish and dogfish after re- 

 moval of the otoliths. Eemoval of both an- 

 tennules was followed by no abnormal posi- 

 tion of eyestalks, but by marked diminution 



of their compensating movements. Removal 

 of otoliths from both ears of a dogfish is re- 

 ported to be without efi'ect on position of 

 ej^eballs, but to cause a loss of the mainte- 

 nance of compensation which is observed in 

 those rotations wliich involve inclination of 

 the bodJ^ Compensating eye movements in 

 the crab occur only in those planes in which 

 in the dogfish the compensation is main- 

 tained, and loss of corresponding structures 

 in these animals tends to destroy compen- 

 sation in the one and the maintenance of 

 compensation in the other. In many cases 

 it was found that a small amount of com- 

 pensation remained after the ' Fiddler ' crab 

 had lost both antennules ; if eyes were then 

 covered with a thick black mixture it was 

 completely stopped. 

 Galen's Technical Treatise upon Practical 



Anatomy and Experimental Physiology. J. 



Gr. Curtis. 



Dr. Curtis spoke upon Galen's technical 

 treatise on practical anatomy and experi- 

 mental physiology, usually cited as 'De 

 anatomieis administrationibu^.' 



This was written between A. D. 150 and 

 200, and is the earliest existing technical 

 treatise upon these subjects. 



The Greek text of Books I. to VIII., and 

 of part of Book IX., is extant in print, and 

 also Latin translations of the same. 



The rest of the work, viz., the latter part 

 of Book IX., and Books X. to XV., is 

 inedited, and is contained only in two MSS. 

 of an Arabic version of the 9th centurj', 

 attributed to Honain Ibn Ishak or to his 

 nephew Hobaich. 



One of these two MSS. is at the Bodleian 

 Library at Oxford. Bj^ the kindness of the 

 authorities. Books IX. to XV. of this MS. 

 have been photographed for Dr. Curtis, 

 who is also, through the good ofiices of the 

 late Dr. Geeenhill, of Hastings, England, 

 in possession of an inedited MS. sketch of a 

 translation of these books into French, by 

 the late M. Gustavb Dugat. 



