94 



SCIENCE. 



Vol. XXII. No. 550 



The structui-e of the active albumen is highly labile, it 

 is easily altered, and transformed into an inert mass. The 

 protoplasm, being equally labile, 2MSsesses its vital force in 

 consequence of the balance between the attractive and repulsive 

 forces of the 'proteid molecule. "WTien this balance is dis- 

 turbed by an excess of the attractive power over the re- 

 pulsive, we have a disturbance of the vital power. It 

 must be confessed that this theory explains well the death 

 of the living matter. 



From this foundation Loew builds up his theory. With 

 wonderful patience he has collected the notes from the 

 literature, and succeeded in bringing together a refer- 

 ence-work of high rank, while, at the same time, original 

 observations are frequently broadening out the scope and 

 giving numerous suggestions for further investigation. 

 As the work is altogether a work of facts, only a general 

 view will find its place here. 



The system is the following: 



A. General Poisons. 



1. Oxidizing jjoisons. 



2. Catalytic poisons. 



3. Poisons operating through the formation of a salt. 



4. Substituting poisons. 



B. Special Poisons. 



1. Poisons which affect solely such acting albumen as 

 has a special configuration and lability: toxical proteids. 



2. Poisons which have a destructive effect on the 

 structure of the cells, in consequence of their association 

 with the active albumen of the protoplasm. 



3. Poisons which have an indirect effect; 

 (ffl) checking the breathing power, 



ih) acting by their own decomposition, 



(c) altering the swelling up of organic bodies. 



The toxical firoteids (chapter V) are treated in full. 

 "The discovery by Hammerschlag in Nencki's laboratory 

 (1888) that a poisonous proteid could be isolated from the 

 Bacillus tuberculosis, was succeeded by the important ob- 

 servation by H. Buchner (1889) that certain proteids are 

 present in the blood of certain animals and have a poison- 

 ous effect on bacteria. Emmerich had already, in 1887, 

 shown the destruction of bacteria in the circulation; then 

 he succeeded in showing that the bacteria-killing proper- 

 ties of the blood rested in the albuminoid substances con- 

 tained therein." 



The multitude of facts makes it possible to give only 

 the main features of Loew's theory here. Everybody who 

 is interested in physiology and its progress knows that 

 we must have views as well as facts in order to secure a 

 constant progress. The importance of the new theory 

 will be felt by all who are interested in medical science; 

 it is one of the steps that show us that the time has come 

 for establishing a special general physiology of animals 

 and plants. All this made it a pleasure to the writer to 

 turn the attention of fellow- workers towards it. 



SOME OHIO MOUNDS. 



BY HAEOLD HEATH, DELAWABE, OHIO. 



DuEiNG the last few years several mounds in central 

 Ohio have been entered and some of the data obtained has 

 proved to be of considerable interest. Mounds similar to 

 these have long been described under the title of Funeral 

 Tumuli and Sacrificial Mounds, j'et their true function 

 seems to be doubtful even in the jsresent day. They were 

 about of equal size, varying from 40 to 50 feet in diameter 

 and 15 to 20 feet in height, and withotit exception were 

 situated upon some water course. In the cases where the 

 land was still undisturbed a layer of vegetable mould cov- 

 ered the surface to a dejsth of between two and three feet. 

 Beneath this covering came a layer of fine sand and gravel 

 similar to that found in the sand bars of streams or rivers. 



This layer was always four or five feet thick. In making 

 shafts extending j^erpendicularly through the centre of 

 the mound, after 23assing through this gravelly layer, a 

 rough altar was reached in four cases out of six, and in 

 the other two ashes and charcoal were found. These 

 altars were constructed of unhewn, waterworn bowlders 

 piled in a rude fashion to form a mass having the average 

 dimensions of 5.3 feet in length; 4.1 feet in width, and 2.4 

 feet in height. In two other cases, which have come to 

 my notice, skeletons, evidently Indian, were found in this 

 gravelly suj)erficial layer above the altar. One skeleton 

 was especially remarkable for its height, measuring when 

 put up a trifle less than six feet. About and upon the altars 

 were scattered ashes and charcoal, and dark masses of 

 vegetable mould indicated decayed bits of wood. Por- 

 tions of human skeletons and in one case t'hat of some car- 

 nivorous animal were found, many jsieces in a charred con- 

 dition, indicating either human sacrifice or cremation. 

 These altars were built before a rude pavement of stones 

 similar to those composing the altar and were of about 

 the same size, viz., about a foot in diameter. Beneath this 

 lay a mixture of blue and yellow clay and gravel making 

 up the greater portion of the mound. In one case layers 

 of gravel stones about the size of a cricket ball- were en- 

 countered lying in strata separated by about a foot of this 

 clay-gravel mixture. These layers extended through a 

 depth of nine feet. This "cement" was so compact and 

 hard as to withstand almost like stone the most persistent 

 attacks with jiick and shovel. In most cases the work was 

 abandoned after sinking the shaft to a depth corresponding 

 to the height of the mound, although the clayey cement indi- 

 cated that the lower surface of the structure had not been 

 reached. In only one case when a depth of ninetaen feet 

 had been reached by means of excavations and blastings 

 was a skeleton found. This was the skeleton of a man 

 5 feet 1 inch in height and it was so fragile in the damp 

 tenacious clay that only jsortions of the bones could be 

 extracted. The body lay jDartially upon the right side, 

 one hand lying across the breast, the other extended 

 along the side. The left leg was considerably flexed, 

 while the right was extended. Lj'ing at the side of the 

 skeleton were two stone beads, a perforated bit of unio 

 shell and two flakes of mica. A further excavation of six 

 feet, and also large tunnellings at the foot of the shaft, 

 failed to bring to light any more bones or implements. 



In two other movmds implements were found in this 

 thick cement — an axe in one and two fleshers and several 

 rough spear heads in the other. In other localities a few 

 cases have been rejjorted where a kind of vault was found 

 a short distance beneath the altar, containing one or more 

 skeletons and generally some imjjlements or ornaments, 

 but so far as I can determine no such rejport has been 

 made for this section of the country. 



AN EYE PKOTECTOE TO BE USED WITH THE 

 MONOCULAE MICKOSCOPE. 



BY L. BBEWER HALL, M. D., PHILADELPHIA. 



How often have we heard persons exclaim, upon look- 

 ing into a binocular microscope for the first time: "Oh, 

 how much easier it is to see with this instrument, and how 

 much plainer everything appears;" and this with one field 

 quite dark, which provokes a smile from the amateur. I 

 am fully convinced, however, that we cannot ascribe such 

 expressions wholly to dissimulation or flattery, or even 

 self-deception, and for the following reasons: — 



When one eye is looking through an instrument like 

 the microscope, and the other, being open, is regarding 

 the objects outside the tube, an image is formed upon each 

 retina, and the normal action of the mind is to blend 

 them into a single picture. This being impossible from. 



