August 28, 1S96.] 



SCIENCE. 



267 



the formation of peroxide in urine. From these 

 results, coupled with those of Dr. Edward 

 Frankland on the development of bacteria at 

 various depths below water, Professor Eamsay 

 regards it as proved that the action of violet and 

 ultra-violet light on organic matter may lead in 

 many cases to the formation of peroxide of 

 hydrogen ; that peroxide passes on a portion of 

 its oxygen to the organic matter, thus becoming 

 water and destroying or changing the organic 

 matter; that such changes are destructive to 

 the minute organisms contained in rivers, and 

 generally to animal life, unless the organism is 

 capable of secreting some pigment which ex- 

 cludes violet and ultra-violet light ; and that 

 certainly typhoid and anthrax, and probably 

 also other zymotic disease, would be prevented 

 if it were possible to subject the source of infec- 

 tion to sunlight in the presence of moisture. 



GENERAL. 



Joseph Dwight Whitney, professor of geol- 

 ogy in Harvard University, died at noon on 

 August 19th, aged 76 years. 



Albert Nelson Prentiss, who since the 

 foundation of Cornell University, in 1868, had 

 occupied the chair of botany, arboriculture and 

 horticulture, died at Ithaca, on August 14th. 



Following closely on the death of Sir Joseph 

 Prestwich comes the news of the death of 

 Alexander Henry Green, also professor of geol- 

 ogy at Oxford. Prof. Green was a student of 

 Cambridge and a fellow of Caius College. He 

 was for many years attached to the geological 

 survey of England and Wales, and later became 

 professor at Leeds, being appointed to the pro- 

 fessorship of Oxford in 1888. He died on Au- 

 gust 20th, at the age of sixty-four. 



The most recent advices indicate that not 

 only in the north of Japan, but also in Norway 

 and Eussia, observations of the recent solar 

 eclipse were made impossible by clouds. 



A FIRE broke out on August 18th in the build- 

 ing of the Industrial Exhibition in Montpellier, 

 France, which not only cost considerable injury 

 to the exhibits, but also spread to the univer- 

 sity buildings, the damage to the latter being 

 estimated at 600,000 francs. 



According to the provisions of the will of the 



late George W. Wales, the Boston Museum of 

 Fine Arts, after the death of his widow, will get 

 $30,000, besides his collection of pottery and 

 glass, and his books on pottery, engraving, 

 glass, lace, painting, architecture and fine arts 

 in general. 



Dr. a. Baldacci has undertaken, during the 

 present year, a botanical investigation of north- 

 ern Epirus, especially the district of Konitza. 



Dr. Nansen has contributed to the London 

 Chronicle a detailed account of his adventurous 

 exploration, which has been cabled to this 

 country and read by everyone in the daily pa- 

 pers. He states that during the drift of the 

 Fram northward he made careful series of sci- 

 entific observations, meteorological, magnetic, 

 astronomical and biological, soundings, deep- 

 sea temperatures, examinations for the salinity 

 of the sea water, etc. The sea was not more 

 than ninety fathoms deep south of 79 degrees 

 north, where the depth suddenly increased and 

 was from 1,600 to 1,900 fathoms north of that 

 latitude. This will necessarily upset all previ- 

 ous theories based on a shallow polar basin. 

 The sea bottom was remarbably devoid of or- 

 ganic matter. 



Dr. Hermann Krutzsch, lately professor of 

 physics and meteorology at the University in 

 Tharandt, died on July 28th, at the age of 77. 

 We also note the death of Dr. L. C. Wiener, 

 professor of mathematics in the High School of 

 Karlsruhe, at the age of 70. 



Mr. Wilfred Ward, who was Huxley's 

 neighbor at Eastl?ourne during the latter years 

 of his life, has contributed to The Nineteenth Cen- 

 tury an interesting account of conversations 

 with Huxley. He is reported to have said: 

 ' ' One thing which weighs with me against pessi- 

 mism, and tells for a benevolent Author of the 

 universe, is my enjoyment of scenery and music. 

 I do not see how they can have helped in the 

 struggle for existence. They are gratuitous 

 gifts." 



The Editor of The Astronomical Journal an- 

 nounces that a few copies of the Astronomische 

 Nachrichten, Vols, 100-140 inclusive, forty-one 

 volumes in all, may be obtained from him for 

 $75.00, which is much less than the regular 

 price. 



