April ii, 1890.J 



SCIENCE. 



23' 



square root, and M. Ishmenetsky's work on the integration of 

 symmetrical differential equations, are" especially worthy of 

 note. In astronomy are to be noticed O. A. Backlund's re- 

 searches on the influence of temperature upon refraction. In 

 physics, M. Khwolson made an attempt at a mathematical in- 

 vestigation of the extremely complicated laws of dispersion of 

 light in milk-colored glasses. The exploration of earth mag- 

 netism has made marked progress, both as regards the theory of 

 diurnal variations and the measurement of magnetical elements 

 in Caucasia and Siberia. Besides theoretical work in meteorol- 

 ogy, the Central Physical Observatory has extended its system 

 of weather-forecasts. Much interesting work has been accom- 

 plished in geology, Baron Toll having brought out the first 

 volume of the geological part of the work of the expedition to 

 the New Siberia Islands. In the botanical department the 

 chief event was the publication of two parts of Professor Maxi- 

 mowicz"s description of the plants brought from Central Asia 

 by Prjevalsky, as well as the flora of western China, as repre- 

 sented in the valuable collections brought by M. Potanin. 

 Highly interesting work was done in zoology by Professor 

 Famintzyn. 



— When the sun sets in the sea, a curious appearance, as of 

 a bluish-green flame, is sometimes observed. This has been 

 thought to be due to the light passing through the crests of 

 waves. But Professor Sohncke, as we learn from Nature, con- 

 siders this view disproved by such an observation as that re- 

 cently made by Professor Lange at a watering-place on the 

 Baltic. Shortly before sunset, the disk was divided in two by 

 a thin strip of cloud; and, lust as the upper part disappeared 

 under the cloud, the blue flame was observed. Thus the cause 

 appears to be in the air, not in the sea. It is a case of atmos- 

 pheric refraction. And as a planet, seen near the horizon with 

 a good telescope, appears drawn out into a spectrum, with the 

 more refracted blue-violet end higher than the red, so the last 

 visible part of the sun furnishes the blue-violet end of a spec- 

 trum. But it would be interesting, Herr Sohncke remarks, to 

 determine more precisely the conditions of this not very fre- 

 quent phenomenon. Perhaps it requires merely great trans- 

 parency of air, as only in this case would the last ray be able 

 to give a spectrum sufficiently intense in its blue region. 



— Recently Lord Reay, the governor of Bombay, laid the 

 foundation-stone at Poona of a bacteriological laboratory which 

 is to be annexed to the College of Science in that town. Dr. 

 Cooke, the principal of the college, to whose efforts the estab- 

 lishment of the laboratory is due, stated that it was originally 

 intended that the study of the diseases of the lower animals in 

 Poona should be directed to check the losses from anthrax in 

 cattle by the introduction into India of protective inoculation. 

 With this object, we learn from Nature, two Bengal students at 

 the Cirencester Agricultural College underwent a course of 

 study in M. Pasteur's laboratory in Paris. One of these gen- 

 tlemen devoted his attention entirely to sericulture; the other 

 studied M. Pasteur's system of vaccination against anthrax. 

 He returned to India, and has since conducted some experiments 

 on cattle in Calcutta. Subsequently Mr. Cooper, of the veter- 

 inary service, was deputed to M. Pasteur's institute for instruc- 

 tion in the system of inoculation against anthrax. While 

 in Paris, Mr. Cooper submitted a report, and explained that 

 for the work in question a special laboratory would be required. 

 At the same time he advocated the adoption of artificial gas for 

 the culture-stoves and glass-blowing, and for the purpose of 

 obtaining the high temperature required for sterilizing vessels, 

 instruments, etc. Subsequent inquiry showed that anthrax is 

 not the only contagious disease of a fatal nature with which the 

 Indian cattle-owner has to contend. He has also to take into 

 account rinderpest, tuberculosis, pleuro-pneumonia, and, in 

 •a minor degree, foot-and-mouth disease. It was therefore evi- 

 dent that if an institution was established for the preparation 

 of an anthrax vaccine, its value would be greatly enhanced if 

 diseases other than anthrax could receive attention. The main 

 objects of the Poona Laboratory, therefore, are (a) the prepara- 

 tion of anthrax vaccine for despatch to districts where anthrax 



prevails; (b) The conduct of experiments in rinderpest with a 

 view to the discovery of the pathogenic micro-organism of the 

 malady, its cultivation in broth and other media, and attenua- 

 tion, so as to provide a vaccine that shall give immunity to 

 animals in rinderpest-infected districts; (c) experimental re- 

 search into the epizootic diseases generally of the ox and the- 

 horse; (d) the instruction of trained native veterinarians in a 

 proper method of performing vaccination and of the precautions 

 necessary to avoid risk of septic infection. 



— A paper on forestry in India and the colonies was reaJ 

 recently by Dr. W. Schlich before the Royal Colonial Institute- 

 He said, as given in Nature, that for seven hundred years ai. 

 gradual destruction of forests of India had gone on. Under 

 British rule, the process had been hastened by the extension 

 of cultivated and pasture land, and by the laying-down of 

 railways. After a time difficulty was experienced in meeting 

 demands for timber, and in the early part of the century a 

 timber agency was established on the west coast, while in 

 1873 a teak plantation on a large scale was made at Nilambur. 

 Through the energy of a few officials, the matter was kept 

 before the public; and in 1882. the Forests Department of 

 Madras was entirely re-organized. Several acts were passed to 

 provide for the management of the forests under the protection 

 of the state, and a competent staff of oflBcers was provided, tc 

 be re-enforced from time to time by those educated at Cooper's 

 Hill College. Under the charge of the department were some 

 55,000,000 acres of forest-lands, and the figures relating to the 

 cost of the work done were very satisfactory. Dr. Schlich then gave 

 an account of the action of the Australian colonies with regard 

 to the regulation of wooded lands by the state, contending that 

 in no case had suflScient steps been taken to insure a lasting 

 and continuous supply of timber. 



— A preliminary report of the committee on anatomical nomen- 

 clature was accepted Dec. 28, 1889, by the Association of Ameri- 

 can Anatomists, without dissent. In this report the committee 

 recommended (1) that the adjectives "dorsal" and "ventral" be 

 employed in place of "posterior" and "anterior" as commonly 

 used in human anatomy, and in place of "upper" and "lower" as- 

 sometimes used in comparative anatomy; (2) that the comua of 

 the spinal cord, and the spinal nerve roots, be designated as "dor- 

 sal" and "ventral" rather than as "posterior" and "anterior;" (3) 

 that the costiferous vertebrae be called "thoracic" rather than 

 "dorsal;" (4) that the hippocampus minor be called "calcar;" the 

 hippocampus major, "hippocampus;" the pons Varolii, "pons;" 

 the insula Reilii, "insula;" pia mater and dura mater, respec- 

 tively "pia" and "dura." The committee, consisting of Joseph 

 Leidy (chairman), Harrison Allen, Frank Baker, Thomas B. Stow- 

 ell, Burt G. Wilder, and Thomas Dwight, desire frank and full 

 expressions of opinion from scientific and medical journals, and 

 from any who are interested in the subject. At the 1889 meeting 

 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a 

 report of that association's committee on anatomical nomencla- 

 ture, with special reference to the brain, was made, to the effect 

 that during the year some of the members of the committee have 

 given to the subject intrusted to them as much time as their reg- 

 ular duties would permit. They agree upon one laoint; viz., the 

 advantages, other things being equal, of mononyms (single-word 

 terms) over polyonyms (terms consisting of two or more words). 

 Before making specific recommendations or presenting a final re- 

 port, the committee thought it advisable that they and other 

 anatomists should have an opportunity of discussing at leisure 

 the simplified nomenclature employed in certain treatises pub- 

 lished during the winter. The treatises referred to in the above 

 report are Leidy's "Human Anatomy," and the following articles 

 in Wood's "Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences," Vol. 

 Vin. : by E. C. Spitzka, "Spinal Cord" and "Histology of the 

 Brain;" W. Browning, "Vessels of the Brain;"' S.H.Gage and 

 B. G. Wilder. "Anatomical Terminology;" B. G. Wilder, "Anat- 

 omy of the Brain," "Malformations of the Brain," and "Methods 

 of Dissection, etc." The members of the committee are Burt G. 

 Wilder (chairman), Harrison Allen, Frank Baker, Henry F. Os^ 

 born, and T. B. Stowell. 



