January 14, 1887.] 



SCIEJSrCE, 



29 



opponent ; but, as M. Ranvier is a much younger 

 man, he can afford to wait a little for another op- 

 portunity, and it is not likely that he will have to 

 wait long. M. Sappey has always worked hard 

 and honestly, preferring the laborious life of the 

 scientist to that of the physician or surgeon. The 

 competitors for Milne-Edwards's professorship in 

 the Sorbonne were Prof. Yves Delage and M. 

 Perrier, professor in the Museum of natural his- 

 tory. M. Delage, who was elected to the vacant 

 professorship, is a very able young zoologist. 



M. Charbonnel-Salle has been appointed profes- 

 sor of zoology in Besangon. M. Duchartre's suc- 

 cessor as professor of botany will probably be 

 M. G. Bonnier, the son-in-law of M. van Toeghem, 

 the able botanist of the Museum of natural his- 

 tory. This relationship is really the only reason 

 for his election, as he has made no good personal 

 investigations to speak for him. The comments 

 and criticisms on the future professor's abilities 

 and talents are most unfavorable. 



Paul Bert's successor will most likely be M. 

 Dastre, a good worker and a learned man, who 

 was for many years the assistant of M. Bert. His 

 researches concerning vaso-motor nerves are much 

 valued. Professor Chauveau of Lyons has been 

 appointed to the Museum of natural history in the 

 place of M. Bouley, who died some time ago. He 

 is a thorough physiologist, and has done much 

 good work, especially on microbes and the physi- 

 ology of the circulatory system. His appointment 

 is highly approved, but it is regretted that he did 

 not compete for the professorship left vacant by 

 the death of Paul Bert. Some interesting elec- 

 tions will soon take place in the Academy of 

 sciences to fill the seats of MM. Bert and Robin. 

 Professor Ranvier will most likely be elected to 

 Robin's place. For the other there will be two 

 principal competitors, — Germain See and Charles 

 Rochet. The latter gentleman has many chances, 

 and his election would meet with general ap- 

 proval. 



At a recent meeting of the Societe de biologic, 

 MM. Fontan and Segard read an interesting paper 

 on the applications of suggestion to therapeutics. 

 The writers have collected a hundred cases in 

 which they have availed themselves of the possi- 

 bility of putting their patients into an hypnotic 

 state, to suggest a partial or entire cure. Their 

 conclusion is, that suggestion may be of great 

 value in cases where disorders of the motor or 

 sensory powers exist, or even where there are 

 anatomical disorders affecting the circulatory or 

 secretory systems, such as follow upon trauma- 

 tisms or upon general diseases, such as rheumatic 

 diathesis and others. They have employed hyp- 

 notic suggestion in cases of traumatic arthritis, 



cerebral shock, urethritis, dyspepsia, and acute 

 rheumatism, with good results, in most cases 

 having been able to effect a complete cure in from 

 three to six sittings. It may be added that none 

 of the patients were at all hysterical. From a 

 perusal of the observations quoted by the gentle- 

 men named, it would seem that the influence of 

 the mind on the body is greater and deeper than 

 has hitherto been imagined. The way in which 

 MM. Fontan and Segard operate is very simple. 

 The subject is put into an hypnotic trance (only 

 three per cent of the patients are refractory to this 

 part of the process), and is told, for instance, that 

 his knee (in a case of hydarthrosis or arthritis) 

 will work easily and without pain, or that (in a 

 case of dyspepsia) the most indigestible foods will 

 be easily digested. Generally the cures have been 

 effected in a progressive manner, the disappear- 

 ance of one symptom being suggested at the first 

 sitting, that of some other at the next, and so on. 



A paper on skin-grafting from the frog to man 

 was read at another recent meeting of the same 

 society by Dr. Dubousquet-Laborderie. The ex- 

 periment was tried in the case of a man whose 

 feet had been burned by molten iron. On one of 

 the wounds Dr. Dubousquet put four grafts of 

 human skin ; on the other, four grafts from the 

 skin of a frog. All of them took firm hold on 

 the wounds. The frog-skin grafts retained their 

 peculiar color a few days, afterwards changing 

 to the color of the human skin. The healing 

 process progressed rapidly, owing in part to the 

 strict antiseptic precautions taken. 



Merlatti, the rival of Succi, has successfully 

 completed his forty-days' fasting experiment, 

 though the medical committee appointed to watch 

 the proceedings were of opinion many times that 

 the experiment ought ^ be abandoned, owing to 

 alarming symptoms, Merlatti, however, was de- 

 termined to persevere, declaring that nothing 

 would induce him to eat a morsel of food before 

 the appointed time. He is naturally a hearty 

 eater, and had prepared himself for his long fast 

 by devouring a whole roast goose. When he 

 ended his fast the other day, his stomach, so 

 long accustomed to entire rest, refused at first 

 to retain food. Succi continues his experiment 

 with entire success. These experiments, as well 

 as others of the same nature, are all very well, 

 but in none of them has sufficient proof been 

 afforded that fair play prevailed from beginning 

 to end. One doubtful or suspicious member in a 

 committee is sufficient to render valueless the 

 whole experiment. There is also the possible 

 dishonesty of the fasters themselves, and it may 

 be remarked that in no experiment of the kind 

 hitherto performed has fraud been impossible. 



