SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 1887. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 



Prof. Arthur T. Hadley's thorough acquaint- 

 ance with the railway problem puts it in his power 

 to make a popular exposition of it that for clear- 

 ness and conciseness is unrivalled. In Harper's 

 magazine for June he outlines the progress of 

 American railroad legislation. The Clinton league, 

 the Granger movement, and the general railroad 

 laws are touched upon, and their relation to each 

 other shoviiTi. Then followed what may be called 

 the period of state railroad commissions, that of 

 Massachusetts being the example for nearly all 

 the others. The state of affairs when the move- 

 ment for a national railroad law became promi- 

 nent, is characterized thus : " By the year 1880 it 

 had become a well-established principle that it 

 was impracticable to fix rates directly by law ; 

 that the important thing was to secure publicity 

 and equality, and, above all, to have the means 

 of holding the raih'oads responsible for what they 

 did. On the other hand, the railroads had come 

 to recognize, what ten years before they would 

 have denied, that their business was not a purely 

 private one ; that they had public rights and re- 

 sponsibilities, and could not claim immunity from 

 legislative control." Professor Hadley traces rap- 

 idly the genesis of the present Interstate com- 

 merce law, and in so far as it forbids preferential 

 rates, provides for the publication of rates, and 

 prohibits secret drawbacks, he unreservedly com- 

 mends it. In its provisions as to local discrimi- 

 nation, however, and in its prohibition of pools, 

 it is regarded as open to serious objection. But 

 it is best regarded as a step to something wiser 

 and better, as an experiment from whose failures 

 a more perfect measure will be suggested. When 

 this more perfect measure comes, it will doubtless, 

 as Professor Hadley says, recognize the fact that 

 railroad history plainly teaches that what we 

 need is not so much a set of laws or regulations, 

 but publicity and responsibility in railroad admin- 

 istration. 



The trustees of the Elizabeth Thompson sci- 

 ence fund have made the following grants, of 



No. 226 — 1887. 



which we have the pleasure of making the first 

 public announcement : I''. To the Natural his- 

 tory society of Montreal, $200, for the investiga- 

 tion of underground temperatures by a committee 

 of that society ; 2°. To Dr. T. Elster and H. 

 Geitel, instructors at the gymnasium of Wolfen- 

 biittel in Germany, $210, for researches on the 

 electrization of gases by glowing bodies ; 3^. To 

 Prof. E. D. Cope of Philadelphia, $500, for re- 

 searches on American fossil vertebrates, the sum 

 to be expended to secure the services of a skilled 

 preparateur to assist in working out the material 

 already accumulated for the continuation of Pro- 

 fessor Cope's great work ; 4^^. To W. H. Perkin, 

 jun., of Manchester, England, privat-docent at 

 the University of Munich, Germany, $250, for in- 

 vestigations on the synthesis of urea from its de- 

 composition products ; 5**. To Edward E. Prince 

 of St. Andrews, Scotland, $125, for the investiga- 

 tion of the development and morphology of the 

 limbs of teleosts. It may be worth while to add, 

 that these appropriations indicate that the trustees 

 are inclined to make several appropriations of 

 moderate amount rather than a single large one. 

 It will be noted that no grant over $500 has been 

 made. This point may be of interest to intend- 

 ing future applicants. 



SEA-SICKNESS. 



The sensation of sea-sickness is one which has 

 in one form or another been exjjerienced by most 

 persons, if not on the sea itself, at least while 

 riding backward or in swinging. It is the dread 

 of this rather than the fear of accident which de- 

 ters many from undertaking a European tour, and 

 it is therefore a question of great interest whether 

 or not this experience may be avoided, and thus 

 the principal obstacle to an ocean voyage be re- 

 moved. 



Although in most instances sea-sickness is but 

 temporary, disappearing as soon as the affected 

 individual places his foot on shore, still this is not 

 always the case. In rare instances it has been the 

 cause of death, and even when this has not been 

 the case, the individual has been permanently af- 

 fected. In many cases what is usually but an in- 

 convenience and a disagreeable sensation becomes 

 a disease which demands medical treatment on ac- 

 count of the violence of its symptoms. It is for 



