216 



was of great interest to the astronomer; as it was likely to add 

 another to the number of comets of known period. 



Mr. Walker mentioned the receipt of European observations of 

 Galle's second comet, as late as the 21st of February, and those of 

 Prof. Loornis of the 18th and 19th of March. From. these, he had 

 selected the observations made Jan. 25th and Feb. 21st. at the Ber- 

 lin Observatory, and that of Prof. Loornis at the Hudson Observa- 

 tory, on the 19th of March; and had computed the elements of its 

 orbit. 



The comet's observed geocentric longitude and latitude, cleared of 

 aberration and parallax, and referred to the mean equinox of Jan. 

 1840, were as follows: — 



M. T. Berlin. Longitude. Latitude. 



25.^49021 2° 57' 26.8" +75° 9' 42.1" 



52. 47442 28 44 0.6 + 33 42 26.1 



79. 59679 35 47 34.8 -f 9 22 20.4 



from which he had obtained for the elements of the comet ; — 

 Perihelion Pass. March 13. d 07523 Berlin mean time. 

 SI 236° 49' 8.0" 

 / 59 15 8.9 

 7T 80 14 52.8 

 log. q 0.086798 



Motion retrograde. 



■Dr. Dunglison gave the particulars of a case, in which blood 

 that flowed, on dissection, from the arteries of the brain, coa- 

 gulated fifteen hours after the death of the individual. 



The patient died after a severe agony, and after an illness of 

 some duration, for which mercury had been administered so as to af- 

 fect the system freely. On opening the head, the arteries of the 

 brain were found turgid with blood ; and on removing the brain, the 

 blood flowed from them, and coagulated. 



Dr. Dunglison made some remarks on the singularity of this phe- 

 nomenon, and its relations to physiology and medical jurisprudence, 

 and stated that it completely overthrew the views of those, who be- 

 lieve that the blood is either possessed of a vital influence, or re- 

 ceives some influence from the living vessels that contain it, which 

 maintains its fluidity, and that so soon as it is removed from these 



