Proceedings, dec. xxvii 



discussion ensued, in which His Excellency and others took 

 part. 



Dr. Macadam exhibited and described a complete set of appara- 

 tus for carrying out M. Gannal's process for embalming bodies. 

 This apparatus had been obtained by Dr. Macadam, in his position 

 of Government Analytical Chemist, with the view of facilitating 

 medico-legal inquiries, as practised at the Morgue, in Paris. 



In the unavoidable absence of Professor Neumayer, Mr. Osborne, 

 his assistant, at the request of the Secretary, verbally communicated 

 "Some facts illustrative of the Meteorology of August, 1858, in the 

 Southern Hemisphere." This communication was accompanied by 

 diagrams, showing, by curved lines, the variations of heat, electrical 

 tension, barometric pressure, &c." A discussion ensued, in which Mr. 

 Blandowski, Mr. Elliot, and others took part, and a desire was ex- 

 pressed that Professor Neumayer would furnish the facts to the In- 

 stitute in a more permanent form. — [Vide "Transactions."] 



Dr. Ludwig Becker read a paper on " Native Wine and its influ- 

 ence, in warm climates, upon the physical, social, and moral condi- 

 tion of man." Dr. Becker began by stating that his object was to 

 mitigate a great social evil that at present exists in this community. 

 The axiom laid down was, that the human body required a certain 

 quality of food containing a certain amount of carbon, as one of the 

 means of reproducing the heat which is constantly given out by the 

 body, in exact proportion to the temperature of the climate in which 

 the man is placed. The average heat of the human body was assumed 

 to be 100 degrees Fah., whether the person be at the pole or 

 at the equator. In the former position it was contended that 

 something more than warm clothing is required to sustain the 

 internal heat of the body, and to this end, food, containing a 

 greater amount of carbon, is sought for in cold climates, and there- 

 fore experience soon teaches man the kind of food that is most 

 appropriate to the climate in which he lives. Under the tropics, 

 rich animal food and strong wines are not required ; and as we pro- 

 gress towards the poles the strength of each of these is increased, 

 until at last we find men requiring fat and oily substances for their 

 daily food, and pure alcohol for their beverage. In support of this 

 opinion, passages from the works of Liebig were quoted. The essayist 

 then applied this reasoning to the Australian colonies, in which people 

 are collected who have been accustomed to a climate 20 degrees 

 further away from the equator, and yet are inveterate in the preser- 

 vation of the usages of the climate from which they came. 

 The consequences are apparent : severe accidents, shattered bodies, 

 madness, murder, suicide. It was argued that the principal effort 

 should be directed to the training of the rising generation, and to 

 this end the laws of nature and sound reason should be studied. 

 Certain facts were then quoted that support these views of the 

 case. The author of the paper then cited the mode of life in 



