394 Royal Society : — 



Observed fact. — Spots appearing about the same time on the sun's 

 disk behave in the same manner as they pass from left to right. 



Legitimate deduction. — The behaviour of spots is influenced by 

 something from without, and from the nature of the spot-behaviour 

 the authors conclude that this influence travels faster than the earth ; 

 and finally, they find that the behaviour of spots appears to be deter- 

 mined by the position of Venus in such a manner that a spot wanes 

 as it approaches this planet by rotation, and, on the other hand, 

 breaks out and increases as it recedes from the neighbourhood of the 

 planet, reaching its maximum on the opposite side. 



In conclusion, it is not meant in this paper to convey the idea that 

 Venus is the cause of the ten-yearly period of sun-spots, but merely 

 that there is a varying behaviour of spots which appears to have 

 reference to the position of this planet, or, putting aside the influ- 

 encing agent, appears to have reference to certain ecliptical longi- 

 tudes. 



" On the Rapidity of the Passage of Crystalloid Substances into 

 the Vascular and Non- Vascular Textures of the Body." By Henry 

 Bence Jones, F.R.S. In a Letter to the Secretary. 



Dear Dr. Sharpey, — I am anxious that you should read to 

 the Royal Society a short note containing the results of some ob- 

 servations I lately made on the rapidity of the passage of crystal- 

 loid substances into the vascular and non-vascular textures of the 

 body. 



It occurred to me that it might be possible to trace the passage of 

 substances from the blood into the textures of the body by means 

 of the spectrum-analysis, and with the assistance of Dr. Dupre some 

 very remarkable results have been obtained. 



Guinea-pigs have chiefly been used for the experiments. Usually 

 no lithium can be found in any part of their bodies. When half a 

 grain of chloride of lithium was given to a guinea-pig for three 

 successive days, lithium appeared in every tissue of the body. Even 

 in the non-vascular textures, as the cartilages, the cornea, the crys- 

 talline lens, lithium would be found. 



Two animals of the same size and age were taken; one was given 3 

 grains of chloride of lithium, and it was killed in eight hours ; 

 another had no lithium ; it was also killed, and when the whole lens 

 was burnt at once, no trace of lithium could be found. In the other, 

 which had taken lithium, a piece of the lens, ^th of a pin's head in 

 size, showed the lithium ; it had penetrated to the centre of the lens. 



In another pig the same quantity of chloride of lithium was given, 

 and in four hours even the centre of the lens contained lithium. 



Another pig was given the same quantity, and it was killed in two 

 hours and a quarter. The cartilage of the hip showed lithium 

 faintly, but distinctly. The outer portions of the lens showed it 

 slightly ; the inner portions showed no trace. 



To a younger pig the same quantity was given, and it was killed 

 in thirty-two minutes. Lithium was found in the cartilage of the hip ; 

 in the aqueous humour ; distinctly in the outer part of the lens and 

 very faintly in the inner part. 



