Proceedings of Learned Societies. 

 PKOCEEDINGS OF LEAKNED SOCIETIES. 



BT W. B. TEGETMEIER. 



EOYAL SOCIETY.— Dee. 15. 



On the Pkobuction of Sugar in Animals by Colb. — Dr. Bence 

 Jones read a paper detailing the production of sugar in the fluids 

 of the animal body by extreme cold, attributing its formation to 

 deficient oxidation of the carbonaceous articles of food. Por ex- 

 ample, a grain of starch enters into the body, and is transformed 

 into sugar ; it is then acted on by oxygen, and ultimately passes 

 out as carbonic acid and water. This is the final result of the perfect 

 combustion ; but if the oxidation stops at any stage, imperfect 

 combustion occurs. 



The combustion may be made imperfect in at least three dif- 

 ferent ways. Pirst, by insufficient oxygen ; secondly, by over- 

 whelming fuel ; thirdly, by reducing the temperature so low that 

 chemical action is checked. Prom each of these causes the following 

 scale of the combustion of starch in the body may be formed : — 

 When there is perfect combustion, then carbonic acid and water are 

 produced. With less perfect combustion, oxalic and other vegetable 

 acids are formed. With the least possible combustion, sugar results. 

 Between perfect combustion and the most imperfect combustion — 

 that is, between carbonic acid and sugar' — there are probably many 

 steps formed by many different acids; and as in a furnace one 

 portion of the coal maybe fully burnt, whilst other portions are 

 passing through much less perfect combustion or are not burnt at 

 all, so different portions of starch may reach different steps in the 

 scale of combustion, and sugar, acetic acid, oxalic acid, carbonic 

 acid, and many other acids between acetic and oxalic acid, may be 

 simultaneously produced. Prom this account of the oxidation of 

 starch, it follows that sugar should always be found in the urine 

 whenever any of the three causes mentioned reduce the oxidation 

 in the system to its minimum. In other words, by stopping the 

 combustion that occurs in the body, diabetes should be produced 

 artificially. 



ETHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY.— Dec. 27. 



The Hatkt Men op Yesso. — A paper descriptive of the hairy 

 people of the Island of Yesso was read by Mr. Martin Wood. 

 Yesso, which is inhabited in the southern portion only by the 

 Japanese, has an infertile soil and dreary climate. Its northern 

 parts are inhabited by the Mosinos, or " all hairy people " of the 

 Japanese, who number about 100,000, and dwell principally in two 

 large cities, Mato-mai and Hako-dadi. These people are short, 

 thick-set, and muscular, but clumsy and uncouth in their move- 

 ments. In appearance they are wild and repulsive, in consequence 



