Miscellaneous Intelligence. 407 



reading of original papers on scientific subjects, and the special 

 commemoration exercises and addresses were given on Thursday 

 and Friday. The occasion was throughout one of the very high- 

 est interest. 



3. Chemistry of the Proteids ; by Gustav Mann. Based on 

 Professor Otto Cohnheim's ' Chemie der Eivveisskorpcr.' 1906. 

 Pp. 606. London and New York, 1906 (The Macmillan Co.). 

 — The publication of an important volume exclusively devoted 

 to the proteid substances, within two years after the appearance 

 of the second, enlarged edition of Cohnheim's Eiweisskorper, 

 brings evidence of the growing interest which the newer knowl- 

 edge of the albuminous substances has begun to awaken. Dr. 

 Mann's book, although primarily based upon the well-known 

 German compilation, can justly lay claim to considerable original 

 merit in addition to that of a successful translation ; for aside 

 from bringing the literature practically up to date, the author 

 has both revised the German version and somewhat extended its 

 scope. Among the more important innovations may be men- 

 tioned: the physiological considerations (somewhat concise) 

 introduced in connection with several aspects of the chemical 

 study of the proteids ; the more detailed discussion and inter- 

 pretation of physico-chemical problems here concerned and in 

 which Dr. Mann departs at times from Cohnheim's views ; a 

 valuable resume of the chemistry of the autodigestion of nucleo- 

 proteids and its attached significance ; a well-arranged digest of 

 the very recent work on the synthesis of compounds of the 

 polype ptid type ; additional references to the historical aspects 

 of the included topics. 



It is impossible to subject the vast array of detailed informa- 

 tion to a critical review here. Sufficient must be the praise to 

 which the painstaking and distinctly critical (though unbiased) 

 efforts are richly entitled to. Dr. Mann's book will be an almost 

 indispensable reference work in the physiological laboratory ; 

 and it is likely to do commendable service to biological science 

 by affording to those less conversant with its chemical problems 

 a more ready opportunity to become acquainted with its progress 

 and present status — to study the cell as "a chemical and physico- 

 chemical mechanism." l. b. m. 



4. Wilhelm Fliess und Seine Nachentdecker ; 0. Weininger 

 tend H. Swoboda : von Richard Pfennig. Pp. 66. Berlin, 

 1906 (Emil Goldschmidt). — This monograph is a defence of the 

 priority claims of Fliess in respect to the formulation and publi- 

 cation of his somewhat startling theories of the " permanent 

 bisexuality " characterizing living things and the periodicity of 

 biological pi-ocesses. It therefore possesses little more than 

 polemical value. 



5. The Lagoon of Venice. — The Venetian Institute of Science, 

 Letters and Arts has undertaken a systematic study of geophysi- 

 cal phenomena which concern directly and indirectly the Lagoon 

 of Venice. With this object 'a special commission has been 



