1904] Proceedings N. C. Academy of Science. 119 



12. The Electronic Theory (by title): C. W. Edwards. 



13. The Phenomena of Fever: Fred. K. Cooke. 



14. On Seeing the Red Corpuscles in One's Own 



Blood: W. L. Poteal. 



The paper g-ave in outline a research upon the 

 numerous vaguely bright little discs which pass 

 quickly across the field of vision in all directions 

 when the eye is turned toward a uniformally illumi- 

 nated surface, as the sky. These bodies are clearly 

 distinguishable from the muscce volitantes and were 

 shown to be the red corpuscles floating in the capil- 

 lary vessels of the outer layers of the retina in the 

 region of the macula lutea. Certain streams of the 

 little bodies were definitely located in the field of 

 vision for each eye. Then the distribution of the 

 blood vessels in the macular region was mapped. In 

 position in the field of vision, as well as in their 

 relation to one another, the vessels and the streams 

 of discs coincided precisely. [So much had been 

 previously observed, first apparently by Vierordt as 

 early as 1856 and afterwards by Professor Rood, 

 Johannes Miiller, Helmholtz, and others.] It 

 remained to discover some means of superimposing 

 the two systems upon one another, or of so projecting" 

 them as to see streaming discs and branching vessels 

 at the same time. This was done successfully in this 

 way; Through a pin-hole in a card revolved eccen- 

 trically a certain vessel projected against the flat 

 flame of an ordinary lamp was localized as passing 

 through the central prominence of the flame. Then 

 with the eye stationary the pin-hole was slowly 

 moved so that the designated vessel could be seen 

 just past the edge of the hole; whereupon the discs 

 (red corpuscles) were plainly visible moving within 

 the walls of the vessel. 



15. Inactive Thorium: Fritz Zerban. 



The paper g-ives first a brief account of the discovery 

 of radio active substances, of their properties and of 

 the methods for determining and measuring radio 

 activity. Special attention is given to thorium, the 



