i88ij 
( 369 ) 
NOTES. 
Mr. Charles Darwin has expressed his ideas upon vivisection 
in a letter to Prof. Holmgren. He writes : — “ I know that Phy- 
siology cannot possibly progress except by means of experiments 
on living animals, and I feel the deepest conviction that he who 
retards the progress of Physiology commits a crime against man 
kind. Anyone who remembers, as I can, the state of this science 
half a century ago must admit that it has made immense pro- 
gress, and it is now progressing at an ever-increasing rate. What 
improvements in medical practice may be directly attributed to 
physiological research is a question which can be properly dis- 
cussed only by those physiologists and medical practitioners who 
have studied the history of these subjects ; but, so far as I can 
learn, the benefits are already very great. No one, unless he is 
grossly ignorant of what Science has done for mankind, can en- 
tertain any doubt of the incalculable benefits which will hereafter 
be derived from Physiology, not only by man, but by the lower 
animals.” 
“ The vivisectionists,” says Mr. E. M. Boddy, “ protest with 
well-feigned horror at a frog or a rabbit, under the influence of 
chloroform being experimented upon for the benefit of humanity, 
whilst they see, without allowing a sign of disapprobation to 
escape them, an inoffensive hare chased to death for the amuse- 
ment of gentility.” 
P. Grawitz has experimentally refuted both the current hypo- 
theses on the protective action of vaccinations, in the generalised 
sense of the term. He shows that blood from rabbits which had 
been inoculated with Aspergillus, if mixed with a further dose of 
the spores, developed a luxuriant crop of fungus. Hence the 
blood had neither been exhausted of any pabulum, nor had any 
antidote been developed in it. — Virchow's Archiv. filr Path. 
Anatomic. 
According to papers communicated to the Bristol Naturalists’ 
Society, by Dr. Beddoes, F.R.S., and Mr. F. F. Tuckett, the size 
of the human head in this country has been gradually diminishing 
during the last twenty-five years. The evidence on which these 
authors base their Conclusion is obtained from hatters in various 
parts of England and Scotland. One hatter writes : — “ Fifteen 
years ago the usual sizes of hats in England were from to 7!, 
and even 7+ was not uncommon, but now if a 7! hat was wanted 
we should have to make a block purposely.” Qucere, has a simi- 
lar decrease been observed in France, Germany, and the United 
States ? 
