New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-17
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
ROGERS THE NEW PRESIDENT.

OF THE PAPERS READ-AN INTERESTING ESSAY
Of STORMS AND NEURALGIA.
FROM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEl
WASHINGTON, April 16.-Professor William b.
Rogers, of Boston. was to-day elected President OF
the National Academy of Sciences to succeed Pro-
lessor Joseph Henry, deceased.
Professor Rogers. who was born at Philadelphia
in 1905. belongs 10 a family eminent in American
science He BEGAN his career in 1927 as lecturer
on science in the Maryland Institute, and two years
later succeeded his father Professor Of Natural
Philosophy and Chemistry at the College Of William
and Mary. From 1885 to 1874, be filled the chair
of Natural Philosophy and Geology in the Uni
versty Of Virginia. During part of the same period
he organized and conducted the geological sur
vey of the State of Virginia until it disconin-
ued He was President Of the Massachusetts lnsti-
ute of Technology from 1862 10 1868, and has been
President of the American Association for the Adj
yanccment of Science. He is the wel-known
| author of several scientific works and of numerous
papers Oh scientific subjects Ills election gives
general satisfaction not only to tie members of the
Academy but to those who interested in scien-
| tifc pursuits.
| The other officers of the Academy were re-
elected as follows: Professor o. G.. Marsh, vice.
president; President J. H. c. Coffin, home secre-
ary; Professor F. a. p. Barnard foreign secretary;
Mr. Fairman Rogers, treasurer; and Professors
Baird, AgaSsiz, Gibbs Newcomb, and Hall aud
General MeIgs, members of the council.
The papers which are beng read at the meeting
are numerous and interesting. Those read yester-
day were follows On Ghosts in DiilractiOn
Spectra." and on Comparisons of Wave Lengths
with the Metre" by Professor c. ). Percc, of Cam
bridge; on THE Relation of NeuIalgic Pain 10
Storms and the Eartl's Magnetism" by Professor
:. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia on "Continn-
alton of Researches in Connection with the DiscOv-
cry of Oxygen IN the SUM-" by Professor Henry
Draper, of Ncw-IOrk on Vowel Theories Based
on Experiments with the Photograph and Pho
| nautOgraph,' by Professor r.. Graham Bell ; and on
The Pae0zoic Cockroaches,' by DR.. s. II. Scudder,
of Cambridge The first two of these papers while
of the highest scientific value possess less of pOpu
lar interest than the brilliant paper of DR.. Mitchell
on the influence of storms and magnetic electricity
on neuralgc pain. The points of Dr. MltchelPs
essay as follows:
Captain Catln United States Army. loat leg during
the war, ana siuce hat time has suffered rom rduuac
nrGral2id Nom.tlmr' IN the he, nut more lrTIlehul
in the toes OF the absent foot He has carefully notd
the effects produced ON himself 10y changes OF tne
weather Dr. Mitchc's studies in tus case, AS be
says, would lever have proved successful had IL LOt
perseverance OF the accomplished gentleman who has
Obliged ne mIaiug his own tOrments useful IN the
solution oi the question oil now iaf weather aec's the
production of certain kinds OF pain"
The hourly observations cover period OF 1--WE years;
For quarters OF these hge years there were 2lll
hours OF pain tor the second quarters, 2iU- hours loi
the ihiri quarters 2O5G hours and for the last quar-
tiers, 22l hours. TIE best yield OF pam II 10 inufy
February and March, and the poorest In me thrl qii
! tcrs, july August and september. burihg tnese nYe
year, while the -n south OF the Equator, mere
were 1902 hours ot pain against Hos hours Whe II
north OF che Equator; AID the greatest amount OF
pam was IN the quarters beginning with the Winter
,Ol~jic, and the least Was IN hOss beginning WIN tnt
summer su.tice The average duration OF the attacks
Tor the first quarters was - fous, aud Tor the tfa
/ quarters ouy l1.J hours. 800 -.
By taxing the years ending January l. 1879, IL is
|
| Ieau, 29S De- eng 10 the Two Winter quarters az hst
233 for the Summer quarters Hence We nave tue rau9
! o the number or storms OF the Winter quarters and
summer quarters cOlfesI ondng 70 the ratio OF tIe
amounts Of neuralgia for these respective periods ann
the ratio OF average duration Of each attack Tor tnC
time CORES onds closely VITA the ratio OF me
respective total amounts 81 hclfNgu lo' u. s"'I ~,
periods. The average distance of TIE storm ceutre NJ
the be GINNING OF the neuralgia attacks was $50 miles.
Storms coming trom the Pacu coast are le !'n'uJ,t
OF, very soon after or as hcy are crossing me ROCKY
te untn the storm is Rain Is not essen
| tia in the production OF neuralgia.
IL was found tina; the seVtFesi neuralgc altachs oI c
year those accompanying tine first SHOWS OF No,
results this series OF observations ~ thus
consists OF vast rain area the OF which Is
moving space Oi greatest barometlc depression known
centre, along which rhe storm moves ike
| a bead on Il thread The rain usually precedes TINS by
800 600 miles, nut before and around the ram hes
bell winch mas bc called the neuralgia margin OF the
| storm ana winch prCcedes the rain about 100 miles.
This fact D. very deceptive ecause ne SUFFERER may pe
the r edge OF the storm BASIN o bar0mcric dcpres
Sou, aud seeing nothing OF he rn yet have pam due
| 10 the storm.
Another paper of great interest that by Pro-
! fessor Henry Draper NJ. D., Of Newlorb, the title
| of which is gwen above. The Professors expert
| ments on the spectra of oxygen and other gases
were begun in 1870 but during the first six years
for want of proper apparatus, he was unable to
reach satisfactory results. Three years ago, how
| ever lie succeeded in constructing and procuring
proper apparatus, and in obtaining series of photo
graphs which prove the presence of oxygen IN the
SUM- Professor Draper thinks that in his coming
visit to Europe he will be able to show that his dis
coycry of oxygen IN the sun is satsiact 1riy e5tab
ished by the experiments he has made. AID the re-
suits OF which ne so graphically described to-day.
The programme for tO-day's session included pa
pars by MIR. T.. c. Pickering on the Eclipses Of
Jupiter's Satellites" by Dir. G. = Peircc on Errors
Of Pendulum Experiments" ard on A Method of
swinging Pendulums." proposed by Mr.. Faye by
Nr. t. W. Higardlread by Mr. Pumpelyl on The
Loess of the Mississippi and the Aoeii,an Hypothe-
sis -: by Professor J. lie Conte read by Mr. $. X
Gilbert on "The Extinct Volcanoes about Lake
Mono and their Relation to Our Glacial Drift .;
by Professor j. l.. IIgard, Report Of Progress of
the international Bureau OF Weights and Meas
urc-n by MIR. g.. X. Gilbert, on Stability and In
stability OF Drainage Lines 4; and By Professor &.
f. Chandler on " POiarscOge Methods"
Additional members present to-day were II. H.
j. = New berry, of NcU-lOrk, and G.. j. Barnard,
L. 8 Mr.. Justice Bradley has prepared and will
read before the Academy nlomolr OF the late
ID. Strong Of Rutgers.
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MIDNIGHT HEATHER REPORT