The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-28

symptom OF shock until certain nerve hbres
were cut, when the shock at once occurred.
There were four different meohanisms
which might be supposed to cause the
c-henomenon: cells of the medulla, of the
spinal cord, Of the sympathetic system
and Of the blood vessels themselves. He
proved that the shock cannot be produced
10y inhibition or by fatigue, but in probably
due TO a representative state Of cells in the
medulla. No reduction Of blood pressure
can be produced by the stimulation OF any
nerve, but strychnine in doses neither too
small nor too great may set up this con-
dition. He thought it likely that drugs
would be found that would be capable Of
overcoming the malady.
Papers by Profs. Edwin II. Hall and
Trowbridge were read by title. DR.. Theo-
dore Lyman Of Harvard University, in
troduced by Prof. John Trowbridge, read
a paper on the wave lengths of the extreme
ultra violet spectrum. This spectrum was
discovered a few years ago by Schumann.
who used an apparatus of white fuor-spar
exhausted to high vacuum, for even a
layer of air one millimetre thick will abso-
lutely cut Off this light. Schumann had
no means OF as~certaining the wave lengths
OF the spectral lines Of hydrogen which he
detected. But DR.. Lyman, by means of
IN apparatus consisting OF a exhausted
tube containing a little hydrogen, with a
grating at one end and a Photographic
Plate at the other, succeeded. after eighteen
months patient experimentation, in OBJ
tanning some photographs of the spectrum
of hydrogen, and ultimately succeeded
in identifying no fewer than 35S of Schu-
Inann's lines with his own. He found
that the limit of Schumann's spectrum
was at 1 ESQ Of Angstrom's scale, and that
the reason of this limitation had been hat
fuorite is not transparent for light of shorter
wave length. He himself had carried his
measures to l $50 of the same scale. He
found there was a great gar in the hydrogen
spectrum, the higher limit of this gap
being at 800. Quartz is considerably
more transparent than rock salt. The
spectrum Of the latter stops at 1 $50, while
that Of the former extends to 1 500.
Prof. Charles S. Minot read a paper on
the nature and cause Of old age. A guinea
pig at birth increases in weight at the rate
of 5 per cent. per diem. A month later its
Liurnal increase is reduced to 1 per cent.
1t is thus growing old at a stupendous
rate at first, and grows old slower and
slower the older it becomes. A rabbit at
birth gains 10 or II per cent. in weight
daily. 1t is not until the end of a month
that the daily increment is reduced to 5
per cent. The rabbit and guinea pig grow
old at the same rates at corresponding
ages DR.. Minot insisted that old age is
best studied In the embryo. Old age is
marked by IN increase in the amount of
~protoplasm relatively TO the nuclein. This
is an increase of variety; and cellular
differentiation said DIR. Minot, lis old
age" No doubt it was the brief time
that prevented him from making clear
the advantage Of such paradoxical forms
of statement. On he other hand, he re-
garded the process Of augmentation of the
egg 40 a process Of rejuvenescenoe.
DIR. Robert t. jackson of Harvard Uni.
versity, introduced by DIR. Z. L. Mark,
explained the structure Of the animal
called richthofenia, and showed that it is
neither q coral nor q barnacle, nor belongs
20 any Of the other classes to which It has
been referred, but is a brachyopod.
In the afternoon DR.. w. E. Castle of
Harvard University; introduced by DR.. E.
l.. Mark. read a paper on the process OF
fixing characters in animal breeding. He
began by reminding us that not only are
some animals normally produced from a
single parent, but that parthenogenetio
reproduction has been artiicially brought
ADOuJs Hill LuAJLCA NA1@ n
penetrating a fragment OF an egg contain
ing no nucleus can result in the production
of a perfect animal, though a small one.
These facts show that the SEXUAL element
of either sex contains all tina is requisite
for dete trimming every essential character
Of the species, and, consequently, we must
suppose that each sex cell contributes to
every part OF the offspring. He then gave
an account, with specimens, OF some ex-
periments upon crossing guinea pigs OF
different colors. II a black and a tawny, |
or so-called red, guinea pig are mated the
offspring will have hair partly black and
partly tawny, but it will look black. Now,
# this offspring is mated with a black guinea
pig 1.-THE proportions OF black, red and
mingled offspring can be determined by a
simple rule, and in certain OF these the
character will be hxed. There is also a
brown variety OF guinea pig, understood
TO be the primitive form, and called the
agouti. DR.. Castle had found that in breed
ing from these and the black he obtained
in the second generation in every sixteen
of the descendants about four red, three
black and nine agouti animals. This he
accounted for according to the usual prin-
ciples, and he announced, apparently as a
general proposition in breeding, that a
character could be fixed in the second
generation and hat it is quite needless to
go further. Prof. Brewer remarked that,
although the law OF cross-breeding was in
some cases such al DIR. Castle had repre-
sented it to be, yet there was conclusive
evidence to show that In other cases char
acters are acquired by slow degrees, as
speed has gradually been increased in
trotting horses.
Bailey Willis Of the United States
Geological Survey. introduced by DR..
Charles D.. Walcott, read a paper on hetero-
geneous elements OF the continent as fac
tors in the history Of North America. He
showed that there had been five great
emergencies and between them four great
submergences. He adopted Archdeacon
Pratt's principle that heavier parts Of the
earth's crust must sink and lighter parts
rise according to hydrostatic pressure.
Then, as Major Dutton pointed out, the
light material. having been carried to a