Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-22
SMITHSONIAN ANNUAL REPORT
SHJNrTnN

r. WASriiNSiOS, August 21.-The
S,'hsohian Institution at Washington
"ae JUST ISSUED Its siXty-ninth annual
report dealing with the various ,ctiwi
t,es OF the institutions and It's branch.,
ana including thirty-two timely articIa.
on recent advances and DEVELOPMENTS
~ astronomy. geology. mathematics,
mechanics. aviation, chemistry reorra
phy. botany. zoology and etbnoIopv al,
W "niSn are prepared in a nontechni-
ca! style. making them OF interest and
'aIae TO tho general reader.
fhese articles are either written
,espeo'aily for the report. or are Sc
!ected from scientific journals ana nuh
locations from all over the world which
arc not readily obtainable by the nuh.
nc me whole report comprises a vol
ume OF over 700 pages. with 1855 plates
a ;nS,, many other illustrations. but the
arate form for distribution to those
interested In particular subjects
treated.
one OF the most fascinating articles
IN this report Is written by French
scientist. Paul Bacquerel. and concerns
one Of tho most remarkable phenome-
ma or tho living Kingdom. We meet
latent ite everywhere that germs exist,
and since germs are continually
emitted In considerable quantity. even
more by plants than by animals there
Is not piece OF ground on which we
Tread nor the smallest quantity OF air
that We breathe. which Is free from
mem. The spores OF fungi, bacteria.
algae, moses and of ferns, the myriads
OF grains Of pollen and seeds in low-
ers and plants, the cysts OF certain
minute protozoa. the eggs OF some
crustaceans and insects. pass into a
state OF latent life. SO also do animal
tissues, and even some perfectly de-
Feloped forms of life. such as certain
~ ole
Tiers. artisea and nematodex. called
reviviscents.
To Leeuwenhoek N70D. the founder
Of microsraphy. we owe the first oh
servattons on reviviscent animals, the
artiscs or water bears. and the rotifers
OF the roofs and cutters. He observed
with great astonishment that these lit
tie beings may remain dried up for five
months amid moss and dust without
showing the slightest trace Of life. and.
when moistened. resume their vital
functions. Baker experimenting with
the nematodes. whose life crystal is
only ten months. succeeded in bring
ing Thorn to life twenty-eight years
after their desication, proving that
their life had been greatly prolonged
by this procedure; Spallanzani brought
rotifers to life by placing them in
water, after they had been dried and
preserved for three years; another
scientist Experimental with rats tails
and succeeded in grating them sue
cessfully after they had been dried
eight days. and heated two hours at a
temperature OF 80 degrees c. The au-
thor's work has been applied mostly TO
seeds, some of which he brought to life
after twenty eight to eightyseven years
had elapsed; he employed great heat
and cold. and experimental with dry
and vet seeds. seeds in a vacuum and
seeds submerged in liquids. and on the
whole evolved much interesting in
formation concerning this subject. deal
ing literally with life and death
Some aspects of industrial chemis-
try are discussed By DR.. l.. H. Baeke-
land. who says that industrial chemis-
try has been defined as tine chemistry
Of dollars and cents" although IL pos
sssses far-reaching economic influ-
ences. and it's endless ramifcations
have become interviewer with the
whole fabric Of modern civilization.
Reviewing the early history OF ap-
piled chemistry. beginning little over
a hundred years ago. the author shows
the development OF this branch of sci
ence and the many phases Of manufac-
ture into which II enters.
Professor Felix v. Luschan. OF the