The Sun. — 1844-04-06 (London, England)

PARIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.  SITTING OF MARCH 25. The important question of the nutritive or nonnutritive properties of gelatine again came before the academy. M. Gay Lussac, alluding to the cominunication which had been received from Amsterdavit on this subject, expressed his astonishment that thei commission of the Academy, which was appointed not less than fourteen years ago to make a report on this disputed question, had not yet come to a decision. M. Thenard, one of the members of the commission, stated, in reply to M. Gay Lussac, that he was fully sensible of the mission intrusted to him and his colleagues, and was not sorry that public allusion had been made to their inactivity. As far as he was personally concerned, he declared that no blame was dia.& After a spirited discussion, it was decided by tie , Academy, that the commission should be called upon' to make their report within a delay of three months. After the reading of several scientific papers, pos- , sessing little interest for the public at large, a corn* munication was read from M. Goldsmith, of Gottingen, on the results of the new calculations which he has made for the purpose of rectifying the parabolic elements of the comet of M. Faye. These calculations accord with those originally made, in attaching to our planetary system this comet, which, iiz the most eccentric point of its orbit, is at a distance from the sun which does not exceed six times the circuit of the terrestrial orbit. The Academy, having been invited by, the Minister of War to renew the annual commission of three! members to take part in the labours of the Conseil de Perfectionnement of the Polytechnic School, r(* elected MM. Poinsot and Thenard, and appointed IktPoncelet to replace M. Arago. Previously to the ballot, M. Arago informed his colleagues that he would no longer corm part of the Commission, on se' count of the determination of the Minister to modifY, the constitution of the school, contrary to the forms' opinion of himself and his colleagues. A communication was received from M. Dupuits Delcourt and M. Maret Monce, relative to the new copper balloon which they are constructing. The chief merit of their invention is said to be the means of remaining longer in the air than with a ballot)), made of silk, as they say that their copper balloey would offer a resistance to the obstacles which pre', vent a long sojourn in the air with the ordinary bal' loon. We know not how far these gentlemen: a»1: be correct, but some of the members of the Acadenif seemed to be of opinion that as the copper balloon is' made necessarily of thin sheets, there will be danger. of rupture at the joints. MM. Natalia, Guillot, and Melsens made a cat' munication on the use of iodure of potassium in ths, cure of persons affected with saturnine maladies:: They say that they have administered it with the me". decided success. The dose is gradually raised to four and even six grammes per day, and from 200 to $0 grammes in the whole suffice for a cure. A paper was received from M. Charrier on the use.• of opium in medicine. The author states all the cases. in which the use of opium is regarded as salutary injurious; and, in allusion to the general notion thwi. it should never be administered in inflammatory casehi: mentions some exceptions in which it may be givel!';' with great benefit to the patient. In most cases' where inflammation is not present he regards it as et);' invaluable medicine. M. Guinant laid on the bureau of the wader:lt •" lens of flint glass twenty inches in diameter, largest that now exists. 11iI. Arago stated that telescope of Pulkowa, the largest in any observaterP: ,• is only fourteen inches in diameter. M. Andral read an interesting memorial from. Demazy, on suicides committed in the arrondisseelet, of Mans during the twelve years from 1830 to 18t rt From his observations it appeared that, in this spy of time, eighty-seven persons destroyed themseltt, and of these sixty-six were men, and twenty_°' women. The greater number took place on a Wir'' day morning, during full moon, and in the day-tl°': The ages of the suicides ranged from thirty to slag Most of the individuals were married, and had e; viously shown symptoms of mental alienation. m.si bauchery and other bad habits were in moat cases 1*" exciting causes. • ~  • I.*