[N. S. VOL. XV. No. 391. eal species; found on the Restigouche River in close proximity to those of a more south- ern or New England type found along that river and on the upper St. John. Dr. A. IT. MacKay, Snperintendeuit of Education for Nova Scotia, gave the re- sults of a series of phenological observa- tions carried on by the teachers and pupils of the schools in that province one impor- tant object of which is the encouragement and stimulus given to '-nature study.' The resudts of a series of interesting ex- periments, noting the behavior of blind animals, were given by Professor Wesley Mills, of McGill University; and Professor B. J. Harrington, of the same University, read an appreciative sketch of the life and work of the late Dr. Geo. M. Dawson. The officers of the Royal Society for the current year are: President, Sir James Grant, Ottawa; Vice- President, Lt.-Col. G. T. Dennison, Toronto; Secretary, Sir John Bourinot, Ottawa; Treasurer, Dr. Jas. Fletcher, Ottawa. An excursion to Niagara Falls, of which about thirty members of the Society- chiefly scientists-availed themselves was given by the citizens of Toronto. The party visited the works of the Canadian Power Company, whose guests they were for a day; and also were allowed to inspect the plant of the Niagara Falls Power Com- pany on the American side, a favor which was greatly appreciated. G. U. HAY. ST. JOHN, N. B. SECTION OF THE MATHEMATI6CAL, PHYS- ICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES. BY special invitation the annual meet- ing of the Royal Society of Canada was held at Toronto, in the buildings of the University, on MIay 26-29. The sessions were largely attended, and the cool weather contributed to the success of the excursion to' Niagara Falls (where the members were guests of the Canadian Niagara Power Co.) and of the trip along the lake shore to examine the interglacial deposits east of Scarborough. The third Section (Mathematical, Phys- ical and Chemical Sciences) met in the large physical lecture room, the President, Professor R. F. Ruttan, M.D., C.M., in the chair. 'Dalton and the Theory of Atoms' formed the subject of the, President's ad- dress, and the reading of papers was diver- sified by a debate on the 'Existence of Particles Smaller than Atoms.' Professor Rutherford gave an account of the growth of the electron theory, and showed how the masses and velocities as- signed to the hypothetical 'carriers' had been arrived at. Dr. J. C. MeLennan ex- hiibited a n-umber of experiments illustra- tive of the facts on which the theory is based. Professor Lash Miller discussed the advantages and disadvantages of cor- puscular theories in general, showing that they were, impossible to prove and nearly as impossible to disprove, and Professor Cox spoke of the recent extension of the theory to cosmical phenomena. Pro- fessors Goodwin, Baker, Walker and Rut- tan also took part in an animated discus- sion. At the close of the sessions, Dr. J. C. Glashan, of Ottawa, and Professor I. T. Barnes, of MIontreal, were elected members of the Section, and Professor M. Berthe- lot of Paris, a corresponding member of the Society. The following papers were read before Section 3: MATHEMATICS. On the Correlation of the Curve of the Second Order and the Sheaf of Rays of the Second Order in Geometry of Posi- tion: Professor A. BAKER. Beginning with the curve of the second order, which may be considered to be de- ftned by five points, tangents are con- structed at these five points; and viewing 1012 SCIENCEY. on December 6, 2020 http://science.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
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[N. S. VOL. XV. No. 391.
eal species; found on the Restigouche Riverin close proximity to those of a more south-ern or New England type found along thatriver and on the upper St. John.
Dr. A. IT. MacKay, Snperintendeuit ofEducation for Nova Scotia, gave the re-sults of a series of phenological observa-tions carried on by the teachers and pupilsof the schools in that province one impor-tant object of which is the encouragementand stimulus given to '-nature study.'The resudts of a series of interesting ex-
periments, noting the behavior of blindanimals, were given by Professor WesleyMills, of McGill University; and ProfessorB. J. Harrington, of the same University,read an appreciative sketch of the life andwork of the late Dr. Geo. M. Dawson.The officers of the Royal Society for the
current year are:President, Sir James Grant, Ottawa; Vice-
President, Lt.-Col. G. T. Dennison, Toronto;Secretary, Sir John Bourinot, Ottawa; Treasurer,Dr. Jas. Fletcher, Ottawa.An excursion to Niagara Falls, of which
about thirty members of the Society-chiefly scientists-availed themselves wasgiven by the citizens of Toronto. Theparty visited the works of the CanadianPower Company, whose guests they werefor a day; and also were allowed to inspectthe plant of the Niagara Falls Power Com-pany on the American side, a favor whichwas greatly appreciated. G. U. HAY.
ST. JOHN, N. B.
SECTION OF THE MATHEMATI6CAL, PHYS-ICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES.
BY special invitation the annual meet-ing of the Royal Society of Canada washeld at Toronto, in the buildings of theUniversity, on MIay 26-29. The sessionswere largely attended, and the coolweather contributed to the success of theexcursion to' Niagara Falls (where themembers were guests of the CanadianNiagara Power Co.) and of the trip along
the lake shore to examine the interglacialdeposits east of Scarborough.The third Section (Mathematical, Phys-
ical and Chemical Sciences) met in thelarge physical lecture room, the President,Professor R. F. Ruttan, M.D., C.M., in thechair. 'Dalton and the Theory of Atoms'formed the subject of the, President's ad-dress, and the reading of papers was diver-sified by a debate on the 'Existence ofParticles Smaller than Atoms.' ProfessorRutherford gave an account of thegrowth of the electron theory, andshowed how the masses and velocities as-signed to the hypothetical 'carriers' hadbeen arrived at. Dr. J. C. MeLennan ex-hiibited a n-umber of experiments illustra-tive of the facts on which the theory isbased. Professor Lash Miller discussedthe advantages and disadvantages of cor-puscular theories in general, showing thatthey were, impossible to prove and nearlyas impossible to disprove, and ProfessorCox spoke of the recent extension ofthe theory to cosmical phenomena. Pro-fessors Goodwin, Baker, Walker and Rut-tan also took part in an animated discus-sion.At the close of the sessions, Dr. J. C.
Glashan, of Ottawa, and Professor I. T.Barnes, of MIontreal, were elected membersof the Section, and Professor M. Berthe-lot of Paris, a corresponding member ofthe Society.The following papers were read before
Section 3:
MATHEMATICS.
On the Correlation of the Curve of theSecond Order and the Sheaf of Rays ofthe Second Order in Geometry of Posi-tion: Professor A. BAKER.Beginning with the curve of the second
order, which may be considered to be de-ftned by five points, tangents are con-structed at these five points; and viewing
the tangents as the basis of a sheaf of raysof the second order, the original five pointsare shown to be points of contact. Revert -ing to the original five points, construc-tion for a sixth point is made, and the tan-gent at that sixth point is obtained; thistangent is shown to belong to the sheaf o £rays of the second order furnished by thefive original tangents. It was also slhownthat the curve is uniqnely determinecdwhatever two points be selected as radiantpoints; and an analogous proposition wasestablished with regard to the sheaf ofrays.On the Matrix Antalysis of Quanttics aitd
Their Concomitants: Dr. J. C. GLASHAN.A development of the consequeniees of
applying to the operand as well as to theoperator the notation of matrices.Forms for the Abelian lntegrals of t7thThree Kinds: Dr. J. C. FIELDS.
A Theorem Regarding Deteryninants with'Polynomial Elements: Professor W. H.MTETZLER.Generalization of a theorem of M\-uir's
(Messenger of Math., No. 153, 1884) omit-ting the restriction that the nmnber ofterms in each element of the determinantmust be greater than the number of con-stituents in a row.
PHYSICS.
On the Use of the Wheatstone Stereoscopein Photographic Surveying: Capt. E.DEVILLE.Description of an instrument proposed
for drawing a topographical plan by me-chanical means from a pair of stereoscopicphotographs.The Neutral Axis of Beams Under Tranzs-
verse Loads: Professor H. T. BovEY.Experiments with a new Extensometer.
The assumptions of the text-books are veri-fled for a cast-steel beam of square crosssection, but not for a T-beam.
Soli-Lunxar Time: Mr. G. W. MCCREADY.The average date of the first full nioon
in every decade for 4,000 years.
Th7te Potenttial Difference Requtired to Pro-duce Discharge in Air and Other Gases:Mr. W. R. CARR.Experiments carried out under the di-
rection of Dr. J. C. McLennan, with air,hydrogen, carbon dioxide, acetylene, hy-drogen sulphide, nitrous oxide, sulphurdioxide and oxygen. The law governingelectric discharges between parallel plates,in a uniform field, in any gas, for pres-sures at and below the critical pressures, isthat which Paschen found to hold withspherical electrodes for high pressures,viz., that with a given spark potential, thepressures at which discharge occurs is in-
versely proportional to the distance be-tween the electrodes.
The values of the spark potentials arenot influenced by the material or size ofthe electrodes; and the minimum sparkpotential is independent of the pressureand of the distance between the electrodes,always provided that the discharge is com-pelled to pass in a uniform field.
Penetrating Rays from Radium: Pro-fessor E. RUTHERFORD.Experiments showing the passage of the
rays through from eight to ten inches ofiron. The ionization produeed by the raysafter emerging from the iron shows thatthey must be regarded as consisting ofnegatively charged particles. Photo-graphic methods are being applied to de-termnine the magnetic deflection of therays.
Radio-active Emanations from Thoriumand Raditm: Professor E. RUTHER-FORD.
RIesumei of a number of recent experi-ments by the author.
Excited Radio-activity from the Atmos-phere: Mr. S. J. ALLAN.The amount of the radio-activity is in-
dependent of the material of the nega-tively electrified wire. After exposure,the intensity of the radiation fell to onehalf in fifty minutes; while that excitedby thorium fell to one half in elevenhours.
Radio-activity Induced in Salts by CathodeRays and by the Discharge Rays froman Electric Spark: Mr. W. R. CARR.Experiments carried out under the di-
rection of Dr. J. C. McLennan. Radio-activity is excited in certain salts by Rohnt-gen rays, as well as by cathode rays, andby the discharge rays from an electricspark.Radio-activity Induced in Substances Ex-
posed to the Actiont of Atmospheric Air:Mr. R. M. STEWART.Experiments carried out under the di-
rection of Dr. J. C. MeLennan. The rateof loss of induced radio-activity dependson the potential at which the wire was ex-posed, rather than on the time of exposure.
On the Absolute Value of the MechanicalEquivalent of Heat.: Professor II. T.BARNES.The heat required to raise the tempera-
ture of one gram of water from 15.50to 16.5° C. is equal to 4.1832 X 107 ergs.In gravitation units this becomes 426.60kilogrammeters, or 777.58 foot-pounds.On the Density of Ice: Professor H. T.BARNES and Mr. HI. L. COOKE.Historical resume and criticism. New
experiments. Probable eause of variationin density. Bibliography.The Variation in the Density of Ice: Mr.H. L. COOKE.The variation is ascribed to mechanical
strains due to unequal expansion and con-traction.
[N. S. VOL. XV. No. 391.
The Fall of Potential ]lfethod as Appliedto the Measurement of the Resistance ofanz Electrolyte in Motion: Professor H.T. BARNES and Mr. J. G. W. JOHNSON.A1leasurements of the conductivity of
solutions of magnesium chloride. Duringthe measurements the solutioin flowed slow-ly through the cell; the velocity of flowdid not affect the results.
CHEMISTRY.
A Modification of Victor Mleyer's VaporDensity Apparatus: Professor B. J.HARRINGTON.The long stem is bent into a series of
loops, and a second opening is provided forintroducing the substance into the bulb.The apparatus is compact and convenient.On the Determination of Moisture it
Ihoney: Mr. F. T. SHUTT.The honey is dried in a current of air
at a constant temperature below 1000 C.,and the loss determined.An Improved Mllethod of Producing Con-
centtrated Manure from Humani Refuse:Mr. T. MACPARLANE.Description of an odorless moss-closet.
When properly uised, the quantity of ab-sorbent is not more than one twentieth ofthe resulting mnanure.
Experimental Investigation of the Condi-tions Determining the Oxidation of Fer-rous Chloride: AMr. A. McGILL.Ferrous chloride can be decomposed by
oxygen in such a way as to yield uniform-ly fromi 75 to 85 per cent. of its chlorinein available form, and from 10 to 20 perceht. as hydrochloric acid.
Analysis of Anthraxolite from Hudson'sBay: Professor W. H. ELLIS.A sample brought by Mr. G. R. Mickle
from Long Island, Hudson 's Bay, con-tained 0.54 per cent. ash. The dry ash-free mineral gave: carbon, 96.54; hydro-gen, 1.33.
Abnormal Resutts in the Hydrolysis ofAmygdaltine: Professor J. W. WALKERand Mr. W. S. HUTCHINSON.Boiled with dilute acids amygdaline is
resolved into glucose, hydrocyanic acidand benzaldehyde. Heated with concen-trated hydrochloric acid it yields a hu-mus substance and dextro-mandelic acid.Boiled with dilute alkalies it yields amn-monia and amygdalinic acid, which onhydrolysis with dilute hydrochloric acidgives inactive mandelic acid.
Oudenann's Law, and the Infltence ofDitution on the Molecular Rotation ofMandelic Acid and its Salts: ProfessorJ. W. WALKER.Strong indications were found that the
law was not confirmed in very dilute solu-tions, where it ought to hold most rigidly.
Specific Heats of Organic Liqutds, andTheir Heats of Solution in Organic Sol-vents: Professor J. W. WALKER andDr. J. HENDERSON.An electric method is employed for de-
termining the specific heat; a close con-nection is indicated between the degree ofassociation of a liquid and its heat of solu-tion in an unassociated solvent.
The Specific Heat of Water of Crystalliza-tion: Mr. N. N. EVANS.The solid, finely ground, is suspended in
a suitable liquid in the calorimeter, and ameasured quantity of heat is introducedelectrically. A range of four degrees issufficient for accurate results.
Researches in Physical Chemistry CarriedOut in the University of Torontto Duringthe Past Year. Communicated by Pro-fessor W. LASH AMILLER.Under this head the following eight
papers were introduced.
1015
Application of Polarimetry to the Determi-ntationt of Tartaric Acid in CommercialProducts: Professor E. KENRICK andDr. F. B. KENRICK.The method.is based on the addition of
ammonium molybdate to the imaterial tobe analyzed; it is applicable in the pres-ence of alumn, iron, sugar, etc.
The Sulphates of Bismuth: Dr. F. B. AL-LAN.An application of the phase rule. The
following salts were identified: Bi2O3.4SO3,Bi203.2SO3.21H20, Bi203.S03. (Am.Chern. Jour., 27, 284.)The Infltcece of Iron Salts on the Rate of
Reaction Between Chromic Acid andIodides: Miss C. C. BENSON.The rate of liberation of iodine as a
function of the concentrations of the react-ing substances; and the rate of oxidationof ferrous salt by chromic acid in presenceand absence of iodide.
The Reaction Between Stannous Chlorideand Potash1: 1Ir. C. M. CARSON.The results are in conflict with those of
Ditte.
The Rate of Oxidation of Iron Salts byOxygen: Mr. J. W. McBAIN.Experiments carried out under the di-
rection of Dr. F. B. Kenrick. (Jour. Phys.Chemrn. V., 623.)
Thte Rate of Reaction in Solutions Con-taining Potassiamt Chlorate, PotassiumIodide, abnd Hydrochloric Acid: Mr. W.C. BRAY.Experiments showing that two reactions
of the fourth order occur simultaneously.Schlundt's results are recalculated.The Rate of the Reaction Between Arseni-
ots Acid and Iodine in Acid Solution;the Rate of the Reverse Reaction; andthe Equtilibrium Between Them: Mr. J.R. ROEBUCK.
The £ Thiosutphtate Method' of Measur-ing the Rate of Oxidation of Iodides:Mr. J. M. BELL.The method was introdueed by Har-
court, using sodium peroxide as oxidizingagent; it is not applicable when chloricacid, chromic acid, or ferric salts are em-ployed. Schiikarew's assumptions (Zeit.Phys. Cheem., XXXVIII., 357) are notjustifiable. W. LASH MILLER,
Secretary pr-o tem.
PROBLEMS IN THE CHEMISTRY AND TOXI-COLOGY OF PLANT SUBSTAANTES.*
THE organic chemistry of to-day is thechemistry of the approximately 50,000 car-bon compounds, enumerated in the recentedition of Beilstein's 'Handbuch der Or-ganischen Chemie.' Most of these com-pounds are the fruit of research in purelysynthetic chemistry, enormously stimu-lated, as it has been of late, by the growthof new, far-reaching conceptions in phys-ical chemistry, and, especially, by the sub-stantial rewards of the chemical industrieswhich have arisen as a result of these in-vestigations; a considerable number of thecompounds enumerated have, however, beenisolated from plants. Some of this workof plant investigation has been adequatelyrewarded, but as a rule it has only awak-ened a greater esteem for the investigator.The larger returns of synthetic chemistryare still enticing most of our best organiechemists into its fold, but its phenomenalsuccess in producing substances such asurea, sugar and several plant alkaloids andglucosides hitherto known only as the prod-ucts or educts of life, has stimulated inquirynot only into the chemical nature of cell life,but also into the chemistry of the deadprinciples that may be isolated from thesecells. Mother Nature is, however, a verycunning and crafty chemist, with a keen
* Address of the retiring president of the Chem-ical Society of Washington, April 10, 1902.
understanding of all of the requirementsof cell growth under astonishingly variedconditions of environment, and especiallywith an eye for the protection and perpet-uation of her multitudinous progenyagainst the ravages of parasites, or of manand beast, she has built up a very greatvariety of compounds, the properties andmiethods of forniation of many of whichshe still holds secret. M:any of these com-pounds, especia'ly those primarily designedfor the protection of the plant, react phys-iologically on diverse forms of animal life,and are, therefore, recognized by the med-ical fraternity and by chemists as 'activeprinciples.' All which produce disturb-ances of the normal functions of an aninalwhen introduced into its economy are, ac-cording to Hermaun 's well-known text-book on pharmacology, called poisons.
It is a sad commentary on the presentstate of our knowledge of plant chemistrythat all we know chemieally abount theactive principles of many plants isthat the plants themselves are poison-ous. Chemistry might be excused forher lack of interest in examining suchphysiologically-inert bodies as cellulose andchlorophyll, but it would seem that theplant poisons should at once challenge at-tention sinmplv on account of their greatteudency to react chemically, as they dowith sortme one or more of the essential con-stitnents of the animal organism. Thedreaded effects upon man of such plants asthe 'deadly upas,' the 'deadly manchineel,'or the common 'poison ivy,' deter manychemists froin handling them, and, as shownabove, there is little inducement finan-cially for one to enter into such investiga-tions, but the chemist's lack of a knowl-edgfe of botany is more frequently the con-trolling factor in this neglect. Many of themost interestinc problems of plant poison-ing cannot be conceived either by the chem-ist or by the botanist alone, but one Who is
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