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medical profession, for no one knew anything aboutit. With regard to Earl Russell’s question as tocannon-fodder, she considered that the happiness ofthe entire world depended on the supremacy of thewhite races. She recognised the difficulty of theeconomic burden, but had not had space to includeits consideration in her paper. It was obvious thatmany people would rather give one child a good educa-tion than be forced to have several children educatedin a less complete way, but there were now schemesof insurance by which this difficulty might be overcome.With reference to the methods of contraception, shehad no personal experience of the harmful results ofquinine. The use of a cap placed over the cervix wasmost harmful ; this means was advocated by up-to-date supporters of birth control, but the cap did notalways remain in place, and when it did the dischargefrom the cervical glands was retained. There was noproof that the spermal fluid was absorbed by thevaginal glands ; the existence of those glands was notyet certain, and in her opinion absorption took placethrough the cervix.

In conclusion, Prof. McIlroy described the contrastbetween the healthy and prolific lives of the Slavpeasants in Serbia and Bulgaria with the decadenceof the upper and middle-class Russians whom she hadmet in great numbers as refugees at Constantinople.The latter had committed race suicide and weredispossessed by the cleaner-living peasantry of theircountry. Sex instinct was created for one purposeonly, and must have some outlet if its normal activityis interfered with. Continence in marriage wouldcertainly be assisted by separate bedrooms and otherhousing facilities. In India, a country of prolific andmoral people, the women were dressed properly andkept out of the public view ; whatever we might callthe Turk, he ivas one of the most moral of men in hissexual relations. Modesty must be retained for racepreservation. As regards the right of the medicalprofession to interfere with the lives of married people,the supporters of the use of contraceptives had alreadyinterfered ; the medical profession had been backwardin its reply. The whole question must be brought intothe open air and put on a proper basis.

MIDLAND TUBERCULOSIS OFFICERS.

Formataon of a ,S’zt-roup of ,the 80c’iety of -,11.0.H.A 3IEBTIXG of Midland tuberculosis and assistant tuber-

culosis officers, convened by Dr. A. Ashkenny, tuber-culosis officer, West Bromwich, was held in Birminghamon July 9th. Dr. G. B. Dixon, tuberculosis officer, Bir-mingham, was elected to the chair. After the chairmanexplained the object of the meeting the following resolutionwas adopted unanimously :—

That this meeting of Midland tuberculosis officers and othersinterested in tuberculosis approve, and hereby resolve to formthemselves into, a Midland Tuberculosis Sub-group of theTuberculosis Group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health.The chairman was elected temporary president and it wasfurther resolvedThat a temporary committee of five members be formed of

those employed exclusively in clinical tuberculosis work toassist the President until the next meeting of the sub-grolipin October.

The following members were elected to this committee :)..,,1’. T. R. E. Elliott, Dr. A. G. Campbell, Dr. J. A. 1I. Clark,Dr. D. J. Peebles, Dr. H. Gordon-Smith. The followingwere coopted to assist the committee and president : Dr.N. A. Coward and Dr. Edwards.

CONTROL OF MEASLES IN LONDON.-The reCOlll-mendations of the Public Health Committee of the LondonCounty Council, which appeared in THE LANCET last week,were adopted by the Council without further debate. TheCouncil will now consult the metropolitan borough councilsregarding the issue of a circular to medical practitionersin London, directing attention to the facilities available

through the public health services for the nursing of casesof measles in London. Representations will also be made tothe Minister of Health, that in the opinion of the Councilit would not be desirable to adopt the proposal to makemeasles compulsorily notifiable by medical practitionersthroughout London.

Reviews and Notices of Books.SYPHILIS.

Syphilis and its Treatment, with Especial Referenceto Syphilis of the Skin. By WILFRED S. Fox,M.A., M.D., B.C.Cantab., M.R.C.P.Lond. London :H. K. Lewis and Co., Ltd. 1921. Pp. viii. --195.3is.

Dr. Fox is happy in the material which he hasselected to place before the reader and in the mannerin which he has presented it. The emphasis on thedermatological aspects of syphilis implied in the titlemay help to foster a sense of proportion in respect tothe diagnosis and treatment of syphilis which isin some respects lacking at the present day. When amedical man who does not possess a sound knowledgeof dermatology undertakes the entire charge of a

patient suffering from syphilis he is assumingdangerous responsibility, while extension of thepurely empirical treatment of syphilis is deplorable.Attendance at a venereal clinic for a short timemay render a practitioner sufficiently adept in theadministration of intravenous medications, but itshould also teach him how hard it is to becomeproficient in the treatment of syphilis. By theattention which Dr. Fox has devoted to thedermatological aspects of the disease he hasrendered great service to the profession.

In the earlier part of the volume he deals adequatelywith the differential diagnosis of chancres, andfigures of the various lesions of the same level ofexcellence in the numerous other illustrations wouldhave been helpful. With Chapter IV. Dr. Fox entersupon an account of the secondary period. Aftergiving a general description of the secondary cutaneouslesions he turns to the general pathogenesis ofcutaneous syphilides, of which he writes admirably.Dealing with the confusing subject of secondaryrashes he is certainly happy in his method of classi-fication and description. He adopts a classificationof secondary rashes based upon the dermatologicalelements they exhibit," which is undoubtedly a morescientific method than that founded upon the chrono-logical order of their appearance. A knowledge of theanatomy and physiology of the skin is assumed forthe reader, and might perhaps have been added.The medical student learns little about the skin

during his anatomical and physiological career, andduring his hospital life, though he may see many ofthe lesions affecting this structure, the gap isseldom filled. Perhaps in the next edition Dr. Foxwill consider this point worth his attention. ChapterVII. is devoted to a consideration of " the WassermannReaction," and the author utters a warning noteagainst the empirical reliance upon the results of thetest. The course to be adopted when patients withan old history of syphilis present themselves formedical examination, after a long period of un-

interrupted good health without treatment, requiresclose consideration. When clinical investigationreveals neither signs nor symptoms, should suchpersons be subjected to the Wassermann test ? Itmay easily be positive, and though the patient mighthave lived for the remainder of his days withoutexhibiting any lesions attributable to the originalattack, his life is rendered one of continuous terror.The tyranny of the Wassermann reaction" isupon him. The practitioner need never hesitate toseek special guidance when confronted with such aproblem.Another subject upon which we need information

is the data on which to base an opinion as to whena patient may be allowed to marry. What are thefundamental principles which must guide to so

momentous a verdict ? Much may be deducedhere from a careful study of Dr. Fox’s work.We recommend this work to all who deal or intend

to deal with syphilis.

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Atlas de Syphilirnetoie. Les conditions expéri-mentales de 1’extinction de la syphilis. By Dr.ARTHUR VERNES. Paris : Libraire Felix Alcan.1921. Pp. 121. Fr.35.

his " Atlas of 8yphilimet,ry " Dr. Vernes strikes

out a new line in the control and treatment of

syphilis. He first establishes his diagnosis, notonly whether syphilis or not, but the degree ofsyphilis ; then he carries out his line of treatment ; andfinally puts every case to a supreme test, which hecalls the " law of the three eights." He states thatout of 20,000 cases no patient who has satisfied thislaw has ever been found to show any further sign ofsyphilis, nor has the offspring of any such patientshown any hereditary taint of the disease. His bookis divided into five parts under the following headings :I. The Principles of Syphilimetry. II. The Lawof the Three Eights. III. Arsenical Treatment.IV. Centres of Resistance and Mercury. V. SyphiliticInfection and Syphilimetry.According to Dr. Vernes syphilis provokes a

definite change in the blood serum. On adding toany human serum a substance which he callsperethynol (a fluid containing an infinite number ofultra-microscopic granules in suspension) there occurs" flocculation "-that is, the granules congregate intomasses, microscopic at first, later more and morevisible. Perethynol is prepared by extracting horse’sheart with ethylene perchloride and alcohol, the detailsof the procedure being very elaborate. In syphilis thisphenomenon of " flocculation

"

is much more markedin proportion to the intensity of the infection. Ifpig’s serum is introduced into a suspension in processof " flocculation " the collections of granules disappear.On the other hand, pig serum is haemolytic for sheep’sred corpuscles. Dr. Vernes adds together péréthynol,human serum, pig serum, and, later, sheep’s cells,and finds that the haemolysing power of the pig serumvaries inversely with what he calls its property ofpreventing flocculation, so that the degree of haemolysismay be taken to correspond to the intensity of thesyphilis, being complete with a normal serum and nilwith a powerful syphilitic one. The degree ofhaemolysis is compared with an artificially preparedscale of tints : T 0, T 1, T 2, T 3 .... T 8. (T 0 = nohaemolysis : T 8 =total haemolysis) ; and in this wayDr. Vernes claims to be able to measure the intensitvof the infection and to plot it as a curve.The " law of the three eights " depends on the

observation that normal serum always gives tint 8,corresponding to complete haemolysis in the colori-metric scale. With the development of syphilis thecurve rises from 8 to 0. The action of arsenicaltreatment shows itself by a gradual fall, which maybe transitory or permanent. A return to tint 8 isconsidered permanent when the patient has satisfiedthe test of the three eights-tint 8 on examinationonce in each of eight months commencing from thelast arsenical injection, and tint 8 with the cerebro-spinal fluid at the end of this period.

Dr. Vernes claims that he has not seen this lawbroken, in spite of strict control for ten years. Thepatient who has fulfilled this test can contract syphilisanew, and infants born under its protection have never,according to him, shown any signs of syphilis, clinicalor serological. He makes a great point of therhythm of treatment and insists that it is much moreimportant than the total dosage. He believes thatthe only permanently resistant form of syphilis is G.P.r.,and says: "In any suspected case of this latter,.successful treatment invalidates the diagnosis." Healso contends that " the essential character of inter-vention to be effective is intensity."

Dr. Vernes is to be congratulated on the productionof a lucid and interesting atlas. The excellent chartsare in no way cramped and are, for the most part, tobe found close to those parts of the text to which theyrefer, thus saving the reader the trouble of huntingfor them. The author makes many bold statements,and claims, even to dogmatism, and he will find a

number of people who do not agree with him. For

example, he attempts to criticise and discredit theWassermann reaction by saying that it is not a trueapplication of the Bordet-Grengou phenomenon. Hisown experience is founded on a very large series ofcases, and if only half of what he claims be true,his methods would warrant an exhaustive trial. Wecould have wished for some further explanation ofhow the author fixes his courses of treatment and theamounts of individual doses and their spacing ; in somecases a dose is smaller in amount than the precedingor succeeding one, even when no blood examinationhas been done in the interval. Nor are we toldwhat proportion of all cases or of each kind in theauthor’s series has satisfied the law of the threeeights." The methods set forth demand considerableskill and experience and a perfectly fitted laboratory,but what man, who has any real knowledge of theravages of syphilis, would hesitate over trouble andexpense if convinced that good results could beobtained thereby ? The atlas of svphilimetry and thearticles by the same author which preceded it shouldbe studied by all who have to do with the pathologyand treatment of syphilis.

Syphilis. Tome I. Généralités et Syphilis de1’Adulte. By EMILE SERGENT, L. RIBADEAU-D]Uil-LAS, L. BABONNEIX. Paris: A. Maloine etFils. 1920. Pp. 595. Fr.28.

Tffis volume is the result of a collaboration ofseveral contributors, all of whom are well known asauthorities on the subject concerning which theywrite. The first part deals with the pathology,diagnosis, and treatment of syphilis in general ; inthe second part are sections dealing with syphilis ofthe different systems of the body, skin, mucous

membrane, abdominal viscera and thorax. Each ofthese sections has been contributed by a differentwriter, and the result is the furnishing of a vastamount of information from the pens of recognisedauthorities on the subject. The -manifestations ofsyphilis are so protean that it is difficult for oneauthor to deal with all the lesions for which theT7°eporaerraa pallida may be responsible. For thisreason collaboration is essential for the production ofan all-round work on the subject, if it is to aim at beingauthoritative,-and the book under review can be thusregarded. The treatment of the subject is compre-hensive, forming a source of reference for thosesearching for information on some of the less familiarmanifestations of the disease.The chapter on syphilis of the alimentary system

contributed by Dr. Favre is especially interestinginasmuch as it treats of lesions, the syphiliticnature of which is frequently missed. In dealingwith syphilis of the stomach, Dr. Favre recognisesa great variety of forms ranging from a simple catarrhof the mucous membrane to extensive infiltrations,followed by marked deformities of that viscus. Sodifferent are these syphilitic lesions that diagnosis isnaturally a matter of difficulty. For this reason theauthor offers the same advice as that proffered byFournier-i.e., not to search for symptoms character-istic of gastric syphilis, but to bear in mind the-possibility of syphilis whenever faced with gastrictrouble of obscure origin. As confirmatory evidencethe result of treatment is of even greater importancethan the Wassermann reaction. It is the fact of suchlesions passing so frequently unrecognised, and nottheir refractory nature, that renders gastric syphilisa serious complaint. Perforation is fortunately,according to the author, a rare complication; thesame, however, cannot be said of pyloric obstruotionand haemorrhage. The section on syphilis of theheart and blood-vessels is contributed by Dr. P.Rostaine, and shows that a great advance has beenmade in the knowledge of syphilitic lesions of thesestructures since the first observation on the subjectpublished by Ricord in 1845. The important questionof syphilis of the central nervous system is discussed.

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by Dr. M. L. Babonneix. This section contains someexcellent plates illustrating the pathology of tabes.The diagnosis and pathology of nervous syphilisclaim the greater part of the section, the shortness ofthe paragraphs on treatment serving to emphasisethe intractable nature of tabes and general paralysis.The work is illustrated but not lavishly. The volumeis remarkably complete, but in a work of reference weshould have welcomed the inclusion of a bibliography.

THE OCTOCENTENARY OF READING ABBEY, A.D. 1121-1921.

By JAMIESON B. HURRY, ILA., M.D. London :Elliot Stock. 1921. Pp. 92. 10s. Od.

Dr. Hurry is well known as a writer on archaeology,and especially on the history of Reading Abbey.Most of his books are now out of print, and therefore,as he tells us in his preface, he has collected somescattered papers and bound them up in the volumebefore us as an eight hundredth" years mind" (touse the old technical expression) of the great Bene-dictine house at Reading. The volume is confessedlyslight and sketchy, but there is more information init than would at first appear from the size of thebook, and we are glad to say there is an excellentindex. Dr. Hurry gives particulars of the founder,Henry I., of the foundation itself, and of the dailyround in a religious house. On p. 33 there is a statementwhich has somewhat puzzling features: " After chaptercame the chapter Mass, followed by study or exercise,till the bell summoned to the office of Tierce ; this inits turn was succeeded by the principal act of theday, the sacrifice of the Mass." In any religious house,whether monastic, collegiate, or a cathedral establish-ment, the principal service of the day is the chapterMass, otherwise called capitular, or solemn, or con-ventual, or stational, or principal, or greater Mass.But the word Mass was anciently used to describeany office of simple praise and prayer which wasconcluded by the bishop with a collectio, or summing-up prayer, and possibly Dr. Hurry, when he refers tothe Chapter Mass, means the office with which thechapter concluded. If he means the capitular Mass,the " principal act of the day " would not havefollowed, for the capitular Mass is the principalevent.We are quite at one with Dr. Hurry in his protest

against the manner in which the monastic buildingsand establishments were treated at the dissolution ;he points out rightly thatReading Abbey Church mighthave been made a cathedral for the county ofBerkshire, and the other buildings retained as a

hospital or almshouse. The granting of the Church’slands and moneys to greedy courtiers, such as Somerset,who pulled down much of Old St. Paul’s to buildSomerset House and tried to pull down WestminsterAbbey for the same purpose, or that wretchedcreature, Sir Richard Rich, to whom was granted St.Bartholomew the Great, was one of the worst featuresof the Reformation. It is true that the religioushouses had in many cases fallen from their first estate-there could hardlv be a more severe indictment thanCardinal Morton’s of St. Alban’s Abbey in 1489-butCromwell and Henry VIII. had but one idea of refor-mation, and that was robbery accompanied byinjustice. Here is Cromwell’s note on the ’’ trial"of the last Abbot of Reading : " The Abbot Redyngto be sent down to be tried and executed at Redyngwith his complices."

Dr. Hurry’s book contains some good illustrations,reproduced mainly from a series in the municipal ArtGallery. Plate IV. is a picture by Mr. StephenRead, representing the Consecration of the AbbeyChurch by Thomas a Becket. Mr. Read’s imaginarypresentment of Becket represents a dreamy anddelicate girl, totally unlike what that masterfulpersonage must have been, though we believe thatprevious presentations have been similar in character ;for an imaginary portrait of Becket we much preferTenniel’s, as given in The Brothers of Birchington,known to all readers of " The Ingoldsby Legends."

CHEMISTRY.

Dairy Chemistry. A Practical Handbook for DairyChemists. rhird Edition. By H. D. RICHMOND.London : Charles Griffin and Co. 1920. Pp. 490.25s.

THIS well-known standard work was written fordairy chemists and others having the control ofdairies. The fact that it has been necessary to preparea third edition since 1915 is sufficient testimony to itsvalue. It is a natural and healthy indication thata voluminous and ever-increasing literature centresaround one of the staple foods of mankind, and Mr.Richmond’s brother chemists should be grateful thathe has found time not only to bring this book up todate, but to effect considerable improvements in thetreatment of the several subjects dealt with. Hisbook, which contains a number of useful illustrations,is now divided into three parts : the constituents ofmilk, the analysis of milk and milk products, andtechnical applications. That portion dealing withbiological and sanitary matters will appeal to themedical officer. The writing is good and there appearto be very few mistakes. One small point whichMr. Richmond might consider in the next edition is thesubstitution of clear and well-defined illustrations forthose which are blurred.

Aids to Chemistry. By WILLIAM PARTRIDGE,F.I.C. London : Bailliere, Tindall and Cox. 1921.Pp. 280. 6s.THIS little book is intended for medical, veterinary,

dental, and pharmaceutical students who have passedthrough a course of chemistry. One-fifth of the spaceis devoted to general considerations of chemistry, andthe subjects dealt with include non-metallic elements,the commoner metals, carbon compounds, aliphaticcompounds, cyanogen compounds, aromatic com-

pounds, and heterocyclic compounds. The matter isjudiciously selected, free from errors, and arranged in aconvenient manner. Those who like to have theirinformation in " tabloid " form will, no doubt, approveof Mr. Partridge’s effort.

BOTANYA Text-book of Botany for Medical and Pharma-ceutical Students. By JAMES SMALL, D.Sc. Lond.,Ph.C., F.L.S. London: J. and A. Churchill. 1921.With 1350 illustrations. Pp. x. + 681. 25s.

THIS text-book of Botany provides reading sufficientto cover the work required for the examinations(qualifying and major) of the Pharmaceutical Societyand also for the botanical syllabus of the medicalcurriculum. The volume carries us even beyond theselimits, giving a careful reader an all-round acquaint-ance with botanical science, approximating to therequirements for a pass B.Sc. degree.The subject is developed in a way that makes the

book rather difficult reading for a beginner. Afteran introductory chapter describing briefly the life-

history of a dandelion, seeds are discussed and thegermination of typical examples is described. Thenfollows a chapter upon the cell, including all theintricate details of nuclear structure and division.

Chapters on the morphology and anatomy of stem,root, and leaf follow in succession, Plant physiologyoccupies the next four chapters ; then buds, phyllo-taxis, the flower, pollination, fruits and seed dispersal.Permeability of the protoplasm, plant movementsand ecology fill the closing chapters of Part I.Part II. is concerned with classification and includes

a description of all the great groups of plants beginningwith the Algae and proceeding to the Angiosperms.Types of these groups are not considered separatelyin detail, but examples are used to illustrate the generalvegetative and structural features of the group as awhole, and the physiological peculiarities. Methods ofsexual reproduction are next considered, followed byasexual reproduction, vegetative propagation, andclassification. The method of treatment adopted by

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the author results in a good general presentation of thecharacteristics of each group of plants, while the searchfor details relating to any given type is facilitated bythe provision of an excellent index and by the illustra-tions. Plant physiology is dealt with along modern lines,special attention being directed to certain newer theorieswhich the author regards as fundamental and thereforeelementary (see Preface). We think, however, that inteaching the early stages of botany it is better to directthe attention of the student mainly to experimentalmethods, limiting the discussion of theoreticalspeculations at least to such views as have obtained afull measure of recognition. For the more advancedstudent the newer speculations have much interest,and these readers will welcome the useful summariesgiven in this text-book.The volume is fully illustrated, the majority of the

figures being good and clear. The floral diagrams of thefamily Liliaceae (Figs. 1323 and 1330) are incorrectlyplaced with respect to the axis. Some of the diagramsseem to have only a remote connexion with the text,and one or two of them are rather overcrowded withdetail. The book as a whole is a useful addition toEnglish botanical literature and should find a place inthe library of students taking a university course inthis subject.

JOURNALS.

Journal of Physiology, Edited by J. N. LANGLEY, Sc.D., LL.D., F.R.S. Vol. LV. 1921. Nos. 1 and 2.Cambridge University Press. Pp. 1-158. 14s.-The ’Substances needed for the Growth of a PureCulture of Colpidium Colpoda, by R. A. Peters.-The Replacement of Potassium by Uranium inPerfusion of the Heart, by H. Zwardemaker. Theauthor has already demonstrated that uranium orany other radio-active element can be substituted forpotassium in Ringer’s fluid in perfusion withoutdisturbing the automaticity of the heart of the frogand the eel, provided that the amount of the elementsubstituted is radio-equivalent to that of potassiumin the fluid. The amount of uranium required foreffective substitution in the frog is not the same insummer and winter-i.e.. there are factors, withwhich the author deals, which increase or decrease theeffect of radio-activity.The Influence of Extension and Temperature on

Heat Production in the Muscle Twitch, by Y. Doi.The author confirms the statement that heat produc-tion reaches a maximum at a certain moderateextension. Before this optimal length the heatproduction increases, and beyond this it decreaseswith increasing extension. The optimal extensionof a muscle is shorter at a lower temperature thanat a higher. The heat production is larger at alower temperature than at a higher, except at veryextreme extensions.-The Influence of an AcuteAnoxic Anoxaemia on Respiration and Circulation,by the same author. The writer’s experiments werecarried out on cats anaesthetised with urethane.When the cat is subjected to an oxygen-pressurelower than that of the ordinary atmospheric air thevolume of blood passing through both lungs perminute is the same as that when the breathed air isnormal, regarding the haemoglobin concentration asthe same. After a short exposure to a low oxygen-pressure the cat takes up the same amount of oxygenas that in normal air. On an acute anoxic anoxaemiathe volume of the respiration per minute increases.When the cat is exposed to a deficiency of oxygenthe frequency of respiration and pulse increases, andthe output of each heart beat decreases. The decreaseof the percentage saturation of oxyhsemoglobin inthe arterial and venous blood is nearly parallel inthe state considered, so that the difference of oxygencontent of the arterial and venous blood is fairlyconstant.On the Amount of Heat Liberated by Bacillus Coli

when Grown in the Presence of Free Amino-acids,by C. Shearer. It had been found that B. coli grownon various culture media produced little or almost

no heat when grown on tryptic broth. This and otherobservations led to the author’s experiments, withthe result that he found that when B. coli is suppliedwith abundance of free amino-acids already preparedthe process of building these into the living protoplasmis an extremely economical one, in which little energyis used. The process is three to eight times moreeffective than the growth of the same organism onglucose-peptone broth. Tryptic broth that has beendigested for a short time (one week) produces con-siderably more heat with B. coli than the same brothdigested for a long time (three to eight weeks). Thedifference would seem to be far too great to beaccounted for by the extra hydrolysis the polypeptidshad undergone in the three to eight weeks’ fluid.The pathological process of metabolism, either withtryptic digest or in any other culture fluid, is alwaysaccompanied by a greater liberation of heat than isgiven by the same amount of growth on the samemedium under normal healthy conditions ; patho-logical growth is thus less economical than normalgrowth.The Physiological Changes Produced by Radium

Rays and Ultra-Violet Light in the Eggs of Nereis,by Alfred C. Redfield and Elizabeth M. Bright. Itis already known that the exposure of the unfertilisedeggs of Nereis lirribata to the &bgr; or y rays of radiumbrings about certain very definite changes in theprocess of membrane formation and jelly secretionwhich ensues when the eggs are subsequently ferti-lised. The authors set out to observe the effects ofother kinds of radiation on this process, and the natureof the changes thereby produced in the egg, and taexplain the specific differences in the effects ofdifferent radiations. Elaborate details are given incomparison of different kinds of radiation and as tothe methods of obtaining the rays. It was found thata rays and ultra-violet light resemble &bgr; and y raysin altering the process of membrane formation andjelly secretion in nereis eggs, but the process isunaffected by wave lengths of light shorter than3000 A.V. The changes produced are limitedto one side of the egg. Radiation alters theprocess of jelly secretion and membrane formationby causing a certain quantity of the jelly substanceto be retained within the perivitelline space of theegg. The retention of the jelly substance is duechiefly to an alteration in its physical properties.There is no reason to believe that a change in thepermeability of the membrane of the egg is an

important factor in causing this retention. Thedifferences in the effects of the radium rays and ultra-violet light on membrane-formation, on the inductionof artificial parthenogenesis. and on the prevention ofdevelopment are due to differences in the penetratingpower of these radiations, and the failure of visiblelight to affect the egg is attributable to the limitedabsorption of those wave lengths by protoplasms.Since the change produced in the egg is simple innature, it is justifiable to suspect that some commonmechanism underlies the effects produced by thesedifferent radiations.The Coagulation of the Blood. I. The R61e of

Calcium, by H. W. C. Vines. In all theories of coagu-lation the presence of calcium salts is recognised asan essential factor, and it is generally held that theactivity of calcium depends on its presence in theionised form. The author’s experiments were madeon normal human blood. He finds that calcium ispresent in normal blood in two forms, ionised andcombined ; the latter is transformed into the ionicstate during coagulation. The addition of oxalate,citrate, or fluoride to normal blood in amount chemi-cally equivalent to the total calcium of the blooddoes not inhibit coagulation ; this indicates that thepresence of ionised calcium is not essential to theclotting process. The anticoagulants described allinhibit clotting primarily by combining with thecalcium-containing complex ; the amount of anti-coagulant required to neutralise the action of the

complex is in each case in excess of the chemical