Abstract
LONDON. Royal Society, February 2.—Sir Archibald Geikie, K.C.B., president, in the chair.—Colonel Sir D. Bruce, F.R.S., Captains A. E. Hamerton and H. R. Batcman, and Dr. R. Van Someren: Experiments to investigate the infectivity of Glossina palpalis fed on sleeping-sickness patients under treatment.—Colonel Sir D. Bruce, F.R.S., and Captains A. E. Hamerton, H. R. Bateman, and F. iP. Mackie: Experiments to ascertain if Trypanosoma gambiense during its development within Glossina palpalis is infective.—Captain R. McCarriaon: Further experimental researches on the etiology of endemic goitre.—H. Hamshaw Thomas: The leaves of Catamites (Calamo-cladus section). Most of the material investigated originally came from the Halifax Hard Bed of the Lower Coal Measures. Most leaves were very small, being only 1–2 mm. long and 0.8–1 mm. broad. They are falcate in shape, and were borne on slender twigs in alternating whorls of four. The structure of these slender twigs differs somewhat from that of the young Calamitean stems already described by Williamson and others, but it may be compared in some features with the structure of the young stems of some modern Equisetums. The tissues of the small leaves show a concentric arrangement. In the centre there is a vascular bundle consisting of four or five small tracheides, surrounded by thin-walled elongated cells. The bundle is surrounded by a zone of cells with dense black contents, termed by Hick the melasmatic tissue, and is probably comparable with the bundle-sheath of the leaves of modern plants. The cells of the palisade-like assimilating tissue abut on to this; they have large spaces between them. The epidermis is thinner on the concave side of the leaf, and the stomata are situated on this face only. The latter are characterised by transversely striated guard cells, similar to those seen in many species of modern Equisetums. These leafy twigs seem to be identical with the impression species Calamocladus charaeformis (Sternb.); their structure seems to indicate that they grew in a pendulous manner. Specimens have been obtained showing variations in structure from the normal type. Four other types of leaf have been discovered differing in size and in arrangement of tissues. In all of these there is a very conspicuous strand of sclerenchymatous fibres running up the adaxial side of the leaf, and forming a large part of its apex. These fibres become more conspicuous in the longer leaves. In some types the thin-walled {phloem) tissue of the bundle is much reduced, or even absent. The melasmatic tissue also varies considerably in amount. Some of these longer leaves were probably identical with C. grandis (Sternb.), others with C. equisetiformis (Schloth.). They are characterised by a more compact structure, with smaller and fewer intercellular spaces. The structure of the smaller leaves probably indicates that they grew in a moist situation, or where the atmosphere was humid. The larger leaves are more xeromorphic in character. The results obtained from this work indicate that the Calamites were truly microphyllous.—Dr. J. O. Wakelin Barratt: Complement deviation in mouse carcinoma. The object of the present investigation is to ascertain if in mouse carcinoma antibodies are produced in respect of the tumour. The method followed is an application of the complement deviation test, an extract of mouse tumour being employed as antigen. The experiments made fall into two groups. In one the serum of the rabbit or of man was employed as the source of complement; in the other the serum of the mouse served as the source of complement. In both cases the same result was obtained, namely, that the complement deviating power of the serum of mice with tumours was sometimes greater than that of normal mouse serum, but not unfrequently the serum of a mouse with a tumour was found to be identical in respect of its complement deviating power with that of a normal mouse.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 85, 495–498 (1911). https://doi.org/10.1038/085495a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/085495a0