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CURIOUS RESULT OF LAXITY IN DEATH CERTIFICATION.
159
by its oxygen-carrier being stimulated into activity. Vitality, in a word, is increased and the exhilarating effect of the first burst of sunshine in the spring after a dull period in the winter is a common experience. After all, it is probable 1895, 681 ;1896, 619 ;1897, 655 ;1898, 677 ;1899, 493 ;; that " the brighter view of thingswhich individuals 1900, 713 ; 1901, 768 ; 1902, 743 ; 1903, 665 ; and 1904, 819. take under the influence of bright weather may have In the evening of the election day a dinner of the its origin in the chemical activities of the sun. The Fellows was held in the College building. The Fellows’ health-giving effects of sunshine may therefore be ascribed dinner was years ago a highly appreciated institution but it to the actinic rays rather than to the luminous rays of More than 100 the sun. The official records of sunshine in this country was never before held in the College itself. Fellows were present on this occasion and a very pleasant refer to the duration, and not to the intensity, of the .evening was spent. The recent additions to the museum light. In other words, these returns record negatively the were on view and also many of the more remarkable speciobscuration of the sun by cloud. On the other hand, the Some of the more temperature is recorded in terms of intensity and it seems to mens from the museum were displayed. valuable of the treasures of the College were to be seen in us that similarly the intensity or chemical activity of sunthe Common Room. We hope that even if it be found im- light should be recorded, for duration can bear no direct practicable to hold a Fellows’ dinner annually it may be relationship to intensity. The sun might shine all day with possible to arrange for one in alternate years. The day of a feeble intensity owing to meteorological conditions, haze election of members of the Council is very convenient for or fog, and conversely sunshine might only favour us for an several reasons and if all the arrangements are as perfect on hour and in that comparatively short time exhibit an insubsequent occasions as they were this year there can be no tensity or degree of chemical activity equal to a day’s duracause for complaint. This year for the first time no meeting tion. The sunshine in mountainous places as in Switzerland is of Fellows was summoned for, as will be remembered, the much more active chemically, as a rule, than the sunshine persistent abstention of Fellows from these meetings pre- in the United Kingdom, although in the latter place the and 803 came by post, but one vote was invalid and five The following numbers of votes were received too late. recorded for the last ten years—i.e., since voting papers have been sent to all Fellows-may prove of interest:
vented the formation of
a
quorum.
CURIOUS RESULT OF LAXITY IN DEATH CERTIFICATION. IN the Philippines recently four criminals are stated to have been executed by the process known as garrotting and to have been certified as dead by a native medical man, by an American judge, and by the other lay officials charged with that duty. Afterwards while the supposed dead bodies were lying in a church awaiting the funeral ’ceremony two of them showed signs of life and have since completely recovered to find that the record in their case has been closed and that they have no legal existence. They are, however, in spite of this retained in prison and it is suggested that if let loose they might commit further crimes, although should they do so aggrieved persons killing them could not be punished for taking lives already officially extinct. Their sentence has been changed to one of incarceration for life, but the legality of this they dispute, presumably on the ground that the punishment ordered in the first instance has been carried into execution. If the story is true it might be suggested that as a precaution for the future the duty of death certification should be intrusted to one competent to perform it. The qualifications of the medical man described in the account before us as a "native doctor " are not stated.
SUNSHINE
RECORDS.
IT is
interesting to consider which property of sunshine important to life, that of the heat-giving rays or that of the chemically active rays. Both are, of course, essential and although a person may be shivering in sunlight he may still be enjoying the benefit of the actinic emanations. They are the agencies whereby the great synthetic processes in plant life are begun and continued. They keep the machinery of nature in motion and in being, they build up is
more
food
both for man and beast, and if the chemical energies of sunlight were to cease life would flicker out. Our knowledge of the chemical action of sunlight is, however, by no means complete. In some way or other the advent of sunlight increases the feeling of wellbeing of the individual possibly by promoting the oxidation processes of the internal economy. The circulation is improved and the condition of the blood is favourably affected
might even exceed that of the former. Amateur photographers experience this readily enough, for they find that the exposure required for the sensitised plates on a bright day in Switzerland is infinitely less than that required under similar conditions in England. In the former case the transparency of the air is greater and the actinic rays duration
of the
not cut off as they are in this country. Duration, therefore, is not necessarily a synonym for intensity and thus the value of comparative records of duration for different places may be discounted sun
are
when any record of intensity is omitted. No one would think of recording rainfall by its duration. The actual amount of water falling would depend upon whether the shower was heavy or light or a steady drizzle. The rainfall is therefore measured by the weight falling on a given area and it seems to us that the meteorological records should include not only the duration of sunshine but also its intensity as measured by its chemical effects. If the benefit derived from sunshine is due to its chemical energies careful records should be kept of them, especially at our health stations. ____
NERVES OF THE SCLERA. THE nerves of the sclera have been investigated by the Russian physician Dr. A. Agagabow and the results which he has obtained are contained in the March number of the Arcltiv fiir Mikroskopische Anatontie. He finds that the best method to display them is the injection in vivo of methylblue solution containing from 1 to 3 per cent., with subsequent removal of the eye from the body, evisceration of its contents, and careful section. By these means the nerve endings can be followed to their finest ramifications and Dr. Agagabow has been able to distinguish sensory, trophic, and vaso-motor nerves, the last characterised by ganglion cells. The sensory nerves are to be found in all parts of the sclerotic; they are immediately recognised by being medullated, though some lose their medullated sheath near their termination. These fibres are varicose and exceedingly delicate and end in a nodule slightly larger than the varicosities. In some instances a terminal brush-like arrangement of varicose fibres is observable. Where the nerve trunks cross vessels they may be sometimes seen to be flattened out and appear to be as much as two and a half times thicker than before or after crossing. This peculiarity, which may be observed in other parts of the body, has not received the attention that it deserves from histologists.
by its oxygen-carrier being stimulated into activity. Vitality, in a word, is increased and the exhilarating effect of the first burst of sunshine in the spring after a dull period in the winter is a common experience. After all, it is probable 1895, 681 ;1896, 619 ;1897, 655 ;1898, 677 ;1899, 493 ;; that " the brighter view of thingswhich individuals 1900, 713 ; 1901, 768 ; 1902, 743 ; 1903, 665 ; and 1904, 819. take under the influence of bright weather may have In the evening of the election day a dinner of the its origin in the chemical activities of the sun. The Fellows was held in the College building. The Fellows’ health-giving effects of sunshine may therefore be ascribed dinner was years ago a highly appreciated institution but it to the actinic rays rather than to the luminous rays of More than 100 the sun. The official records of sunshine in this country was never before held in the College itself. Fellows were present on this occasion and a very pleasant refer to the duration, and not to the intensity, of the .evening was spent. The recent additions to the museum light. In other words, these returns record negatively the were on view and also many of the more remarkable speciobscuration of the sun by cloud. On the other hand, the Some of the more temperature is recorded in terms of intensity and it seems to mens from the museum were displayed. valuable of the treasures of the College were to be seen in us that similarly the intensity or chemical activity of sunthe Common Room. We hope that even if it be found im- light should be recorded, for duration can bear no direct practicable to hold a Fellows’ dinner annually it may be relationship to intensity. The sun might shine all day with possible to arrange for one in alternate years. The day of a feeble intensity owing to meteorological conditions, haze election of members of the Council is very convenient for or fog, and conversely sunshine might only favour us for an several reasons and if all the arrangements are as perfect on hour and in that comparatively short time exhibit an insubsequent occasions as they were this year there can be no tensity or degree of chemical activity equal to a day’s duracause for complaint. This year for the first time no meeting tion. The sunshine in mountainous places as in Switzerland is of Fellows was summoned for, as will be remembered, the much more active chemically, as a rule, than the sunshine persistent abstention of Fellows from these meetings pre- in the United Kingdom, although in the latter place the and 803 came by post, but one vote was invalid and five The following numbers of votes were received too late. recorded for the last ten years—i.e., since voting papers have been sent to all Fellows-may prove of interest:
vented the formation of
a
quorum.
CURIOUS RESULT OF LAXITY IN DEATH CERTIFICATION. IN the Philippines recently four criminals are stated to have been executed by the process known as garrotting and to have been certified as dead by a native medical man, by an American judge, and by the other lay officials charged with that duty. Afterwards while the supposed dead bodies were lying in a church awaiting the funeral ’ceremony two of them showed signs of life and have since completely recovered to find that the record in their case has been closed and that they have no legal existence. They are, however, in spite of this retained in prison and it is suggested that if let loose they might commit further crimes, although should they do so aggrieved persons killing them could not be punished for taking lives already officially extinct. Their sentence has been changed to one of incarceration for life, but the legality of this they dispute, presumably on the ground that the punishment ordered in the first instance has been carried into execution. If the story is true it might be suggested that as a precaution for the future the duty of death certification should be intrusted to one competent to perform it. The qualifications of the medical man described in the account before us as a "native doctor " are not stated.
SUNSHINE
RECORDS.
IT is
interesting to consider which property of sunshine important to life, that of the heat-giving rays or that of the chemically active rays. Both are, of course, essential and although a person may be shivering in sunlight he may still be enjoying the benefit of the actinic emanations. They are the agencies whereby the great synthetic processes in plant life are begun and continued. They keep the machinery of nature in motion and in being, they build up is
more
food
both for man and beast, and if the chemical energies of sunlight were to cease life would flicker out. Our knowledge of the chemical action of sunlight is, however, by no means complete. In some way or other the advent of sunlight increases the feeling of wellbeing of the individual possibly by promoting the oxidation processes of the internal economy. The circulation is improved and the condition of the blood is favourably affected
might even exceed that of the former. Amateur photographers experience this readily enough, for they find that the exposure required for the sensitised plates on a bright day in Switzerland is infinitely less than that required under similar conditions in England. In the former case the transparency of the air is greater and the actinic rays duration
of the
not cut off as they are in this country. Duration, therefore, is not necessarily a synonym for intensity and thus the value of comparative records of duration for different places may be discounted sun
are
when any record of intensity is omitted. No one would think of recording rainfall by its duration. The actual amount of water falling would depend upon whether the shower was heavy or light or a steady drizzle. The rainfall is therefore measured by the weight falling on a given area and it seems to us that the meteorological records should include not only the duration of sunshine but also its intensity as measured by its chemical effects. If the benefit derived from sunshine is due to its chemical energies careful records should be kept of them, especially at our health stations. ____
NERVES OF THE SCLERA. THE nerves of the sclera have been investigated by the Russian physician Dr. A. Agagabow and the results which he has obtained are contained in the March number of the Arcltiv fiir Mikroskopische Anatontie. He finds that the best method to display them is the injection in vivo of methylblue solution containing from 1 to 3 per cent., with subsequent removal of the eye from the body, evisceration of its contents, and careful section. By these means the nerve endings can be followed to their finest ramifications and Dr. Agagabow has been able to distinguish sensory, trophic, and vaso-motor nerves, the last characterised by ganglion cells. The sensory nerves are to be found in all parts of the sclerotic; they are immediately recognised by being medullated, though some lose their medullated sheath near their termination. These fibres are varicose and exceedingly delicate and end in a nodule slightly larger than the varicosities. In some instances a terminal brush-like arrangement of varicose fibres is observable. Where the nerve trunks cross vessels they may be sometimes seen to be flattened out and appear to be as much as two and a half times thicker than before or after crossing. This peculiarity, which may be observed in other parts of the body, has not received the attention that it deserves from histologists.