SCIENCE NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2574, 7 August 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

SCIENCE NOTES.

DARWIN AND HIS PUBLISHER. By way of contribution to tho Darwin Centenary, Mr John Murray writes for “Science Progress,” a readable account of the great naturalist’s business relations with his father. Darwin’s business letters from 1845 to 1882 have been carefully preserved by the firm, and it is said of them that they, do not contain a querulous or ill-na-tured remark. Darwin.was introduced to Murray by Sir Charles L'yell, and the first work undertaken was tho separate issue of the “Journal and Researches” which had already appeared, in 1840, in conjunction with the narrative of tlio voyage of the Beagle, by Admiral Fitzroy and Captain Philip King. About 7000 copies were sold in three years. It was not until March, 1859, that Darwin again consulted Murray—about the issue of the- “Origin of Species.” Tho a ithor’s corrections proved extraordinary heavy, but Mr Murray refused to clnrgo for them. The book was offered at die “Sale Dinner” in November, and the first edition of 1250 copies was at once disposed of. In July, 1860, appeared the famous “Quarterly Review” criticism by Wilberforce. The “Descent of Man” was ready in March, 1871, and some 7000 copies were sold before the end of the year. These sales astonished Darwin, as well they might. One of his most popular books is that on “Earthworms,” and the present Mr Murray tells us that in provincial towns where evolution and Darwinism have never been hear of, —miracles still happen in England—the “author who writes about earthworms” has a high reputation ! THE CHEMISTRY OFi INDIGO.

Indigo owes its dye quality mainly to a substance called indigotin, a transformation product of the indigo plant. Tho leaves are steeped in water, and when the solution is run off and exposed to tho air an insoluble blue precipitate forms, which is dried and sold as indigo. Indigo is mentioned by Pliny, and the name “Indicnm” suggests that the product in his day came from India. In Europe, however, it only became a serious rival to woad (which also contains indigotin) in the seventeenth century. It is now threatened by artificial indigotin, produced from coal-tar products in Germany. Benzene, toluene, and naphthalene may all be used as the starting point of the synthesis; hut as the last named is a cheap by-product of gas works, it is the readiest available commercial source, and some artificial indigo was put on tlie market as long as ten years ago. The synthesis is rather complicated, hut the difficulties were slowly overcome, and in 1906 of 46,653 cwt. of indigo imported into Great Britain, only 7641 cwt. were from the indigo plant. Tho artificial product thus threatens to wipe out tho natural substance, and during the last year or two extensive investigations have been in progress with a view to increasing tlio yields of the plant, for the industry was worth £3,000,000 to £4,000,000 a year to the Indian indigo planters. So far, however, no very notable result seems to have been obtained. THE SLEEPING SICKNESS.

Mr E. D. Parker writes an interesting summary of our knowledge of sleejiing sickness. The first record of it seems to date back to ISO 3, and several papers on the disease are found about 868. Cases, however, remained relatively rare. The disease is epidemic only in parts of equatorial Africa, but it lias latterly been epidemic on the Upper and Lower Congo. It was discovered in Ngahda in 1900, but its ravages are in tho main confined to the lake shores. The cause of the disease has been in high dispute. The theory that it was due to- parasites, as suggested by Manson, was soon rather at a discount, inasmuch as it proved ’possible to kill the suspected parasites without disturbing tho course of the disease. No doubt, however, these parasites weakened resistance and thus acted as a pre-disposing course. Various bacteria have been held to be associated with the disease, but in 1902 Castellani isolated a trypanosome from the cerebio-spinal fluid of. victims. The disease is always fatal. Many drugs have been tried, but none with any permanent benefit. Thero is evidence that the so-called trypanosome fever is merely the first stage of sleeping sickness, while the trypanosomes are in the blood, but have not yet got into the cerebro-spinal fluid. It is said that in Uganda at the present time up to 75 per cent, of the inhabitants are so many human reservoirs of the disease. The connection of the fly “GlossTna palpalis” with tho scourge appears to bo demonstrated; and tho possibility of stamping it out gives the only chance of coping with the complaint.

ORIGIN OF THE BUSHMEN

Continuing his papers on paleolithic man, Professor Solias connects the Bushmen of South Africa with a race inhabiting Europe in upper paleolithic time—the Solutrian age. The fabrication of flint instruments had at this time reached a high state of development, and use had been found for bone, which could bo ground to a fino point—an operation not undertaken with stone until the neolithic period. Solutrian man hunted tho horse and tho mammoth, two thousand of whose teeth have been found in a mass of debris unearthed in Moravia. The fine arts' were making progress, for whole picture galleries of the Solutrian age have been brought to light in the caves of Southern Europe, and even the red oxide of iron, used.as a pigment, and the postles for grinding it up. These discoveries, it is true/ met with general incredulity, but. the more recent work has set the matter beyond dispute. The drawings of animals are very remarkable. They depict bisons, doer, wild boar, a horse and* colt, mammoths, and the woolly, rhinoceros. Unluckily there is no sketch of Solutrian man himself, though there are some caricatures seemingly meant for demons, which the Babylonians in their day made as unprepossessing as possible', in order that they might be frightened at their own imago. Professor Solias asks, Has this gifted race completely disappeared? The answer is to be found by searching for something that closely corresponds to Solutrian art, and this is found among the Bushmen. It is known that these once spread over a great part of Africa. Identity of art is no safer .guide to race than is identity of language, but it is certainly a useful index. Again, though Solutrian man did not paint himself, he .'wide little statues of himself, and these reveal some of the striking anatomical peculiarities of the Bushmen. The distribution of the actual remains of Solutrian man has now been'carefully traced, and existing skeletons prove that he belonged to a negroid race of low stature, and apparently it- pushed its way into Europe. .Unfortunately the Bushmen, who still retain an almost primitiyely paleolithic civilisation, have been practically exterminated by the savage 'Boers; only a miserable remnant lingers on in the, Kalahari desert. The Bushmen brain is still paleolithic in cubic .content. Traces of their emigration from the north arc said to have been found, but the evidence is not altogether conclusive.