Abstract
DUBLIN. Royal Dublin Society, June 26.—Report of the Irish Radium Committee for the year 1927. 14,306 millicuries of radon were issued during the year for therapeutic purposes. Reports are included from two of the largest users of radon recording the results of the treatment of 292 cases of malignant and non-malignant disease.—C. Boyle, M. Murphy, and H. A. Cummins: ‘Blossom-wilt’ of apple trees and ‘wither-tip’ of plum trees with special reference to two biologic forms of Monilia cinerea Bon. The results of culture and infection experiments using the ‘wither-tip’ and ‘blossom-wilt’ forms of Monilia cinerea show that the two forms are physiologically different. These results are in conformity with those of Wormald, and justify the distinction forma mali and forma pruni for the forms occurring on apple and plum respectively.—T. Dillon and E. F. Lavelle: A suggested method for the utilisation of seaweed. Seaweed might be utilised by throwing it into tanks near the shore and allowing it to decay, when the liquid running off would contain potash, iodine, and organic matter. A small-scale experiment with Laminarias showed satisfactory iodine recovery. The organic bodies obtained were acetic, propionic, and other acids. The advantages of the suggested process are: (1) winter tangle could be used, (2) the initial operations would be carried out on the spot, and (3) the organic matter would be recovered.—A. G. G. Leonard and P. F. Whelan: Spectrographic analyses of Irish ring-money, and of an alloy found in commercial calcium carbide. In some museum specimens of Irish ring-money the gold sheath is incomplete, a core of white metal being exposed in places. Examination of the spark spectrum showed that this core consists of remarkably pure tin. An alloy, found in calcium carbide, which showed great resistance to acids, was found to consist of iron, titanium, and silicon. Chemical analysis showed that the percentages of these elements were about 66, 22, and 11 respectively.—L. B. Smyth: Salpingium palinorsum: A new carboniferous coral. This new genus and species of coral occurs in the carboniferous limestone of Hook Head, Co. Wexford, Ireland, at a level correlated with the C1 sub-zone of Vaughan. It consists of a tube about 4 mm. in diameter, with strongly thickened walls. Simple tabulae occur at intervals of 2–4 mm., and septal striae are seen in places, being elsewhere presumably engulfed by stereoplasm. At irregular intervals the tube is surrounded by thin trumpet-like expansions, three or four times the diameter of the tube, bearing septal ridges. It is suggested that the structure is due to rejuvenescence. The affinities are doubtful.—L. P. W. Renouf: A preliminary account of Loughine (Lough Hyne), Co. Cork. Loughine or Lough Hyne, situated some sixty miles south-west of the city of Cork, though only a little more than a quarter of a square mile in area, presents many interesting features. It is land-locked except at the south-east corner, where the tide rushes in and out with great force through a narrow neck less than twenty yards in width, and on account of a deep sill it continues to ebb for more than three hours after the beginning of the flood tide from the Atlantic twelve hundred yards to the south. The lough attains a depth of twenty-nine fathoms. The Laminarian zone is practically absent, with the result that at neap tides, when on account of the sill the ebb from the lough is greatest, the Coralline zone is exposed, and a number of what are ordinarily deep-water forms are found in as little as two inches of water. Though the number of species is not remarkable, many of them are represented by countless numbers of individuals, and at least one which appears to be new, for which the name Ethropodium hibernicum is tentatively suggested, has been discovered.
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Societies and Academies. Nature 122, 153–156 (1928). https://doi.org/10.1038/122153a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/122153a0