ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE CONGRESS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11791, 14 January 1904, Page 6

ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE CONGRESS.

CLOSE Or , THE SESSION.

(SrECIAL TO "THE PEtSS.") DUNEDIN, January 13. The session of the Science Congress was ■ brought to v closo to-day. The only sec- : tion left with anything to do •this nioxn- : ing was ihat ot agriculture. Tho business I was coucerning an important experiment as to anthrax, Mr J. jx. Gilruth attending to announce the results of inoculation, to complete the demonstration of this method of rendering innocuous virulent cultures of anthrax bacilli, and the production of immunity by inoculations of a mixed culture. On Monday Sir Gilruth inoculated four rabbits, two with the culture of pure anthrax. These rabbits had been repeatedly inoculated previously. Tho third rabbit was inoculated for the first time with anthrax, plus bacillus gaertner. Bacillus jraertner is the organism that causes entexic lever. Mr Gilruth procured this culture originally from the Neiley Military Hospital three years ago. The fourth" rabbit ■was inoculated with anthrax only, for the first time. This rabbit was used as a control to prove the viruknee of the culture; in other words, to sho%* that the anthrax had nob lest its strength. Tlw whole four were inoculated at about neon on iMonday; they w<?rt> kept under careful observation, daily, and no symptoms were, observed until about 4 p.m. yesterday, when No. 4 was noticed to be slightly drowsy. At 7.30 it was found to be dead, and in all probability had died about two hours previously. The- other three- were alive and kicking, and to-day seem to b? in norma.' health. Xo. 4 got the smallest dose of anthrax. Ihe post-mortem disclosed death by anthrax. Smears from the various origins and the blood showed the presence of the anthrax bacilli, thus demonstrating the cause of death. The point of the experiment is- the- discovery that the animals could be rendered immune to anthrax by the injection of the cultures of bacillus gaertner and cn>*rax. It is important to note that both tlie- cultures must be put in together, and at the one time from the same syringe. To make the subject immune an injection of one culture iv each leg is not sufficient, Mr Gilruth presented his demonstrations in a most clear manner. Th& result of this discovery and its value to.mankind, if confirmed, is simply incalculable, for anthnix is the disease coinincr.lv known as malignant, pustule, or wool-sorters' disease, and the legend lias it that it is of the same nature as the fifth Egyptian plague, which was a boil breaking f"rth with blains upon man and upan" beact. Mr Gilruth was asxsitd in tho <=.Tpc-riment and in the demonstration by Mr G. H. Barker, who is employed in Mr Gilnith's laboratory. Over twenty members of the Association went cv a geological excursion to Seaview this morning. Dr. P. Marshall acted as guide, and Mr W. H. Twolvctrees (Government Geologist of Tasmania) a-.id Mr lv. hpeight (Lecturer on Geology at the Canterbury College) were of the party. Dr Marshall pointed cut the sandstone, the ovenymi? basalts, the modern terrace and tho basalt pipes cf Black Head and St. Clair A little further away the party saw a fine intrusion of nepheline rocks, which was one of the principal objects of the excursion.

Thero was a very large gathering at the luncheon given by the Union Steam Ship Company on board its new steamer Manuka. The Chairman of Directors (the Hon. G. McLean) proponed the toast of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, couplsd with the name of the President, Professor David, who responded. Professor Baldwin Spencer proposed the Union Steam Ship Oompahy, coupled with th© name of Mr Mills, the general manager. In the course of his reply, Mr Mills stated that the company had ordered a steamer with turbine eiigina3 to trade between Melbourne and Launceston. There was very little doubt that the turbine had come to stay, and would take tho place cf the ordinary reciprocating engines. It was the intention of the directors of the company, should the turbine prove suitable for mercantile steamers, to procure another vessel of the same class as the Manuka, fitted with turbines, for the intercolonial trade, and also a turbine steamer for the trade between Lyttelton and Wellington. Hβ hoped to see these steamers in our waters within the nc-rt two or three years. During the last seven years the company added 25 new steamers to the fleet, aggregating a tonnage of over 50,000 tons. There were two, or perhaps three, other steamers to be added before the end of the current year, which -would bring the fleet up to a tonnage of 100,000 tons. Mr Mills mentioned that the expenditure of the company amounted to £1,250,000 a. year—that is, thtj company had to earn that snm befora the- directors could think of determining a dividend. Afternoon tea was afterwards dispensed to four or five hundred of tho members of the Association and their families. The visitors were shown all over the Manuka, which is to-night open tcpublic inspection. To-morrow morning there will be an expedition to the Heads, tinder Professor Benham, to trawl for oca- worms.