NOTES 463 



with Sir Ray Lankester's journal, will have noted how kindly he advised and 

 criticised, and with what ease he commanded many branches of biology. 



We congratulate Sir Ray Lankester on his splendid work, and we express the 

 hope that he may continue for many years longer as editor of the Quarterly 

 Journal. 



Gustav Retzius (J. B. G.) 



Recently we noted with regret the death of Professor Gustav Retzius, the 

 distinguished Swedish biologist. Retzius was well known for his studies on many 

 biological subjects of a widely different nature. He personally published a journal 

 known as the Biologische Untersuchungen, and apparently no cost was spared in 

 the production of this work. While Retzius observed many natural objects, it 

 cannot be said that his knowledge of them was very deep ; his work on the brain, 

 and on gametogenesis, are examples of this. His best labours were in the 

 preparation of materials which were beautifully drawn by his artists, and then 

 shortly described by Retzius himself. 



Gustav Retzius and his wife were extremely hospitable and charming people, 

 and his death will be lamented by many friends, and by admirers of his work. 



Awards for Medical Discovery 



The Conjoint Committee of the British Science Guild and the British Medical 

 Association, to which we referred in our last issue, met on November 4, Sir Alfred 

 Keogh taking the Chair. The Committee decided to call itself the Conjoint 

 Committee on Awards for Medical Discovery, and issued various letters asking 

 for further information. It also decided to consider recent medical discoveries 

 which merit public recognition, and Colonel Sir Ronald Ross was asked to draw 

 up a Report on the subject containing information given by the various members. 



Readers of Science Progress will remember that just before the war Sir 

 Ronald Ross submitted a Petition to Parliament asking for compensation for 

 losses on professional emoluments due to continuous work for many years on 

 the subject of malaria. Such petitions have to pass through the Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer and are always held up at first. He took no further action in 

 the matter during the war, but is now preparing to submit the Petition again. If 

 accepted, it is likely to have the widest influence on medical investigation in the 

 future. The Petition was framed on the precedent of Edward Jenner, who was 

 awarded similar compensation by Parliament early in last century. 



Real-Politics 



The world has heard a great deal of various kinds of politics. For example, 

 there is World-Politics — which has recently cost the lives of about seven million 

 men. Then there is Class-Politics — which has ruined the great country which 

 used to be called Russia. Thirdly, there is Party-Politics— which, by its mis- 

 management of the early part of the war has created a debt of about eight 

 thousand million pounds for this country. But, in addition, there is a form of 

 politics which may be called Real-Politics — a purely scientific kind of politics, 

 the object of which is to organise prosperity. Nobody thinks of this poor 

 Cinderella, except a few men here and there. Lord Leverhulme is one of these, 



