PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 313 



shorter wave-length than those at present used, on ordinary physical 

 grounds it should be possible to obtain increased resolution. These 

 possibilities were clearly defined in the original paper, and no claims were 

 made other than those to be expected on theoretical grounds. 



Dr. Shillington Scales said that he was not sorry to have an oppor- 

 tunity of making a remark, if Mr. Heron-Allen would forgive him. 

 The latter had been speaking with much hope of the future of X-rays 

 as applied to microscopy, bub he thought it wise to utter a word of 

 warning. Mr. Barnard had also allowed himself to indulge in some 

 flights of anticipation in regard to the future, but Mr. Barnard would 

 probably agree with him that at the present time there was no sign of 

 the realization of this hope. Granted that X-rays were of exceedingly 

 short wave-lengtb, they could not utilize such wave-lengths until they 

 succeeded in getting adequate magnification for the purpose, and though 

 they had succeeded under favourable conditions in reflecting and in a sense 

 '• refracting " X-rays, at present such refraction and reflection was much too 

 small to enable one to count with any confidence on being able to obtain 

 the high magnification required to use X-rays as a means of " resolution," 

 and it remained a fascinating speculation. Before sitting down he 

 wished to thank Mr. Heron-Allen for the beautiful slides he had shown 

 that evening, and for the interesting demonstration he had given. 



Mr. Rheinberg said that as regards the controversy concerning 

 Mr. Barnard's paper, he thought that there was a good deal of miscon- 

 ception about, which might be avoided if it were remembered that that 

 paper, as he understood it, consisted of two water-tight compartments — 

 the one dealing with the possibilities for increasing the resolving power 

 of the Microscope, which X-rays, owing to their short wave-length and 

 their newly established optical properties, opened out ; the other dealing 

 with an improved method of producing skiagrams of microscopic objects. 



As to the first, despite the great difficulties to be overcome, it 

 appeared to him a perfectly safe prophecy that the future of microscopy 

 so far as concerns increased resolving power would move in that 

 direction. 



As regards the second, it was Mr. Pierre Goby who had, he believed, 

 been the first to make micro-radiograms of Foraminifera and other 

 microscopic objects, and a report of his paper, together with illustrations, 

 would be found in their own journal* Mr. Barnard bad considerably 

 improved on Goby's methods, as the remarkably fine results showed. 

 Their value had been demonstrated in the course of Mr. Heron-Allen's 

 most interesting demonstration, but it lay in quite other directions than 

 that of resolving power, which the method in question never aimed at. 

 In regard to that particular point he was in agreement with Mr. Earland 

 that it amounted to the same thing as high eye-piecing. 



Dr. J. Rudd Leeson pointed out the wonderful thought and light 

 which had been thrown upon this "conscious" process by what they had 

 just seen and heard. There were two kinds of acts ; there was the act 

 without purpose and the act with a purpose — the act of a baby moving- 

 its legs and of a man in a fit was without purpose ; but all other living 



* Journ. Roy. Micr. Soc, 1913, p. 373, pi. xvii. 



