456 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



to meet in Toronto in 1924, and it is announced that $50,000 will be granted 

 to defray the expenses of visiting members and the costs of the meeting. 



It is stated that the Irish Provisional Government has closed the Royal 

 College of Science, Dublin, and put the building to military use. The 

 students have been instructed to attend classes at the National University. 



Capt. George Paget Thomson, who was recently appointed to succeed 

 Prof. C. Niven as Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of 

 Aberdeen, is the only son of Sir J.J. Thomson. He was lecturer in mathe- 

 matics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. 



The eleventh International Physiological Congress will be held in Edin- 

 burgh from July 23 to 27, 1923, Sir Edward Sharpey Schafer being President. 

 Those who desire to be enrolled as members are requested to send their 

 names, addresses, and subscriptions (255.) to the Department of Physiology, 

 University of Edinburgh, when particulars of hotels, lodgings, etc., and all 

 other necessary information will be sent to them. 



The Dutch Zoological Society held its fiftieth anniversary at Amsterdam 

 on September 24, at which Prof. J. F. Van Bemmelen, of the University 

 of Groningen, delivered an interesting address on the history of the Society. 

 Both Saccociriiis and Protodrilus have now been taken by Dr. J. H. 

 Orton in several places along the south coast of England. Dr. Orton points 

 out that these archiannelides are always found in association with the 

 planarian Gunda. 



Dr. Orton has been working on the sex life of the common oyster. He 

 has been able to show that in a very short time the male oyster may change 

 to a female. Apparently the temperature of the water is one of the factors 

 concerned, for in cold weather there is a production of sperms rather than 

 eggs. The whole matter must be viewed in the light of hermaphroditism in 

 a moUusca generally. 



It is such facts that have been obtained by Dr. Orton which show that 

 the sex chromosome hypothesis alone does not suffice to explain all the 

 facts of sex determination. Quite recently Prof. Gatenby, in conjunction with 

 Mr. Subba Rau, has reinvestigated the questions surrounding the structure 

 known as Bidder's Organ. In this material also evidence was adduced 

 which showed that the sex of amphibia was extremely unstable. 



Prof. H. H. Dixon, of Dublin University, in his presidential address to 

 Section K of the British Association at Hull on September 7, discussed 

 the question of the transport of organic substances in plants. He rules out 

 the participation of the bast in the longitudinal transport of organic sub- 

 stances in plants. He believes that the transport of the organic substances 

 needed in the distal growing regions is efiected through the tracheae of the 

 wood. The substances travel dissolved in the water, filling these channels, 

 which is moved by transpiration, expansion of the growing cells, or root 

 pressure. 



We are glad to see that Sir Ronald Ross is bringing out through Mr. 

 John Murray a new work entitled The Great Malaria Problem and its Solution. 

 This book will serve as a guide for those who wish to read of the discoveries 

 which have been made in relation to malaria and mosquitoes. 



What is probably a very important discovery has been made by Prof. 

 Drummond and Mr. Watson in connection with vitamin A in fats. 

 The well-known reaction is given by liver oils in the production of a purple 

 coloration when the oil is dissolved in an organic solvent and a drop of 

 sulphuric acid added ; this seems to have some connection with the presence of 

 vitamin A. Experiments which are known to destroy vitamin A also have 

 the effect of preventing the oils from giving this colour reaction. This work 

 is still in an unformed state, but further researches on it will be awaited 

 with interest. We take this opportunity of congratulating the senior author 

 on his promotion to a professorship in London University. 



