Foreword 



It was in 1899 that a group of public-spirited Bristol citizens established the 

 'University College Colston Society', whose chief aim was to assist the then young 

 and struggling University College. The Society was named after the noted seven- 

 teenth-century philanthropist and educationalist, Edward Colston. The Annual 

 Dinner of the Society soon came to be regarded as a function of considerable 

 importance in the life both of the University and of the community as a whole. 



It was at the Society's dinner in 1908 that the public announcement was made 

 of the gift of £100,000 by H. O. Wills to the University. The period of expansion 

 which was ushered in by this gift resulted finally in the granting of a Charter, and 

 the attainment by the University College of full university status. At this time too 

 the Society changed its name, became the 'Colston Research Society', and decided 

 to direct all its energies to the promotion of research. For twenty years it collected 

 annually an average sum of over £600 which was devoted to this end. In the decade 

 from 1929 to 1939 the activities and resources of the Society underwent considerable 

 expansion, and it not only continued to make research grants to University depart- 

 ments, but it also financed at considerable cost a social survey of Bristol. 



However, with the further rapid growth of the University in the post-war period 

 it became clear that the financial contribution of the Society was becoming less and 

 less important in relation to the very large funds which were needed by University 

 departments for their research work. Accordingly the Society decided once again on 

 a radical change of policy and resolved to devote the major part of its funds to the 

 promotion of an annual symposium. 



The rapid growth in popularity of the symposium as a means for the advancement 

 and stimulation of knowledge is one of the remarkable features of the intellectual 

 life of recent years. For this development there have been a number of interesting 

 and compelling reasons, all of which the Society carefully considered before embark- 

 ing on its new policy. This policy has already achieved a remarkable measure of 

 success; it has been a pioneer effort among the universities of Great Britain, and 

 represents a distinctive contribution on the part of Bristol University to the 

 cultural life of the country as a whole. 



A list of the subjects of the six previous symposia appears on the opposite page. 

 It will be seen that in arranging these symposia it is intended that they shall be 

 free to cover all fields of learning, provided that they are not too highly specialized, 

 but possess a reasonably wide appeal, and are at a sufficiently interesting stage of 

 development to make it likely that they will benefit by symposium treatment. 



As President of the Society for the year 1953-54 it was my privilege to preside 

 over the seventh symposium, on 'Recent Developments in Cell Physiology'. 



H. C. I. Rogers. 



