February 15, 19 12] 



NATURE 



121 



the principal to draw up a scheme for the better 

 instruction of engineering students. This he did, and 

 the scheme provided for the establishment of a 

 separate faculty of applied science, with its own chair 

 of mathematics. The principal then said that if Dr. 

 Bovey would remain his scheme would be carried into 

 effect as soon as funds permitted. Dr. Bovey agreed 

 to remain, and by constant and heroic struggles 

 during the next twenty-five years, he gradually built 

 up one of the finest engineering schools in the world. 



Money came in at first very slowly, and only Dr. 

 Bovey 's marvellous tact and the respect and affection 

 which he everywhere inspired enabled him to make 

 any headway with his scheme. At last he succeeded 

 in interesting Mr. (now Sir William) Macdonald, a 

 rich and respected Montreal merchant, in his plans. 

 This gentleman travelled with Dr. Bovey over the 

 United States in order to inspect the fine engineering 

 schools of that country. Dr. Bovey stimulated his 

 friend's Canadian patriotism by pointing out how far 

 behind Canada was in this matter. On their return 

 to Canada Sir William Macdonald announced his in- 

 tention of building and endowing the finest engineer- 

 ing school on the continent. This was Sir William 

 Macdonald's first important donation to McGill ; it 

 was followed by so many others that he can justly 

 be regarded as the second founder of the University. 

 At Dr. Bovey's suggestion. Sir William built and 

 equipped the splendid physical laboratory, and founded 

 the chair in physics, the two first occupants of which 

 have been Profs. Callendar and Rutherford. Dr. 

 Bovey adhered with unflinching firmness, in spite of 

 the grumbling of his more "practical" colleagues, to 

 the necessity of a thorough mathematical training for 

 engineering students ; and as the excellence of McGill 

 engineering graduates became known, they were so 

 much sought after that Dr. Bovey used to have on 

 his desk more offers of positions for his graduates 

 than his entire graduating class could occupy. 



As his success became evident, honours flowed in on 

 him. He was given honorary degrees, was elected 

 fellow of the Royal Society, honorary fellow of his 

 college at Cambridge, and he was finally, in 1908, 

 selected as first rector of the Imperial College of 

 Science and Technology. At that time the faculty 

 of applied science in McGill comprised more than 600 

 students, and was attracting men from all over 

 America, and even from England. Alas ! unknown 

 to Dr. Bovey himself, the fatal disease which was to 

 cut short his career had already fastened on him, and 

 his short tenure of the rectorship of the Imperial 

 College was a struggle against increasing ill-health 

 until his resignation in 1909. Nevertheless he did the 

 College invaluable service. Though a mathematician 

 and engineer, his sympathies were not confined to 

 those subjects ; he took the broadest view of the pos- 

 sible services of the College to science, and gave 

 cordial and effective support to the reorganisation 

 and re-equipment of the biological departments of the 

 College. 



Dr. Bovey married in 1882 Miss Emily Redpath, 

 a lady equally popular with himself, and a membor 

 of a leading Montreal family. He is survived by his 

 widow, two sons, and three daughters. The elder son 

 is pursuing a brilliant career at the Montreal Bar; 

 the younger is a King's scholar at Westminster. No 

 words could do justice to the attractiveness of Dr. 

 Bovey's character. His sympathy, wise counsel, and 

 practical helpfulness will long live in the memory of 

 his friends, amongst whom were all the junior mem- 

 bers of his staff in McGill, and especially those new 

 to Canadian life. To those who, like the writer, were 

 privileged to enjoy his intimate friendship, his death 

 is an irreparable loss. E. W. M. 



NO. 2207, VOL. 881 



SIR WILLIAM ALLCHIN. 

 CIR WILLIAM ALLCHIN died in a nursing home 

 •^ in London on February 8, in his sixty-sixth year, 

 sorne days after an operation and after several months 

 of illness. The son of a doctor in Bayswater, he was, 

 like his father, educated medically at University 

 College Hospital. After being medical officer to the 

 s.s. Great Eastern, which was employed in laying the 

 submarine cable, he became assistant physician, and 

 subsequently dean of the medical school at the West- 

 minster hospital, with which he remained connected 

 in the capacities of physician, consulting physician, 

 and vice-president until his death. He was also con- 

 sulting physician to the Victoria Hospital for Children, 

 the Western Dispensary, and the St. Marylebone 

 General Dispensary. He played a very active part in 

 medicine in London, holding numerous offices and 

 lectureships at the Royal College of Physicians, and 

 at the Medical Society of London, of which he was 

 president in 1901-2. He contributed articles mainly 

 on abdominal diseases to standard works on medicine, 

 such as AUbutt's "System of Medicine," Quain's 

 Dictionary and the " Encyclopaedia Medica/' and 

 edited, for Messrs. Macmillan, "A Manual of Medi- 

 cine," in five volumes, the last of which appeared in 

 1903. His distinction as a physician was shown by 

 his appointment as Physician Extraordinarv to H.M. 

 the King. 



Sir William AUchin devoted much time and trouble 

 to the University of London, and had an exhaustive 

 knowledge of the tangled problems which have exer- 

 cised medical educationists during the last twenty-five 

 years. He was the representative of the Royal College 

 of Physicians on the Senate of the University of 

 London from 1902 to 1910, and probably his last 

 appearance in public was as a witness before the 

 Royal Commission on University Education in London 

 in July, 191 1, when he gave expression to his own 

 views based on forty-five years' experience, during 

 which he had been actively concerned in medical 

 education and examinations. 



At various times he examined at the Universities 

 of London, Durham, and Glasgow, at the Conjoint 

 Board of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Sur- 

 geons, for the Naval, the Army, and the Indian 

 Medical Services, and was also a member of the 

 Advisory Medical Board of the Admiralty. He had 

 a considerable knowledge of old medical books, and 

 did much in arranging the library of the Medical 

 •Society of London, of which he was honorary' librarian 

 for eighteen years. He was also a high authority on 

 precedence. He was not an original thinker or in- 

 vestigator, but his Judicial mind, high standards, and 

 conscientious devotion to the somewhat tedious work 

 of committees have been of great value to the cause 

 of medical education. H. D. R. 



NOTES. 

 Wb notice with the deepest regret the .announcement of 

 th>> death of Lord Lister, on Febru.iry 10, in his eighty- 

 fifth year. .\r\ acrount of his work appeared in our series 

 of " Scientific Wortliirs " on May 7, 1896, and we hope to 

 supplement this iu\! \\'l< with a further appreciative 

 statement of his services to science and humanity. The 

 King has sent a message of sympathy to Lord Lister's 

 family. Queen Alexandra and other members of the Royal 

 Family have sent telegrams also, Queen Alexandra's 

 message being in the following terms : — " Pray accept my 

 most sincere sympathy in the great loss which the whole 

 nation shares at the death of Lord Lister, whose name will 

 ever be honoured and gratefully remembered as that of 



