254 



NATURE 



[August i8, 1923 



Science in Poland.* 



TN 1881 the Mianowski Institution was founded at 

 Warsaw with the object of promoting the interests 

 of science in Poland. During many years the Institu- 

 tion had to struggle with the suspicious hostihty of the 

 Russian Government ; notwithstanding bureaucratic 

 cavil and quibble, the Institution edited between 1881 

 and 1916 more than 1000 volumes of scientific publi- 

 cations (originally written in Polish or translated), 

 assisted hundreds of Polish scientific men in their 

 work, subsidised various laboratories and research 

 institutes, and accomplished much other valuable 

 scientific and national work. 



In igi8 and 1919, as soon as Poland was free, the 

 influence and activity of the Institution expanded in 

 a most satisfactory manner. In 1920 a meeting of 

 533 Polish men of science, coming from all parts of the 

 country, was held at Warsaw, under the auspices of 

 the Institution, with the object of considering, from 

 various points of view, the needs and claims of science 

 in Poland and the immediate prospects of intellectual 

 development of the country. Volume 3 of " Nauka 

 Polska" contains most of the addresses delivered at 

 the Congress. It deals, of course, with many subjects 

 treated by different writers in a variety of tone 

 and of style; it is impossible, however, not to be 

 struck with the glowing patriotic enthusiasm and 

 the noble attachment to the cause of science shown 

 in its pages. 



In the inaugural address Prof. Jan Rozwadowski, 

 professor of comparative linguistics in the Jagel- 

 lonian University of Cracow, takes an uncommon and 

 highly interesting view of " Science and Life." Prof. 

 Rozwadowski would almost suggest that even science 

 may countenance much that is superficial, futile, 

 irrelevant, and sometimes even insincere. Of acute 

 criticism scientific men are rarely tolerant; yet 

 this address, even if it contains debatable matter, 

 shows delightfully how little right they have to throw 

 stones at indifferent or ignorant outsiders. The width 

 of thought, the balance and wisdom shown in this 

 lecture are very remarkable. 



It is impossible in a short article to deal with the 

 wide range of discussion contained in other essays ; 

 we must content ourselves with enumerating some 

 further titles. " Independence of Science and Re- 

 search,'' " Science and Education," " Science and 

 Art," " Social Aspects of Science," " Science and 

 the State," " Organisation of Scientific Research," 

 "Polish Physiography," "Science and Economic 

 Life," " Polish and International Science" — such are 

 the subjects treated by various writers in an inter- 

 esting or inspiring manner. 



The fourth volume of " Nauka Polska " contains 

 much that is valuable and interesting both in matter 

 and scope. Reference may be made to a collection 

 (pp. 81-286) of essays discussing the prospects and 

 possibilities of scientific research in small towns or in 

 the country, far away from libraries, laboratories, and 

 the inspiring influence of university surroundings. 

 Eighteen authors present us with a survey of scientific 

 work that can be accomplished in remote parts of a 

 large country such as Poland. Particularly valuable 

 is Prof. Banachiewicz's contribution on "Amateur 

 Astronomy," an article remarkable for the ability 

 with which a variety of sound information has been 

 epitomised, technical language, as far as possible, 

 being avoided. In a very interesting essay Prof. 

 Birkenmajer gives a list of gifts and benefactions to 

 the Jagellonian University of Cracow in the fifteenth 



' " Nauka polska, jej potrzeby, organizacja i rozwoj," vol. iii. pp. 

 V1114-280, vol. iv. pp. ix + 590. (Warsaw: The Mianowski Institution, 

 1920 and 1923 .) 



NO. 2807, VOL. 112] 



and sixteenth century, beginning with the gift by 

 Queen Jadwiga of Poland, in 1399. of her jewels and 

 other precious objects for the re-erection and endow- 

 ment of the Jagellonian University, founded by her 

 grandfather in 1364. This noble example was followed 

 by many later benefactors. Another noteworthy 

 feature of the volume is a short but very suggestive 

 essay by Prof. Rozwadowski on " Science, Art, and 

 Religious Belief." We notice also the following con- 

 tributions : " National and International Science," by 

 Prof. Gawroilski ; " Longevity of Chemists " (and par- 

 ticularly of Polish chemists), by Prof. T. Zawidzki ; 

 "Organisation of Science in France and the United 

 States of N. America," by Messrs. Drzewiecki and 

 Znaniecki. 



In conclusion we can only say that we have laid 

 down these volumes with a feeling of real sympathy 

 and warm appreciation. 



Formation of Organic Compounds from 

 Inorganic by the Influence of Light. 



"T^R. O. BAUDISCH contributes to Science of 

 -*-^ April 20 a very interesting account of work 

 carried out by him on the photo-chemical production 

 of organic nitrogen compounds and the influence of 

 iron on nitrate reduction. 



The purely chemical investigations originated from 

 bacteriological experiments in which the author found 

 that, in the case of cholera bacilli, the reduction of 

 nitrates stands in direct relation to the oxygen 

 respiration of the bacteria and also to their iron 

 content. A somewhat analogous catalytic effect was 

 discovered in investigating the reduction of nitrites 

 by means of glucose in carbonate solution. Although 

 no reaction takes place, even on heating under 

 pressure, in the absence of iron, the smallest trace of 

 an iron salt is sufficient to bring about the reduction 

 of a large amount of nitrite. Under these conditions 

 nitrates remain entirely unattacked, but are in- 

 stantaneously reduced to nitrites even in the cold 

 in the presence of oxygen and ferrous salts, an 

 observation of considerable importance in connexion 

 with biological reduction processes. 



In contact with moist air, ferrous bicarbonate 

 rapidly absorbs oxygen, yielding a labile peroxide 

 compound, a reaction which the author compares 

 to the fertilisation of an ovum. This is capable of 

 forming a co-ordinated complex with the p>otassium 

 nitrate, which then splits off an oxygen atom. Re- 

 duction of the nitrite is then assumed to proceed 

 further to the extremely reactive potassium nitrosyl, 

 K(NO), which at the same time reacts with organic 

 substances present, especially aldehydes, to form 

 carbon and nitrogen containing compounds. In this 

 reaction ferrous bicarbonate and oxygen assume the 

 role of light. 



Ferrous bicarbonate peroxide is also capable of 

 giving up the loosely linked oxygen molecule to 

 oxidisable compounds, just as haemoglobin absorbs 

 oxygen and gives it back again for oxidation or de- 

 hydrogenation processes. The reaction is selective 

 and depends upon the affinity of the compound to be 

 oxidised, to form co-ordination compounds with the 

 iron. 



A comparison is drawn between the processes out- 

 lined above and the reducing action of soil bacteria, 

 and it is concluded that the chemical reactions are, 

 in both cases, very similar. The bacteria which do 

 not need light most probably use the energ>^ of the 

 iron peroxide in rendering nitrates available for 

 protein formation. 



