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NA TURE 



[August 25, 1923 



characterised by exact figures. He has expounded the 

 system in various works on colours, and it has already 

 led to the foundation of an institute for colour 

 investigation in Dresden. The numerous pupils and 

 friends of Ostwald rejoice in the work of their leader 

 and offer him their tribute of esteem. 



The second triennial Pan-Pacific Science Congress, 

 which opened at Melbourne on August 13, is being 

 held under the auspices of the Australian National 

 Research Council and with the support of the 

 Commonwealth and State Governments. The first 

 congress was held in Honolulu in 1920, and the third 

 will be held in some other country bordering on the 

 Pacific. The object of these congresses is the pro- 

 motion of the study of scientific problems of common 

 interest, and the meetings form part of a general 

 plan aiming at the maintenance of harmonious 

 relations between all the countries within and border- 

 ing the Pacific region. In addition, therefore, to 

 representatives from Great Britain and various parts 

 of the Empire, distinguished men of science from the 

 United States, Japan, and Formosa, the Netherlands, 

 Dutch East Indies, and other countries are attending 

 the Melbourne congress. Among the subjects under 

 discussion are : irrigation problems ; agricultural 

 education and research ; genetics, with special 

 reference to the improvement of farm animals ; 

 organisation of research among the natives of the 

 islands of the Pacific. (A strong effort will be made 

 to obtain from ethnologists agreement as to a definite 

 and practical scheme for the investigation at once of 

 the fast-disappearing races in those islands in which 

 Australia is especially interested. If such a scheme 

 can be devised it will be laid before the Commonwealth 

 Government with an urgent plea that it be put into 

 effect at once) ; introduced pests and natural enemies ; 

 paper pulp : Australian possibilities ; meteorology 

 of the Pacific ; terrestrial magnetism in Pacific 

 regions ; value of hydrographical work of the Royal 

 Navy, and Australia's responsibility to continue it ; 

 survey of the Great Barrier Reef ; international 

 notification of animal diseases ; hygiene of Pacific 

 Region ; fisheries and marine biological stations ; 

 parasitological problems, etc. We hope to give an 

 account of the proceedings of the congress in a future 

 issue. 



A SPECIAL number of the Revue Scientifique was 

 published on July 28, under the title of " L'CEuvre 

 de Pasteur et ses consequences." We may regard it 

 as the complement of the special Pasteur number of 

 Nature : but it goes further afield. It contains 

 many articles by writers of great authority : and it 

 represents the devotion of all France to Pasteur's 

 memory. He lived and worked for France, and wore 

 out his life for her. His work was for the good of the 

 world. Still, it was for the honour and glory of 

 France : that was his revenge, after 1870, to set 

 France high above Germany in a vast domain of 

 science. Every year we in Great Britain, though 

 we are grateful to him, are living under this disgrace, 

 that we have no monument or memorial to him, to 

 show our sense of gratitude for all that we have 

 learned from him. Among the articles in this number 



NO. 2808, VOL. 112] 



of the Revue Scientifique are two of remarkable 

 interest. One is on the predestined course of his 

 discoveries, " L'Enchalnement des d^couvertes de 

 Pasteur," There is no end to the wonder of this 

 orderly and inevitable enchainment of discoveries 

 The other article is " Pasteur et la Maternity." h 

 tells the story of Semmelweis and his defeat : and 

 the story of Tamier's work, who in one year saw, in 

 the Maternity de Paris, 132 women, out of 2237, <l»e 

 of puerperal fever : indeed, in May. out of 31 admitte'i 

 for confinement, 30 went out dead. Then, th- 

 wearisome debating and theorising, up to that da>- 

 in 1879, March 11, in the Acaddmie de Medecinc, 

 when Hervieux poked fun at the notion that puerperal 

 fever was caused by germs, and Pasteur went up to 

 the blackboard and sketched streptococcus on it, saying, 

 "Tenez, voici sa figure." We see, by an advertise- 

 ment in the Revue Scientifique, that copies of Aronson's 

 bust of Pasteur can be had at prices according to size. 

 Surely, some English shops ought to stock this bust. 

 But where is our proper memorial of Pasteur in 

 London ? 



A SEVERE typhoon was experienced at Hong-kong 

 on Saturday, August 18, and much damage occurred, 

 accompanied with loss of life. The wind is said to 

 have attained a velocity of 130 miles an hour, which 

 is stated to be the highest on record, and the baro- 

 meter fell to 28-66 in., said to be the lowest reading 

 on record at Hong-kong. In two hours, from 9 to 

 II A.M., during the height of the storm the rainfall 

 amounted to about 5 inches. Good notice was given 

 of the approach of the typhoon, which was first 

 reported on August 11, from Guahan, Ladrone Islands, 

 in the North Pacific. The progress of the typhoon 

 was about 270 miles a day to the west-north-west. 

 Later reports fortunately state that Hong-kong has 

 suffered far less than might have been expected, but 

 the typhoon warning was again hoisted on August 20. 

 Typhoons are regularly warned at Hong-kong by 

 those in charge at the Royal Observatory. 



In the General Electric Review of America for 

 August there is a complete technical description of 

 the latest broadcasting station in New York. It is 

 termed " Broadcast Central " and operates under the 

 call letters WJY and WJZ. It was opened on May 15 

 and can be heard by radio listeners on the eastern 

 side of the United States. It has " two channel " 

 operation, so that it transmits two different pro- 

 grammes simultaneously. WJY, called the " jazz " 

 channel, operates on a wave-length of 405 metres 

 and broadcasts popular music, news, lectures, etc. 

 The WJZ channel operates on a wave-length of 455 

 metres and broadcasts operatic and classical music. 

 Both the studios are on the sixth floor of the ^EoUan 

 Hall, which is in the centre of New York City. As 

 concerts and recitals are always being given in this 

 hall, arrangements have been made to broadcast them. 

 Special line wires also have been run to the more 

 important theatres and hotels, so that outside per- 

 formances can be readily transmitted. The antenna 

 are strung from two 120-foot towers located on the 

 roof at a distance of 175 feet apart and form two 



