NA TURE 



349 



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1923. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



349 



Inventors and Patents 



The Social Influence of the Internal Combustion 



Engine. By H. E. W. 350 



The Secret of Life. By Prof. F. G. Donnan, F.R.S. 352 

 The Geological'Description of Britain. By G. A. J. C. 354 



Medical Science in the War 355 



The Foundations of Future Psychology. By Prof. 

 John Laird ........ 356 



Our Bookshelf 357 



Letters to the Editor :— 



On the Regularities of the Spectral Lines of Iron and 



the Atomic Magnetic Field. — Prof. H. Nagaoka 



and Y. Sugiura ..... 



Embryology and Use-Inheritance. — Prof. E. W 



MacBride, F.R.S. ; Sir Arthur Keith, F.R.S 



Solar Activity and Atmospheric Electricity. — Dr. C 



Chree, F.R.S 



Colour Vision and Colour Vision Theories. — Prof. 



W. Peddie 



The Phosphate Deposit of Ocean Island. — Launcelot 



Owen ; The Writer of the Note 

 The Metric Campaign. — Hy. Harries . 

 Direction of /3-rays produced by Polarised X-rays. — 



Prof. F. W. Bubb 



Proposed International Survey of the Sky. — C. J. P 

 Cave ....... 



Gaseous Ccmbustion at High Pressures. (IVtiA 



Diagrams.) By Prof. W. A. Bone, F.R.S. . 

 Current Topics and Events .... 



Our Astronomical Column .... 



Research Items ...... 



The Gaseous Nebulae. By J. H. Reynolds 



Plants in Relation to the Health of Man . 



The Liverpool Meeting of the British Association 



Relativity and Theory of Knowledge 



Pan-Pacific Science Congress, Australia, 1923. By 



Prof. A. C. D. Rivett 378 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . 379 

 Societies and Academies ...... 380 



Official Publications Received 380 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



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Advertisements and business letters should be 



addressed to the Publishers. 



Editorial communications to the Editor. 



359 



359 



361 



362 



362 

 363 



363 



363 



364 

 370 

 372 



373 

 375 

 376 

 377 

 377 



Telegraphic Address: PHUSIS, LONDON. 

 Telephone Number : GERRARD 8830. 



Inventors and Patents. 



THE relations which exist between an employer 

 and his employee as regards patents for inven- 

 tions are well known and, on the whole, are just and 

 stand the test of time. On our part, we are always 

 ready, and indeed anxious, to uphold the rights of 

 inventors ; none the less so when the inventor happens 

 also to be an employee. That there have been acts of 

 injustice towards the employee is notorious, and that 

 an inventor occasionally suffers at the hands of his 

 employer is beyond dispute. It is well, therefore, to be 

 reminded from time to time of the employee's views, if 

 only to seek opportunity for the removal of hardship 

 under which the employee-inventor may labour. To 

 his grievances a short article by Mr. P. Freedman is 

 devoted in the July-August number of the Scientific 

 Worker, where, by a series of selected examples, there is 

 advanced " a rough but true picture of the present 

 trials of the needy inventor who is an employee of a 

 private firm." 



The details, however, of these examples, whereby 

 the conclusions which have been drawn from them 

 may be checked, are wholly absent. But without 

 impugning in any way the accuracy of the examples, 

 considerable experience suggests that the addition 

 which inventors make to the stock of public knowledge 

 is often neither so great in amount nor so important 

 in extent as inventors would have us believe. Many 

 a brilliant idea proves to be almost valueless to the 

 community unless means for presenting it in practical 

 form are devised by those whose everyday business 

 is the immediate satisfaction of the public wants. 

 Employers, as is said, must live, and it is to their 

 interest to adopt the latest and most efficient devices 

 irrespective of the quarters in which they arise. 

 The subtle and elusive quality of inventiveness is 

 such as to require all the efforts of employers to stimu- 

 late its exhibition by those in their employ. Harsh 

 and inequitable treatment of employees conduces to 

 the satisfaction of neither party. In short, mutuality 

 in aim with due regard to the dictates of justice are, 

 in the long run, found to pay. 



In the same article the suggestion is put forward for 

 a patents committee to be set up to report upon novel 

 ideas, the members of the committee being thoroughly 

 able technical men and men of high reputation. The 

 good opinion of this body would enable the inventor " to 

 obtain financial backing for his idea and free him from 

 rank robbery." It would also help, it is said, in bring- 

 ing the inventor into touch with those who might assist 

 him in furthering his aims. The author of the article 

 deliberately abstains from elaborating the scheme in 

 detail, but in this matter urges energetic action 



NO. 2810, VOL. I 12] 



