NA TURE 



56; 



SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1923. 

 CONTENTS. 



Scientific Papers and Books .... 



The Scope of Science. By F. S. Marvin 

 A Reconstruction of Polynesian Culture . 

 The Rise of Civilisations. By W. M. F. P. . 

 The Genetics of the Fowl. By F. A. E. C 

 Essence and Existence. By Prof. H. Wildon Carr 

 Evolving Biology ...... 



Natural History of Pheasants. By W. E. C. • 



Vitamins. By Sir W. M. Bayliss, F.R.S. 



The Atom of To-day. By R. H. Fowler 



The Physical Aspect of Physiology. By J. C. B 



and A. D. R. 



Organic Preparations By J. F. T. 



The Composition and Examination of Volatile Oils 



Low Temperature Carbonisation of Coal. By 



J. W. C. 



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Complex Space .... 

 George Westinghouse 

 Aristotle and Physical Science 

 A Survey of Scientific Literature 

 Our Bookshelf .... 



Letters to the Editor : — 



A Calculation of the Atomic Weights of Isotopes.— 



Dr. A. S. Russell 



The Measurement of Very High Temperature. — \. O 



Griffith 



Early Greek Chemistry. — Prof. J. R. Partington 

 The Musk-Ox in Arctic Islands. — Dr. Vilhjalmur 

 Stefansson .... 



Scientific Names of dreek Derivation. — Right Hon 



Sir Clifford Allbutt, K.C.B., F.R.S. 



The Problem of Leprosy. By L. R. 



The Geographical Position of the British Empire 



By Dr. Vaughan Cornish 

 The Sun and the Weather 

 Current Topics and Events 

 Our Astronomical Column 

 Research Items .... 



A Library List of Scientific Books ■ 

 The Zermatt Meeting of the Swiss Society of 

 Natural Science. By Dr Grace Chisholm Young 

 University and Educational Intelligence . 

 Societies and Academies ...... 



Diary of Societies ....... 



Advertisements and business letters should be 



addressed to the Publishers. 



Editorial communications to the Editor. 



Telegraphic Address: PHUSIS, LONDON. 

 Telephone Number: GERRARD 8830. 



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Editoruil and Pidliskin^ Offices : 



MACMILLAN £r CO , LTD., 



ST. MARTINS STREET. LONDON, W.C.2. 



Scientific Papers and Books. 



" Of making many books there is no end ; and 

 much study is a w^eariness of the flesh." 



ONE of the problems which scientific investigators 

 have to face is that of the great mass of literature 

 with which they are supposed to make themselves 

 familiar before they proceed along the road in which 

 their interests lie. It is almost impossible in these 

 days to keep in touch with everything published, even 

 in a single department of science, by all the scientific 

 societies and institutions of the world ; and the result 

 is that the announcement of an interesting observa- 

 tion or experiment is frequently followed by a claim 

 for priority from another worker in the same field. 

 Creative work of the first order is of course very 

 rarely anticipated in this way, but determinations of 

 properties, measurements of values, observations of 

 structures, records of particular effects, and so on, 

 are often duplicated and sometimes lead to discussions 

 into which unworthy imputations are introduced. 



Such publications as the International Catalogue of 

 Scientific Literature and the Royal Society Catalogue 

 are useful as guidance to what has been published on 

 various subjects or by different workers, and several 

 scientific societies pubHsh collections of abstracts 

 periodically, while the excellent Subject Index to 

 Periodicals issued by the Library Association pro- 

 vides a means of ready reference to the titles of many 

 papers worth attention. These and similar aids can- 

 not be neglected by investigators engaged in original 

 scientific work unless they are indifferent to what 

 has been done, or is being done, by others in the same 

 field. It is said that a government official who had 

 been largely responsible for securing a grant for the 

 International Catalogue of Scientific Literature once 

 asked a distinguished man of science whether the 

 Catalogue was very useful, and was astonished at the 

 reply : " I do not know, because I have never used it." 

 Few people engaged in research are, however, so 

 original that they can afford to take this risk ; for, 

 like wise inventors, they realise that unless they know 

 what has already been produced they may waste 

 much valuable time in doing something for which no 

 claim for originality can afterwards be substantiated. 



The numerous original papers which reach Nature 

 office every week in publications of societies and as 

 separate reprints, afford us an idea of the difficulty 

 in which every scientific investigator must find him- 

 self. We cannot attempt to do more than mention 

 a few points of prime importance or wide interest 

 selected from these papers ; for merely to give the 

 titles of them all would occupy several pages every 



NO. 2816, VOL. 112] 



