NA TURE 



609 



I 



SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1923. 



CONTENTS. 



Science and the State 609 



Officialism in Education ...... 610 



The Lister Ward of Glasgow Royal Infirmary . 6io 

 The New Anthropology . . . . . .611 



Glass-making in England. By Prof. W. E S. 



Turner ........ 612 



Fungi and their Spores ...... 614 



Geodesy and Geodynamics . . . . .614 



Our Bookshelf 615 



Letters to the Editor : — 



X-rays and Crystal Symmetry. — Sir W. H. Bragg, 



K.B.E., F.R.S 618 



The Optical .Sjjectrum of Hafnium. — Prof. H. M. 



Hansen and Dr. S. Werner .... 618 

 The Isotopes of Lead. — Dr. A. S. Russell . .619 

 Problems of llydrone and Water : the Orii^in of 

 Electricity in Thunderstorms. — Dr. G. C. 



Simpson, F.R.S 620 



The Occurrence of Urease. — Prof. Henry E. 



Armstrong, F.R.S. . . . 620 

 Colour \'isii)n and Colour \"ision Theories. — Prof. 



W Peddie 621 



Scxu.il Physiology. — Dr. C. Shearer; The Reviewer 621 

 Numerical Relations belwetii l'"undamental Constants. 



-Prof. H. S. Allen 622 



Insects in Korean .Vniber. — Prof. T. D. A. Cockerel! 622 



Tidal hissi; •; <• '• -v.— Dr. Harold Jeffreys 622 



Kc|irilcnt. .—Reginald G. Johnston; 



E. E. A 622 



Amanita initscaria on Hampstead llcali. — Dr. O. 



Rosenheim ....... 622 



Boskop Remains from the South-east African Coast. 



[J. /intra/,;,/.} P,y Prof. Raymond A. Dart . . 623 

 Insulin and its Value in Medicine. P.v Prof. J. J. R. 



Macleod, F.R.S. ' . 625 



The Origin of Petroleum .... 627 



Obituary : 



Dr. Herbert McLeod, F.R.S 628 



Dr. Arthur A. Rambaut, F.R.S. Py J. L. E D. 628 

 Dr. J. A. Harker, O.B.E,, F.R.S. P.y Dr. G. 



W. C. Kaye .629 



Current Topics and Events . , 630 



Our Astronomical Column ... 632 



Research Items ...... 633 



Second Triennial Pan-Pacific Science Congress 



Hy A C. D. R 635 



Diseases of Fruit in Storage . . . 636 



The New Mechanics .... 637 



University and Educational Intelligence . . 63S 



Societies and Academies ..... 63<S 



Official Publications Received ... O40 



Diary of Societies . O40 



Recent Scientific and Technical Books . . Supp. v 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



MACMILLAN £r CO., LTD., 



ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C.2. 



Telegraphic Address: PHUSIS, LONDON. 

 Telephcne Number ■ GERRARD 8830. 



A 



Science and the State. 



T the session of the Imperial Economic Con- 

 ference on October 16, Lord SaHsbury, Lord 

 President of the Council, made a statement witli regard 

 to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 

 In the course of his remarks he said that it has become 

 more and more accepted that the business of research is 

 really an essential element in the industrial progress of 

 the country. Notwithstanding that we all believe in 

 private enterprise, a measure of Government inter- 

 vention and research is requisite in this, as in inanv 

 other things. 



There are several phases of research which the Re- 

 search Department has under its purview ; for example, 

 maintenance of industrial and commercial standards, 

 work for Government services, and research for in- 

 dustrial purposes. As regards industrial researt h. while 

 it is likely that the work of private enteriMisf will be 

 more efficient than that of a Government department, 

 on the other hand the Governnirm possesses certain 

 advantages. For example, the State can aflord to 

 finance researches which may prove to be so protracted 

 as to be beyond the scope of private enterprise. Again, 

 the Government has at its command an immense mass 

 of accumulated knowledge. Thirdly, and this point of 

 Lord Salisbury's is one uhi. h rails for comment, tluic is 

 a large number of scicnlifu nun who arc willing to work 

 for the Government at lar Ics.s than would be the re- 

 muneration of their great talents, and are willing through 

 the Government to place their knowledge at the service 

 of the community. Jl" l.tn-ii Sali-lnir) iinj)lic.s hv this 

 that the G()\crnni(nt i> wiUin,: and ready to trade upon 

 the patriotism ol a rcscaix h worktr. or upon his desire 

 for the security of tenure whi( h is sn \ iial il lu is to do 

 good work, then it is truly a ikplorable statement. Too 

 often is it assumed that s« it iitific men should be ex- 

 pect! d t(i \sork for tln' CmM nunent at less tliao would 

 be thr just rnnuncratinii dl their srr\'ii\\s. tlioiiLih 

 rarely are the n)ciTciiar\- adxanlagcs ol thr mu' siihd 

 arrangement so haldl\- claimed In- a n .■^punsihlc 

 Minister. 



Lord Sali.^luirx wmt on to refer to the National 

 Physical I.aliiii-.itnrv as the (Hit>taiidiii/ iliii-.; laiion of 

 t' ' I'ccss ol what i!i till' Iiiiil; niii i- prohaliK- the 

 ' element id pini^ro^ m nKhistrw and thai is 

 research by the (inMrnincni itxlt lur industiial |iur- 

 poses. He stressed al.so as (d Inipirial inipurtaiirc 

 the work id the Forest Produi-t-. lizard in innncxinn 

 with tinilirr, ,ind of tlic l-'ood 1; n i'.nard 



on the transpiirl (d Iniit (ucisci.,. l.,,.w ."^ah^lun'v 

 concluded l'\ |ia\in^ a trihntc to the Inisiiuss- 

 like and economiral aihniiUNtiaiidn n| tlic Ri'si'arch 

 Department. 



NO. 2817, VOL. I 12] 



