■oo 



NATURE 



L.NuVtMDEK iO, 1923 



I III th' 



canals 



(".iiial, jii-: 



1 li.ii.m' •■'|i' 



CC)inni.ui(l((l !i\ tli' 



of u lii» li ''i niillidii ,- 



area of ^\ nnllion .n'c> im 



plated. "t1.. tc.i.,! , ultiv;.tr 



cxceedi-'i i 



'• an adetjiiatc 



rrnnf !*tn)(;ture 



' ir cx- 



. r5 feet 



on each side. 



, ,• :.,„I of thf» 



/ 



works of 

 case wa'- 

 of th 



SUpCM ! 



disp(Mal 



snffiri/nii 



( ritn 



<l chiMeti wiui arbilrary atui ^utncUi 

 most important I^tin work at 

 Septuaginta ") receiving 



Vllhruiot. v/.M>.. 



iniUinii .lire- in I 



,n !r,,l, , I I,,. , 



t (iis- t ' * ■■ Ml liirtiifT 



area t Holm yard, 



iu:;li'iii acres, :t .v > i-\)\>:'\. \s ill luakc ■• ■• 



Ml'! M! iniiiiil I laiitioi) 111 f'>!lf>\vini; tii 



1 I merit ^Iry. if tu our 



I- I know ; 1 1: period inistry, 



I' iiic to \slii(li Mr Holmvard refers, will have to l>e filled 



^I'tl.rs 

 iiliili- 



AiiAi^ 1 N I I N' tli(^ jirinriyih' of ori^'aiiic cNMlntion is 

 still iiiiiliT [iiiltln (lisciissum in tlir I'niti-.l States 

 tliiiMi^h Mr. \\ . J. I'>r\an's eanipai^'n a,L;aiiist it. 

 1 lie lounial (if the W'ashiiij^ton .Xeadeiny nf Sciences 

 \.il lO, No. 13, October) contains the following 

 amusing comments by Dr. C. W. Stiles from the 

 Proceedings of the Biological Society of America, 

 which is affiliated with the Academy : " According 

 to Mr. Br>'an's premises, all germs wliich cause 

 disease must ha^'e been created in the l)eL;iniiing as 

 they exist to cla\-. if it is to be concedeil tliat these 

 germs were originally created in some form other 

 than as disease germs, the theory of evolution stands 

 admitted. Obviously, since Adam was the last 

 animal created and since the animals were not created 

 until after the plants, it is unthinkable that any of 

 the numerous germs which cause disease were created 

 after Adam. Since disease germs are dependent for 

 their existence upon animals and plants in which 

 they cause disease, it is clear that these germs could 

 not have been created or have existed prior to the 

 creation of their \ ictims. A challenge of this deduc- 

 tion would be an admission that the germs 'were not 

 created as they are to-day, but that they later 

 evolved into disease germs ; but this would be an 

 admission of evolution. Therefore, if Mr. Bryan's 

 challenge is to be accepted, we must conclude that 

 Adam harbored e\ery germ disease which is char- 

 acteristic of man or dependent on man for its life 

 cycle." 



A CRITICAL examination of Berthelot's work on 

 Arabic chemistry has been published by Mr. E. J. 

 Holmyard in Chemistry and Industry (Oct. 5 and 12). 

 The criticism is arranged under three headings, 

 dealing respectively with Berthelot's qualifications for 

 his task, with his choice of material, and with his 

 treatment of the material chosen. It is concluded 

 that Berthelot undoubtedly possessed the necessary 

 scientific qualifications, but was hampered by having 

 to rely on translations from the Arabic which were 

 not wholly accurate from a technical point of view. 

 He also devoted his attention to three points only, 

 namely, the Arabic originals of Latin works, to the 

 influence of the Greek alchemists, and to the works 

 of Jabir ibn Ha\-yan and their relation to the Latin 



NO. 2819, VOL. 112] 



m lielore .iliV (Ictllilli- < 1 UK 1 ilsion s (;iii !ic (ir;iv«.-ii a^ 

 to the l^. .;i 



t he J)r<)).il t--'-^ oi I 111 in ii .11 i liouu' M . ! I mi \ e\ en ihjw 



be asserted, however, that the jiidtiiiients of previous 



historians iiia\- r :on.s in several 



directions Altho ^hed Orientalists 



abroad, noial)l\- I'lot. i. W i«,-demann and Prof. 



Ruska, lia\c perform' d :;;■.-! \-alunble services in 

 the rcf^ioii of Arai 

 students is mm 1: ■ 



I)k. 111., , who 1. ;i,e 



scientific comnutiee directin;^ the (hemual exliibits 

 for the British Linpire I'xhibition at Wembley, in 

 the course of sorhe remarks made recently, stated that 

 the pure chemistry exhibit is being organ ><<-.l J^x- a 

 committee representni'^ all the relevai :ic 



societies, supported aivl i^reatly assisted i>\ liie 

 advice and co-operation of the Royal Society. The 

 intention is to produce an exhibit which will make 

 plain to the world what l-5ritish men of science have 

 done and are doin-^ to Ixiild up the science of chemistry 

 as it is known in the world to-dav. The pure 

 chemistry exhibit at Wembley should for ever 



destroy iln- iHn-ion \' 1 ii m h:'.' - "'^tihcation 



in the \\ ig and 



research m i u'Mii-m. 1- !"io.\ ii:- myuesi standard 

 of other countries. This would not have been true 

 in the same sense thirty years ago. The following 

 conveners have agreed to organise the various 

 sections of the chemical exhibit ~ st Ruther- 

 ford (structure of the atom), Pr Mclennan 

 (spectroscopy). Sir Henry Miers (cr>-stallogTaphy and 

 cr^'stal structure). Dr. A. Lapworth iv-ilen. \- theories 

 and theories of chemical coinhinatu Slater 

 Price (photography). Prof. 1', Ci. ! 

 physical chemistry), l>r. Alexandi ■ 

 weight determination), Mr. .\ ("lui 

 (analysis : hydrogen ion '"n. e-niation 

 Baly (general inorgaiv \ 

 fuel, and explosion n\ 

 F. L. Pyman (organic chemist r\ 



(biochemistry), Sir John 

 chemistr)'). Principal J. * 

 G. G. Henderson iterpones . 

 (plant colouring matters , Pr. 

 colouring ma 

 organic chem 

 E. F. Armsf 

 plosives I, Dr. \ 



K', 



I. T 



;,'eneral 

 atomic 

 :! I hapraan 

 Prof. E. C. C. 

 Smithells (flame, 

 lonrv and Prof. 

 Mr J. I.. Baker 

 .1 ' • If !i1t iiral 



Hewitt coal-tar 

 rhorpe (general 

 - 'cellulose), Dr. 



^ Reid (ex- 

 lommander 



