NA TURE 



781 



CONTENTS. 



Industrial Science .781 



Popular Astronomy ...... 783 



Oceanography. By Dr. Jobs. Schmidt • • 784 



Preventive Medicine ...... 785 



Our Bookshelf 787 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Dutch FentJulum Observations in Submarines. — Dr. 



J. J. A. Muller 788 



The True Relation of Einstein's to Newton's Equations 



of Motion.— Dr. LudwikSilberstein . . 788 



The Influence of Barometric Pressure on the Specific 

 Gravity of the Surface Water in Indian Seas. 

 {With Diagrams.) — Major R. B. Seymour 



Sewell 789 



Spectral Series in the Oxygen Group. — Profs. J. J. 



Hopfield and R. T. Birge . • • .79° 

 Identification of Pure Organic Compounds. — W. A. 



Silvester ; J. F. T 79i 



Amanita tiiuscaria on Hampstead Heath. — J. 



Ramsbottom 79 ^ 



Insecticides. — Lp. de Costobadie ; Dr. James 



Ritchie ; Fredk. J. Stubbs . • -791 



A Suggested Modification of " Proton" to " Prouton" 

 as a Memorial to William Prout.— Prof. Arthur 



Wesley Browne 793 



An Uncommon Type of Cloud. — G. M. B. Dobson ; 



Dr. William J. S. Lockyer • • • -793 

 National Certificates in Chemistry. — Richard B. 



Pilcher ; The Writer of the Article . . 793 



Zoological Bil)liography.— T. Sheppard ; Dr. F. A. 



Bather, F.R.S -794 



A Standard System for Scientific and Technical 



Publications.— J. F. Pownall .... 794 

 A Fossil Caddis-case.— Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell 794 

 Hormones. By Prof. E. H. Starling, C.M.G., 



F.R.S 795 



The Equation of Van der Waals. By J. H. Jeans, 



Sec. R S. 

 The Nerves of Plants. Bv Prof. Henry H. Dixon, 



F.R.S 



Obituary : — 



Mrs Hertha Ayrton. By Prof. Henry E. 



Armstrong, F.R.S. 

 Dr. J. E. Stead, F.R.S. By Prof. H. C. H. 



Carpenter, F.R.S. 

 M. Maurice Leblanc. By A. R. 

 Current Topics and Events 

 Our Astronomical Column 

 Research Items . . . . 

 School Geography. By J. Martin . 

 Transport and its Indebtedness to Science 

 The Future of the Imperial Institute 

 University and Educational Intelligence . 

 Societies and Academies .... 

 Official Publications Received . 

 Diary of Societies ..... 



ST. 



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Editorial and Publishing Offices : 

 MACMILLAN 6- CO., LTD., 

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



Tciegriiphic Address ; PHUSIS. LONDON. 

 Telephone Number ■ GERRARD 8830. 



NO. 2822, VOL. I 12] 



Industrial Science. 



THE appearance of the eighth annual report of 

 the Department for Scientific and Industrial 

 Research brings with it the reminder that time passes, 

 and tells of much useful work performed. As usual, the 

 report is divided into three sections : the report of the 

 Committee of Council, the report of the Advisory 

 Council of the Committee, and a summary of the work 

 of the Research Boards and Committees of the Depart- 

 ment with numerous appendices. The first section, in 

 the main a formal resume of the work done, records 

 with apparent satisfaction a reduction of the estimates 

 by some 20,000/., a regrettable fact, in spite of the 

 urgent need for economy, for wise expenditure in the 

 application of science to present conditions might 

 easily result in savings of far greater amount. After 

 reference to the valuable work of the co-ordinating 

 research boards established to connect the work of the 

 scientific departments in the various services, both 

 together and also with university and other scientific 

 activities, the report directs attention to the fact that 

 the Research Associations, supported out of the 

 Million Fund, are approaching the end of the five years 

 for which grants were made, and states the policy 

 which, on the advice of the Advisory Council, has been 

 adopted. " It must not be assumed," the report con- 

 tinues, " that further financial assistance will be 

 recommended in every case. There will have to be 

 ample proof that the industry is unable immediately 

 to shoulder the entire responsibility, and further aid 

 will only be given if the industry concerned is prepared 

 to make a rapidly increasing effort towards complete 

 responsibility." 



Another direction in which the committee has taken 

 an interesting step in its task of co-ordinating the 

 scientific activities of the government departments is 

 in the promotion of a joint exhibit at the British 

 Empire Exhibition next year. After various con- 

 sultations it has been agreed that there should be a 

 central building in which the government departments 

 concerned will arrange their exhibits, working in con- 

 junction with a committee organised by the Depart- 

 ment of Overseas Trade, while the Royal Society, 

 financed by a grant from funds allocated by govern- 

 ment, has assumed responsibility for an exhibit illus- 

 trating recent advances in pure science. 



The report also records the fact that the French 

 Government has established under the Minister of 

 Public Instruction an Office National des Recherches 

 Scientifiques et Industrielles et des Inventions, having 

 objects much resembling those of the Department. 



Turning now to the report of the Advisory Council, 

 the ground covered is very extensive, the Research 



