846 



NATURE 



[December 8, 192.^ 



covery. and as a never • loans to 



. furthering of resear- fcrence 



ui.ic! anniversary' icularly 



with -jvwal of th<' "- r assist- 



ing that ^jf.il jnii, rcMiuinK, h" 



«>v«T brif'flv, thi» v\ .ear, the Soci- 



I . ■ : il iii!i' 1 1.' ' '■ '■' ic'CCived 



->ir Alffftl IS a gift 



>j., . .1.1-- > ;,i,T, of 



til. Mtrcfl's 



I ■ ■ , :,,, V M... ;-,..,... :iM !(•«*'< 



;mt.li( spiiiI.Ml tli.i: M . !l I li.- 



1 " lliul lla: iniJi.i . ..^ a.^cd lu aul 



■till. wDtlars by adequate payment and by the 



uj'i'lv <il app.iratus (ir <jthiT fai ilitics rallicr than to 



erect costly l)»iildii 



The n-cfipt of 1! ■ : no 



' 11- hi ilu- Society of the 



lit I. !1m\v, the late Dr. 

 l.ii.luiK Moii'i. I • Minds to the 



niraiisat tlicSdcu' mg research 



lla~^ cii.ililril. ami --Ur,.!;' ■ 1 f ! . \ .l-/!ii!-.at loii <if its pro- 

 \i^iiin l<ir that ciid. ( nii'-idriat ion was undertaken 

 ot some adiii^tcd si heme whcichx the (hsbursements 

 the Societv ronld hope to make h)r tlic furthering of 

 research shoidd keep siiitali!\ in siL;ht tlie wliole ambit 

 •ol the Sorirt\'s puiAiew ol natural kiiowlrdj^^e. thus 

 making for advance o\'er a wide scieiititir trout. l-"or 

 such a plan the Foulerton, Messcl, Narrow and Mond 

 funds, to mention them in liieir histurual -^imuiiwc, 

 taken in ronjuiution and following the w ) ir 



individual donors, lend ihemselves wtll i pe 



of destination of these l'und> r\teiid^^ troni plu'Mes, 

 chemistry, and enj.;ineeriiiy, on one liand, tlirough 

 biology, to. on the other hand, "Medicine and such 

 sciences as an' connected witli the discovery of the 

 causes of disease and the relief of human su tiering." 

 The mere scant enimieration ot ilu c uclc of the natural 

 seienres miITk cs to sliou them as a band of brothers, 

 and scciul; ihi'iii as sin li is to remember their call is for 

 research, and not even solely for science's sake itself, 

 but for that of humanit}^ as well. 



In addition to the (piestion of the breadth of field 

 there reinained that also of the particular form which 

 lull) for reM'arcli might take in order to be best effect- 

 i\e in whatever field rendered. The consideration 

 given to tins has been very full and careful. Tt will 

 be recalled that from the Donation fund and from 

 some other funds of smaller amount, and also through 

 the ("oininit tci' adiniiiistei'ing the annual Government 

 gr.mt, the Soc u't\- is able annually to make disburse- 

 ment- heljiful for iipparatus and material in response 

 to .ipphcation-^ in regard to particular items of research. 

 Moreover, the Society has of research studentships 

 live in addition to the Sorbv fellow shiii. All and 

 each of these have rendered and are reiideriuL; \alu- 

 able aid to scientific research in their se\ era! re-jn < tive 

 ways. Broadly taken, their destination is rs 



of promise in the earlier period of their e. id 



such workers are thus provided with opporiinnix tor 

 proxing the powers of their promise. This \ ear, in 

 addition to the above, a generous and public-spirited 

 step taken by the Worshipful Company of Armourers 

 and Brasiers enables the Society to participate re- 

 sponsibly in the management of yet another endow- 

 ment of somewhat similar scope. 



Bearing in mind this rel.iti\elv satisfactorv provision 

 already existent for these needs and recognising, further, 

 the far-reaching outside provision available from 

 ("rovernmental and a number of public and private bene- 

 ficiarj' sources, to meet requirements of a similar kind, 

 the opinion arrived at after thorough consideration 

 has been that a form of help specially called for, and 

 specially likely to be effective in advancing discovery, 

 would lie in the creation of greater opportunity for 



NO. 2823, VOL. 112] 



• proven (irst- 



•t inerense of 

 \ to 



its 



fully experienced 

 rate capacity in i 

 opportunity afforded to nuch i; 

 attain, with a prospect of con. 

 ')mpense in il ■ 

 ; accomplish 



lo open up la<iinie- i(;r inis cia.ss 01 iine-'i 

 gator would seem particularly the province of tlie 



Society, and one in which i' '■' '* : - 



required directions with esiHxi.- 



virtion, because the Society, ... ...... .,. 



"leanisation, has special opportunity for c< 

 ol tlie powers and .scientihc cin lunsi.nK cs 

 sentatives of this class of ii an 



ample field, and at mam- ihj: 'h-- 



Society live- 

 versa nt with 



wit' ,iiid 



pro iity 



for • of 



res( . .,ipe 



seenib eiiliaiiced by (.ircum-tances ol the pre.'scut time, 

 including as this present time does the likelihood of an 

 immediate future which will be one of anxiety for 

 finding ways and means. In institutions, university 

 or other, for the most part such investigators occupy 

 positions to which their opportunities for research 

 attach rather as a secondary adjunct to calls of other 

 nature upf)ii their -.ireiiuth and time. Under an 

 institution's imaiu lal stress the demand made by it 

 upon iiK iiiIh r- of it- staff who have multifold duties 

 other than re-earth, is likely to be increasetl in 

 directions away from re-earch. This is a situation of 

 hardship to the investigator and of detriment and mis- 

 chance to the due advance of science itself. 



Institutions, whether university or other, which are 

 seats of learning, show themselves, in instance after 

 instance, desirous tor tiieir personnel to prosecute 

 research, but also, m instance after instance, embar- 

 rassed to secure to them adequate time for doing so. 

 Yet the research acti\ ity of these men — or, for that 

 matter, women — is a mam source of that improve- 

 ment of natural knowledge which it is the Societ>''s 

 great business to promote. A spring of indispensable 

 supph' for the production of new knowledge is thus 

 stemmed or curtailed. Therefore, it is felt that the 

 Societx-, by securing, m co-operation with this or that 

 jiarticular institution, amj^le freedom of time for a 

 distinguished member of the personnel there to prose- 

 cute research undividedlw mav extend a form of help 

 toward the advance of di>co\ cry particularly desirable 

 and welconu'. It is felt that by so doing the Society 

 can gear most usefully its own motive help into the 

 general existent running machinery for the production 

 of new scientific knowledge. The hope is, and the 

 belief is, that its action mav thus provide exactlv a 

 somethin.g which other institutions might have special 

 difficulty 111 providing. Tlie action it is taking marks 

 a course wliich, although entered upon tentativelv and 

 to be judged hnally by experience, is yet inaugurated 

 with the foundation of three research professorships 

 of the Society. The regulations for these appoint- 

 ments have been drawn up with intention to give the 

 professors the utmost free<.lom to carr\- out research in 

 the way dictated, by their individual attainment, tem- 

 perament, and inclination. The Council has not 

 thought ht to insist that the professors either shall 

 teach or shall not teach ; the sole restriction laid down 

 is tliat to research shall their main energies be devoted. 

 At the anniversary meeting last year I had the 

 pleasure of referring to the appointment, then literally 

 scarcely more than one hour old, of Prof. Starling as 

 Foulerton professor. This year has seen him Harveian 

 Orator of the Royal College of Physicians and, as 

 regards the Society, entered fully upon the actual 



