March 31, 192 1] 



NATURE 



T49 



them in medical practice has spread in recent years 

 with an epidemic acceleration. Vaccines are not yet 

 quite so commonly used as, say, digitalis or strychnine, 

 but they are among the approved medicaments of the 

 "general practitioner." The same is more or less 

 true of salvarsan and its substitutes. The great drug 

 firms have risen to the demand, and the whole medical 

 position is now such that the public service has found 

 it necessary to consider how the best and safest pro- 

 ducts shall be secured to the consumer. It is these 

 facts that led to the appointment of the Committee 

 "on control of certain therapeutic substances," with 

 Sir Mackenzie Chalmers, K.C.B., as chairman. The 

 terms of reference covered " the legislative and ad- 

 ministrative measures to be taken for the effective con- 

 trol of the quality and authenticity of such thera- 

 peutic substances offered for sale to the public as 

 cannot be tested adequately by direct chemical means." 

 This carefully exclusive remit left the Committee to 

 deal with three groups of substances : (i) the biologic 

 products already mentioned ; (2) potent synthetic 

 remedies like salvarsan ; and (3) preparations like 

 digitalis, strophanthus, pituitary gland, etc. The 

 report (Cmd. 1156, 2 J.) deals with all three classes. 

 It makes special recommendations for inspection of 

 the processes of manufacture and testing of the pro- 

 ducts. The main problem is standardisation. This is 

 supremely difficult for delicately varying biological 

 substances like vaccines or toxins. Recommendations, 

 however, make full provision for the activities of 

 private enterprise. There is an outline of a draft 

 Bill, which no doubt is prepared first for discussion. 

 From the evidence quoted the leading British firms 

 are in favour of more effective control. 



It is reported from Rome that a " thunderbolt " 

 fell there on Sunday, March 27, and slightly damaged 

 the base of the Obelisk in the Piazza di San Pietro, 

 but no mention is made of any fragments of the 

 meteorite having been found. The excellent " Intro- 

 duction to the Study of Meteorites," published by the 

 British Museum (Natural History), refers as follows 

 to several early historical accounts of meteorites asso- 

 ciated with Rome: — "A stone, famous through long 

 ages, fell in Phrygia, and was preserved there for 

 many generations. About 204 B.C. it was demanded 

 by King Attalus, and taken with great ceremony to 

 Rome. It is described as ' a black stone in the figure 

 of a cone, circular below and ending in an apex 

 above.' In his History of Rome Livy tells of a 

 shower of stones on the Alban Mount about 652 b.c 

 which so impressed the Senate that a nine days' 

 solemn festival was decreed. Other instances of the 

 * rain of stones ' in Italy are mentioned by the same 

 author." 



The next ordinary scientific meeting of the Chemical 

 Society will be held at the Institution of Mechanical 

 Engineers on April 7 at 8 p.m., when Dr. F, W. 

 Aston will deliver a lecture entitled " Mass Spectra 

 and Atomic Weights." 



I.\ connection with the London Branch of the 



National Union of Scientific Workers a meeting will 



be held at 7.30 o'clock on Thursday, April 14, at 



NO. 2683, VOL. 107] 



52 St. Martin's Lane, W.C.2, when an address will 

 be given by Mr. H. E. Potts on "The Position of 

 Employer and Scientific Worker in Relation to Patent 

 Law."' 



On Tuesday next, April 5, at 3 o'clock. Prof. R. A. 

 Sampson, Astronomer-Royal for Scotland, will deliver 

 the first of two lectures at the Royal Institution on 

 (i) Present Position of the Nebular Hypothesis and 

 (2) Measurement of Starlight. The Tyndall lectures 

 will be delivered by Mr. C. T. R. Wilson on Thunder- 

 stcwms, beginning on Thursday, April 7 ; and on 

 Saturday, April 9, Dr. H. H. Dale begins a course 

 of two lectures on Poisons and Antidotes. The Friday 

 evening discourse on April 8 will be delivered by Dr. 

 R. H. A. Plimmer on Quality of Protein in Nutrition. 



The officers elected bv the Institution of Petroleum 

 Technologists for the session 1921-22 are as follows :■ — 

 President: Prof. J. S. S. Brame. Vice-Presidents : 

 Mr. H. Barringer, Sir George Beilby, Sir John Cargill, 

 Bart., the Right Hon. Viscount Cowdray of Cowdray, 

 Mr. A. W. Eastlake, and Sir Thomas H. Holland. 

 Council: Mr. A. C. Adams, Mr. H. Allen, Major 

 R. W. Barnett, M.P., Mr. A. Campbell, Mr. E. H. 

 Cunningham Craig, Mr. A. Duckham, Dr. A. E. 

 Dunstan, Mr. J. Kewley, Dr. W. R. Ormandy, Mr. 

 T. C. Palmer, Dr. F. MoUwo Perkin, Mr. R. Red- 

 wood, Mr. J. S. Smith, and Prof. W. W. Watts. 



The Joint Committee on British Petrographic 

 Nomenclature appointed by the Geological Society of 

 London and the Mineralogical Society has published a 

 report in the current issue of the Mineralogical Maga- 

 zine. The report deals with ninety rock-names hitherto 

 used with various meanings. Some synonymous 

 terms are considered and seven general recommenda- 

 tions for the formation of rock-names are made. The 

 Geological Society has issued one copy of the report 

 to each of its fellows. A limited number of copies are 

 still available for distribution. Application for copies 

 may be made to Mr. Campbell Smith, British 

 Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, S.W.7. 

 The committee is still in being, and it is expected 

 that further meetings will be held. 



We have received the first issue of Atti della Societd 

 Agronomica Italiana, the purpose of which is to co- 

 ordinate and initiate scientific work in agriculture in 

 Italy, it being considered that the existing agencies 

 are not sufficiently strong. An advisory committee 

 has therefore been formed under the presidency of 

 Senator Grassi, and including Profs. Baglioni, Bonzi, 

 Cuboni, and Pirotta. A programme has been drawn 

 up comprising five sections : — (i) Investigations of the 

 best means of utilising poor and arid land, special 

 attention being paid to the phenomena of drought 

 resistance of crops. (2) The study of the yield capacity 

 of wheat in the south of Italy, especially in relation 

 to the physical features of the country and the 

 meteorological data. (3) The control of the insect 

 pests of the olive. (4) The possibility of obtaining 

 potash manures from leucite deposits. (5) The studv 

 of the root-rot of the Sicilian citrus-tree. The new 

 organisation will be watched with much interest by 

 agriculturists everywhere, who will heartily wish it 

 success in the study of these important problems. 



