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NATURE 



[June 2, 192 1 



practicable access of all medical practitioners, of 

 the equipment necessary for the employment of 

 these methods. Some form of common service must 

 be provided so that each practitioner could have 

 access either to the necessary instruments or apparatus 

 or to some specialist who had the necessary know- 

 ledge and equipment. In the metropolitan areas such 

 service was already largely provided by hospitals, 

 specialists, and laboratories, but the provincial and 

 country towns were at a disadvantage. The preven- 

 tion of disease should be the first aim of medical 

 science. The technical apparatus required for the 

 application of many of the laws of public health was 

 not unduly extensive, and could be made to serve large 

 populations. There were enough trained medical men 

 to make a commencement, and laboratories to serve 

 all public health purposes should be forthwith estab- 

 lished at all the principal country centres. 



Section J {Mental Science and Education). — "The 

 Need for the Scientific Study of Education " was the 

 subject of Prof. A. Mackie's presidential address. He 

 urged the need for a survey of the mental character 

 of the school population for the effective practice of 

 teaching and organisation, pointing out that the tests 

 of general and scholastic intelligence devised by 

 standard authorities must be re-standardised before 

 they can be usefully employed for Australian children. 

 The question of school examinations also stood in 

 need of scientific investigation. The study of the 

 errors made by pupils in the various branches of 

 school-work might be expected" to throw much light 

 on the curative and preventive measures that should 

 be adopted. 



Section K {Agriculture). — ^That education should be 

 general rather than special up to the age of fifteen 

 was the plea of Prof. A. J. Perkins in his presidential 

 address entitled "Agricultural Education." The bulk 

 of those following agricultural pursuits were, in the 

 main, home-trained, and the need for any other form 

 of training was to some extent forced into the back- 

 ground. The State would do well to maintain agri- 

 cultural colleges as half-way houses between the town 

 and the country. Practical training in farming was 

 of importance in conjunction with theoretical instruc- 

 tion, and the establishment of university training and 

 chairs of agriculture must be backed up by the selec- 

 tion of adequate scientific staffs. Every effort should 

 be made to overcome the effects of isolation of those 

 engaged in agricultural pursuits. An extension of the 

 agricultural bureau system of South Australia was 

 advocated, under which agriculturists were grouped 

 into local branches, where local interests were dis- 

 cussed and arrangements made for visits of experts 

 and experimental work. 



Section L {Veterinary Science). — ^The president, 

 Prof. H. A. Woodruff, delivered an address on "The 

 Development of the Present Conception of Im- 

 munity." 



At a joint discussion (Sections A and B) on " The 

 Applications of Physical and Chemical Science in the 

 Great War" Mr. A. E. Leighton (Director of the 

 Commonwealth Arsenal) gave a brief sketch of two 

 war activities on the part of applied chemistry and 

 the particular significance they held for Australia. 

 These were the important factors of cordite and high 

 explosive. It must be remembered, said Mr. Leigh- 

 ton, that Australia was not in a fortunate position as 

 a manufacturing country, and her provision against 

 attack must take the form of finished munitions. 

 Until the industries of Australia were in a position to 

 maintain a flow of munitions commensurate with 

 requirements, they must adhere to the policy of im- 

 porting and holding stocks. Australia had illimitable 

 quantities of iron-ore, but what the munition-worker 

 NO. 2692, VOL. 107] 



wanted was steel rolled to a certain shape. He wanted 

 caustic soda and chlorine. The tariff and recent 

 legislation had given promises that the Ministry in- 

 tended to encourage supply. But to become a manu- 

 facturing community was a slow and costly process. 

 Protection should be scientific in the sense that in 

 protecting the industry the people should also be pro- 

 tected from rule-of-thumb methods. The number of 

 chemists and engineers should be increased, for with- 

 out them the illimitable resources of the country 

 could not be treated. 



Dr. A. C. D. Rivett particularly directed attention 

 to the lesson already learned by Germany and Eng- 

 land, that the possession of flourishing chemical in- 

 dustries was not merely a means to material prosperity 

 in times of peace, but also absolutely essential as an 

 instrument of warfare. Men in Australia had to 

 realise that to build up the chemical manufactures of 

 Japan or America, or any other country, and to neg- 

 lect their own, was precisely the same as building up 

 other armies and navies while forming none of their 

 own. Dr. Rivett urged the adoption of the following 

 motion: — "That these sections of the Australasian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, recog- 

 nising the vast importance of chemical science in 

 modern warfare, recommend that the general council 

 urge upon the Federal Ministry the necessity for fos- 

 tering cherhical industries in Australia under such 

 conditions as will ensure the maximum readiness for 

 the production of munitions of war in case of need." 

 The motion was seconded by Prof. Orme Masson, and 

 agreed to unanimously. 



Prof. T. H. Laby read a paper on "The Organisa- 

 tion of Science in Australia." Prof. Laby pointed 

 out that, although during the war period science had 

 been applied most successfully to assist in the ex- 

 ploitation of Nature's resources for our material 

 benefit, a. greater achievement would be to instil into 

 the national mind the high ideals which have actuated 

 so many men of science. This would be assisted by 

 a re-organisation of science such as had been under- 

 taken by Great Britain, the United States, and Japan. 

 The lack of any single Australian scientific society 

 was also commented on, the political control exercised 

 over the Commonwealth Institute of Science and 

 Industry was criticised, and the position of the mathe- 

 matical and physical sciences in Australia was indi- 

 cated as illustrative of the need for organisation. In 

 conclusion, the author urged the formation of an Aus- 

 tralian scientific society representative of all research 

 workers in science in Australia, which would be able 

 to act in an advisory capacity to the Commonwealth 

 Government upon scientific matters. This plea has 

 now been answered to a large extent by the formation 

 of the National Research Council referred to last 

 week. 



Numerous papers were read to the various sections 

 and a number of joint discussions on problems 

 common to more than one section were held. 

 Especially is the association to be congratulated on 

 the formation of a National Research Council, which 

 should prove a real asset for the advancement of 

 science In Australia. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Bristol. — Sir Isambard Owen, vice-chancellor of 

 the University, is to retire at the end of the present 

 session, having reached the age limit of seventy years 

 prescribed bv the rules of the Treasury with regard to 

 superannuation. 



London.— Dr. R. R. Gates has been appointed to 

 the University chair of botany tenable at King's Col- 



