66 



NATURE 



[September 9, 1920 



last. Dr. St. John thinks that the dispersion of their 

 spectrograph, \ mm. per A.U., was too low for work 

 of this character, especially where the lines are so close 

 together ; further, the comparison spectrum was not 

 photographed simultaneously, but before and after. 

 The arrangements for eliminating the solar rotation 

 are also not considered to have been exact enough. 



Dr. St. John then goes on to criticise their suggested 

 explanation for the failure of some other observers to 

 detect the Einstein shift, which was, in short, that 

 unsymmetrical emission lines become symmetrical in 

 absorption. He shows that this neglects the light 

 radiated by the vapour itself; since the absorbing 

 vapour is at various depths in the sun, the probable 

 result is shown to be an unsymmetrical absorption 

 line. The further argument is made that many of 

 the iron lines are unsymmetrical in the reverse direc- 

 tion to the carbon lines in question, so that if the 

 explanation were true, these lines should give too 

 large an Einstein effect, which they do not. 



Dr. St. John concludes by saying that the object of 

 his note is not to deny the existence of the Einstein 

 effect, but merely to throw doubt on the completeness 

 of the proof put forward by Messrs. Grebe and 

 Bachem. 



Astr. Nach., 5051, has an article by K. F. 

 Bottlinger in which a possible astronomical test is 

 suggested to distinguish between the relativist view 

 of the speed of light and the earlier view of the 

 stationary aether. He notes the very high radial velo- 

 cities of the spiral nebulae and clusters, and concludes 

 that it is, a priori, likely that the velocity of our 

 stellar system relatively to the aether is of the same 

 order. If we take it as 1000 km. /sec, and also 

 assume that the direction of motion is not distant 

 from the plane of the ecliptic, then eclipses of Jupiter's 

 satellites will be alternately accelerated and retarded 

 by some 14 sec, according as Jupiter lies towards the 

 apex or antapex. The eclipses observed at Harvard 

 make it pretty certain that there is no residual of this 

 amount in the eclipse times ; so that either the fixed- 

 aether doctrine of light transmission is wrong or the 

 speed of our system in the Eether is only a small 

 fraction of 1000 km. /sec. This proposed test diiTers 

 from the Michelson-Morley experiment in being a first- 

 order effect, while that is of the second order. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Science of August 20 reports that the Harvard 

 University School of Medicine has received 70,000^. 

 from the Rockefeller Foundation for the development 

 of psychiatry, and 60,000!. for the development of 

 obstetric teaching. 



The Chemist and Druggist announces that the 

 chair of chemistry in Berlin University, rendered 

 vacant by the death of E. Fischer, will be filled by 

 Prof. Haber, who will retain also his present position 

 of director of the Emperor William Institute for 

 Physical and Electro-Chemistrv. 



The governors of the Northern Polytechnic Insti- 

 tute, Holloway, N.7, are, on September 27, opening 

 a school of rubber technology. There will be day 

 and evening courses designed mainly to train those 

 who have already acquired a thorough knowledge of 

 chemistry and physics and are now desirous of taking 

 up responsible positions of a scientific and technical 

 nature in rubber factories. The school will be in 

 close touch with the industry, as it will be under an 

 advisory committee composed of representatives of the 

 manufacturers, producers, merchants, rubber en- 

 gineers, etc. The director of the courses is Dr. P. 

 Schidrowitz, who is a leading authority on rubber. 



From the Simla correspondent of the Pioneer Mail 

 for August 6 we learn that the text of the Muslim 

 University Bill has been published. It is proposed to 

 dissolve the Muslim University Association and the 

 Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, Aligarh, and to 

 transfer the property of these societies to a new body 

 called " The Aligarh Muslim University." The Bill 

 secures to the Government powers of control, and to 

 the University the assurance of a permanent endow- 

 ment. The University will be of the teaching and 

 residential type, and its degrees will be recognised by 

 the Government. Special features of the institution 

 will be the instruction of Muslims in Muslim religious 

 education, and the inclusion of departments of Islamic 

 studies. 



The calendar of the Edinburgh and East of Scot- 

 land College of ."Xgriculture for the year 1920-21 con- 

 tains a detailed account of the courses of instruction 

 available at this centre for the degree of B.Sc. of 

 Edinburgh University, for the college diploma in 

 agriculture, and for the college diploma in horti- 

 culture. Short courses in agriculture are provided 

 during the winter months for the benefit of farmers 

 and others who are unable to attend the full diploma 

 course ; these last for five weeks and extend over 

 two years. In addition, a short course in forestry 

 lasting four weeks may be given during the summer 

 of 192 1. The college also acts in an advisory capacity 

 to farmers in the central and south-eastern counties of 

 Scotland. Epidemics of insect or other pests on crops, 

 trees, or live-stock are investigated, and information 

 on farm and dairy management is always available. 

 Manures and seeds for experimental work are tested 

 at specially low rates with the idea of encouraging 

 farmers to conduct experiments and trials in collabora- 

 tion with the college staff. 



The current issue of the British Medical Journal 

 is the annual educational number. .\s usual, it is 

 addressed mainly to two classes : those who need 

 information as to the course which must be followed 

 in order to become legally qualified practitioners of 

 medicine, and those who, having obtained qualifica- 

 tions to practise, are doubtful as to what particular 

 branch of medicine thev should choose as a career. 

 The student is advised to aim at a university degree 

 in medicine at the outset of his career, though it may 

 he desirable to take also a diploma or licence. Warn- 

 ing is also given with regard to the question of 

 exoenses. The outlay involved in completing a 

 medical curriculum varies, but i.!;ooI. is reckoned to 

 be the minimum for which the training can be accom- 

 plished at the present time. For the medical graduate, 

 diplomate, or licentiate, once his name is on the 

 Register of the General Medical Council, many paths 

 are indicated ; but he is reminded that whatever the 

 branch of practice chosen, the main reward of 

 medical life is the knowledge of good work well 

 done, .^gainst this it is urged that the spirit of the 

 times is all in favour of the extension and co-ordina- 

 tion of the public health services. This has occa- 

 sioned an increase in the official medical serv'ices, but 

 their position is not well defined at present, and 

 prospects of promotion are uncertain. 



The new session of the Sir John Cass Technical 

 Institute, Aldgate, w'ill commence on Monday, -Sep- 

 tember 27. The courses of instruction provided are 

 especially directed to the technical training of those 

 engaged in chemical, metallurgical, and electrical in- 

 dustries and in trades associated therewith. Special 

 courses of higher technological instruction form a dis- 

 tinctive feature of the work of the institute. The 

 curriculum in connection with the fermentation in- 

 dustries includes courses of instruction in brewing 



NO. 2654, VOL. 106] 



