March 2, 192 2 J 



NA TURE 



285 



duced by high-frequency currents in cylindrical wires. 

 His most important discovery, however, was that of 

 the distortionless circuit, a discovery wliich led to 

 most important practical developments in long-dis- 

 tance telephony both in land and in submarine cables. 



References were made to the discovery of X-rays, of 

 radio-telegraphy, and of the atomic nature of electricity. 



The Institution of Electrical Engineers has been 

 fortunate in having so many eminent men of science 

 .is Presidents in its early days. Lord Kelvin was 

 President three times, and John Hopkinson was 

 President twice. Amongst others we may mention 

 Sir William Crookes, Sir Joseph Swan, and D. E. 



Hughes. The wonderful physical insight of Sir 

 William Crookes is only now being fully recognised. 

 Many years ago he had visions of electrons and even 

 considered the possibility of isotopes. 



The Institution was founded in order to promote 

 the general advancement of electrical and telegraphic 

 science. In its Journal many important scientific 

 and mathematical papers have been pubUshed. In 

 conjunction with the Physical Society of London 

 it has pubUshed, at considerable expense. Science 

 Abstracts for the past 24 years. Its activities are 

 ever widening and we congratulate it on its well- 

 merited success. 



The American Association at Toronto. 



THE second Toronto meeting of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science 

 and of the associated scientific societies, which was 

 held during the last week of 1921, at the invitation 

 of the University of Toronto and of the Royal 

 Canadian Institute, was the seventy-fourth meeting 

 of the association. It was successful in every way, 

 aid must go on record as the most satisfactory 

 •neeting thus far held, apart from the greater four- 

 \ early meetings. Fourteen sections of the associa- 

 tion were represented and twenty-six associated 

 societies. About nine hundred addresses and papers 

 were presented, and the official registration showed 

 an attendance of 1832 persons. The sessions were 

 held in the buildings of the University, which are 

 excellently adapted for such purposes, while the 

 majority of those in attendance were very con- 

 \eniently housed in the University dormitories. These 

 arrangements proved to be unusually convenient and 

 satisfactory. 



On the afternoon of Monday, December 26, the 

 day before the official opening, the secretaries of the 

 sections met with the general secretary and the per- 

 manent secretary to discuss some general problems of 

 the association. On Tuesday afternoon Dr. F. R. 

 Moulton, professor of astronomy in the University of 

 Cliicago, showed some very fine motion pictures on 

 scientific subjects, illustrating the use of motion 

 pictures in education. 



The meeting was formally opened on the evening 

 of Tuesday, December 27, under the able presidency 

 lit Dr. E. H. Moore, professor of mathematics in 

 he University of Chicago. The president was intro- 

 duced by the retiring president. Dr. L. O. Howard, 

 chief of the Bureau of Entomology of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, who was per- 

 manent secretary of the association for many years. 

 Sir Robert Falconer, president of the University, 

 delivered an admirable address of welcome, emphasis- 

 ing the close and friendly relations that have so long 

 obtained between Canada and the United States. 

 This was followed by the address of the retiring presi- 

 dent. In the first part of his address, among other 

 interesting things. Dr. Howard directed attention 

 to the fact that the average age of the presidents of 

 the British and of the American Associations since 

 1895 is about the same, sixty -one years and eleven 

 months for the British and sixty-one years and five 

 months for the American. The second part of Dr. 

 Howard's address dealt with the topic " The War 

 against the Insects." It was pointed out that un- 

 ceasing warfare must be waged by mankind against 

 the almost countless and omnipresent forms of insect- 

 life, which threaten the very existence of the human 

 race. A report of the latter part of the address 

 appeared in Nature of January 19, p. 79. The 

 opening sessions were followed by a reception in the 



NO. 2731, VOL. 109] 



room behind Convocation Hall, where members and 

 their friends had an opportunity to meet one another 

 and to examine the fine series of exhibits of scientific 

 apparatus and products brought together by the local 

 sub-committee on exhibits, of which Prof. E. F. 

 Burton was chairman. 



The Wednesday evening session in Convocation 

 Hall was of a twofold character. Dr. W. Bateson, 

 director of the John Innes Horticultural Institution! 

 Merton Park, Surrey, who was present at Toronto by 

 joint invitation of the American Association and the 

 American Society of Zoologists, delivered a stimulat- 

 ing address on " Evolutionary Faith and Modern 

 Doubts." He clearly emphasised "the point that 

 students of evolution harbour no doubts as to the 

 fact of evolution, but the exact mode of evolution 

 remains still an unsolved problem. He dwelt on 

 the important progress recently made in America in 

 relation to inheritance and the problems of genetics, 

 especially with reference to chromosomes. 



At the close of this address the session was trans- 

 formed into a convocation of the University of 

 Toronto, Sir Robert Falconer presiding, and the 

 degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa was con- 

 ferred on Dr. Bateson, Dr. Howard, and Dr.. Moore. 

 A reception followed the convocation. 



Sir Adam Beck, chairman of the Hydro-Electric 

 Power Commission of Ontario, addressed a general 

 session on Thursday afternoon under the auspices of 

 Section M (Engineering). His subject was " Hydro- 

 Electric Developments in Ontario," and he showed 

 a series of moving pictures illustrating the various 

 hydro-electric projects in Ontario. 



The Thursday evening conversazione in Hart House 

 was one of the greatest social functions ever held in 

 Toronto, and was unique in the history of the associa- 

 tion. For three hours the two thousand guests of 

 the University and the Royal Canadian Institute 

 enjoyed the entertainment faciUties of the magnificent 

 students' social centre in Queen's Park. 



The weather throughout the meeting was fine, 

 though cold enough to be stimulating, and with an 

 almost unclouded sky. The necessity for using arti- 

 ficial ice for winter sports in Toronto furnished an 

 agreeable surprise to those who had anticipated arctic 

 cold. 



The Toronto meeting was especially international 

 in character. It emphasised the point that the 

 American Association is an international organisa- 

 tion. Although the majority of its members are now 

 residents of the United States, it was clearly seen 

 at Toronto how much the future of the association 

 depends upon Canadians. The meeting was an occa- 

 sion for a pronounced increase in the Canadian 

 membership, and it is hoped that the time will 

 soon come when Canadian men of science will all 

 regard the association as theirs. A wonderfully fine 



