354 



NATURE 



[March i6, 1922 



labradorite - rock of Paul Island comes within the 

 area described by Prof. Coleman. For this, Sterry 

 Hunt's unfortunate name anorthosite is retained ; 

 even so acute a recorder as Dr. A. Holmes has been 

 led astray by this term, and has stated that anorthose 

 is the French equivalent for plagioclase. 



Sulphur in Illinois Coal-beds. — The University 

 of Illinois Bulletin, vol. xviii. No. 36 (Bulletin No. 

 125) contains the results of an investigation by 

 Messrs. H. F. Yancey and Thomas Fraser upon the 

 mode of occurrence of sulphur in certain of the coal- 

 beds of Illinois. It is shown that the sulphur is 

 present partly in the form of pyrites and partly in 

 certain organic compounds ; the former may be 

 either macroscopic or microscopic. The technical 

 importance of these distinctions lies in the fact that 

 it is practically only the sulphur present in macro- 

 scopic ■ pyrites which can be separated by washing. 

 In some cases a certain amount of sulphur is present 

 as sulphates, but there were only traces of these 

 present in the coals examined. Pyritic sulphur is 

 characterised by extreme irregularity of distribution 

 in the coal-bed, mainly due to the concentration of 

 the pyrites in coarse bands or lenses. On the other 

 hand the vertical distribution of organic sulphur is 

 comparatively uniform at given points in the same 

 bed, though in the mine as a whole the variations 

 may be considerable ; nevertheless it is more uni- 

 formly distributed than pyritic sulphur. There is 

 no definite relation between the occurrence of organic 

 and pyritic sulphur. The amount of the former is 

 quite important, the percentages in three mines 

 being : — 



I. ir. HI. 



Pyritic Sulphur . . . 47-3 47-7 60-5 



Organic Sulphur . . 52-7 52-3 39-5 



In 104 face samples taken in the three beds, organic 

 sulphur exceeded pyritic sulphur in 49 samples. 



Evaporation from Large Expanses of Water. 

 — ^This subject is dealt with in the Meteorological 

 Magazine for January and February. In the 

 January issue reference is made to Dr. H. Jeffreys, 

 who submitted the problem to mathematical analysis 

 in 1 91 8, and who adopted the simple hypothesis 

 that the rate of evaporation depended only on 

 difference of vapour pressure. It is mentioned that 

 Mr. M. A. Giblett in Proc. Roy. Soc. A, vol. 99, 1921, 

 makes a further advance by allowing for the strength 

 of the wind. Valuable information is given as to 

 the total amount of evaporation under various 

 circumstances. It is asserted that the same amount 

 of air picks up less moisture if it crosses the ocean 

 quickly than if it goes slowly ; the more vigorous 

 evaporation does not make up for the shorter time 

 of passage. The Februar^^ Meteorological Magazine 

 deals with " The Evaporation from the Sea," by 

 G. Wiist (Institut fiir Meereskunde, Berlin, Oct. 1920). 

 This publication was taken for discussion at the 

 Meteorological Office at the evening lecture on 

 February 6 last. An estimate is given of the zonal 

 distribution of evaporation, which is said to be most 

 rapid between the latitudes 10° and 20° north and 

 south. Comparison between the estimates of evapora- 

 tion and the rainfall over the ocean indicates that 

 evaporation exceeds precipitation between latitudes 

 40° N. and 40° S., except in the cloudy equatorial 

 belt, whilst outside these limits precipitation is in 

 excess of evaporation. 



Meteorology in Medicine.— At a meeting of the 

 Royal Meteorological Society in the University, 



Edinburgh, on September 7 last, a paper on Meteor- 

 ology in Medicine, with especial reference to the 

 occurrence of malaria in Scotland, was read by Dr. 

 Angus G. Macdonald. The paper is printed in the 

 Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 

 for January. Meteorology is described as a science, 

 and medicine as a consummate art — the practical 

 exploitation of the data of all the sciences for the 

 conservation of mankind. Referring to the re- 

 appearance of malaria indigenous in England in 

 the years 191 7, 1918, and 1919, temperature results 

 are given for the months of June-September in each 

 year. It is mentioned that it would appear to be 

 safe to infer that any month having a mean tempera- 

 ture of 60° F. may suffice to produce malaria in 

 England, given other conditions favourable. The 

 conditions in the years mentioned were associated 

 with the presence of a large mass of infection imported 

 in soldiery from the East. The recent period of 

 malaria is contrasted with the last previous recorded 

 outbreak of malaria in England in the years 1856-59, 

 when a period of abnormally high temperature is 

 shown to have occurred. This period also coincided 

 with the return of infected soldiery from Eastern 

 Europe, this time from the Crimean War. An 

 abnormally cold year followed in i860 which brought 

 the infection to an end. In relation to the matura- 

 tion of the infection especial reference is made to the 

 mosquito associated with high temperatures. These 

 general considerations aie applied to occurrences of 

 malaria in Scotland, and much valuable information 

 is given. 



Industrial Lighting. — In a paper read before the 

 Illuminating Engineering Society on February 28,' Mr. 

 L. Gaster discussed " Ideal Requirements in Industrial 

 Lighting and Practical Solutions." Ideal lighting 

 conditions should enable work to proceed by night 

 as safely and efficiently as by the best daylight. 

 Practical possibilities were illustrated in the recom- 

 mendations of the Home Office Departmental Com- 

 mittee on lighting in factories and workshops and the 

 codes of industrial lighting adopted in various 

 American states. The latter, while more detailed and 

 elaborate, were based on the same general principles, 

 namely, sufficient illumination, avoidance of glare, and 

 elimination of inconvenient shadows. Mr. Gaster laid 

 stress on the fact that sufficient illumination was only 

 part of the problem. A distinction must be drawn 

 between recommendations and legislative measures. 

 Any form of code must be so framed as to prevent 

 abuse of industrial lighting and yet impose no hard- 

 ship on manufacturers. The Home Office in this 

 country had proceeded wisely step by step, adopting 

 the principle of " government by consent." Their 

 first report, besides recommending general statutory 

 provision requiring adequate lighting, proposed certain 

 values of illumination, easily obtained, in the interests 

 of safety and general convenience. Their second 

 interim report proposed a simple rule for avoidance 

 of glare, which could be met in various ways. In 

 future it was intended to study values of illumination 

 and conditions of lighting necessary for efficient work 

 in various industrial processes, co-operation being 

 invited from representatives of the industries con- 

 cerned. This process might take some time, but 

 would ensure decisions being taken on a sound and 

 scientific basis. In conclusion Mr. Gaster mentioned 

 that industrial illumination was becoming a subject 

 for international treatment. It was being considered 

 by an international committee appointed at the recent 

 technical session of the International Illumination 

 Commission, and it was also receiving attention from 

 the International Labour Office operating under the 

 League of Nations at Geneva. 



NO. 2733, VOL. 109] 



