1 



5^4 



NATURE 



[January 20, 191b 



Vicious Circles in Sociology and their Treatment. 



By Dr. J. B. Hurry. Pp. 34. (London : J. 



and A. Churchill, 1915.) Price 2s. net. 

 This little book, planned on the lines of the 

 author's "Vicious Circles in Disease," is intended 

 to emphasise that, just as in disease, so in social 

 life, various pernicious factors are at work which 

 act and react upon one another, constituting a 

 "circle." Thus crime leads to loss of employ- 

 ment, which leads to loss of means of sub- 

 sistence, which again begets crime, and tuber- 

 culosis leads to poverty, and poverty is a potent 

 factor in the causation of tuberculosis. The 

 author recognises ten such circles met with in 

 sociology, and while they may act separately, 

 several of them may be in simultaneous operation, 

 e.g. poverty, uncleanliness, overcrowding, alco- 

 holic indulgence, and disease. The remedy is to 

 break the circle, and according to the author "the 

 first task of the sociologist is to extricate from the 

 symptom-complex those dominant factors that 

 constit-ute the circle, to discover the weakest link 

 in the unending chain, and to effect a breach at 

 the point of least resistance." The book should 

 be of service to the social worker in assisting him 

 to analyse social problems into their constituent 

 factors, and the references to standard authorities 

 which have been freely introduced will likewise be 

 helpful. 



Willing's Press Guide and- Advertisers' Directory 

 and Handbook, 1916. Pp. xii + 487. (London: 

 James Willing, Ltd.) Price i5. 

 This concise and comprehensive index to the 

 Press of the United Kingdom, as a sub-title de- 

 scribes it, this year reaches its forty-third issue. 

 It is as useful as ever. The classified list of 

 periodicals arranged under subjects is particu- 

 larly useful. The lists of the principal Colonial 

 and foreign journals add greatly to the value of 

 the compilation. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for 

 opinions expressed hy his correspondents. Neither 

 can he undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 the writers of. rejected mnnusrripts intended for 

 this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.] 



Instruction in Science for Military Purposes. 



In a special war lecture on "Field Telephones," 

 delivered before the Royal Socity of x'\rts on July 28, 

 1915, I pointed out how the services of science 

 teachers might be utilised with advantage in training 

 all ranks of our new armies in this important subject. 

 Although in isolated cases work of this kind has been 

 carried out, and highly appreciated by the military 

 authorities, no general scheme of instruction has yet 

 been adopted. As the urgent necessity of such in- 

 struction does not appear to be realised, a statement 

 of the present conditions regarding facilities for train- 

 ing in science as applied to military purposes may be 

 useful. 



The only officers In the British Army who receive 

 a scientific training are those belonging to the Royal 

 Engineers and the Royal Artillery, who are attached 

 to the regular Army. Some who obtain direct com- 



NO. 2412, VOL. 96] 



missions In these branches receive Instruction at the! 

 Ordnance College, Woolwich, at Chatham, or else^ 

 where ; but this is by no means general. For the^ 

 cavalry and infantry officers practically no facilities' 

 exist. It does not appear to be generally known* 

 that the teaching of science at Sandhurst was aban- 

 doned many years ago, and even yet has not been' 

 resumed. The result Is that the greater portion of 

 the British Army is engaged In conducting a war in 

 which scientific knowledge Is essential, without its! 

 officers having the opportunity of studying some of % 

 the most Important matters relating to their duties. !| 

 The circulation of pamphlets dealing with special .; 

 points cannot be regarded as a substitute for proper 

 tuition, yet It Is practically the only means at present ! 

 etnployed. It Is with a view to remedying this deplor- ; 

 able state of things that this letter Is written. j 



At the meeting of the Association of Public School :i 



Science Masters, held on January 5, !Mr. C. L. Bryant, I 



of !Harrow, presented a scheme for the Instruction ! 



In military science of boys who were receiving com- ! 



rhisslons directly from school. The subjects to be j 



taught were suggested by the Director of Military , 



Training In the subjoined letter : — j 



War Office, i 



November ig, 1915. ; 



To the Secretary of the Association of Public 



School Science Masters. c 



Sir, — I am directed to infonn you that 3-our offer | 

 to train future officers in various subjects Ts very ] 

 much appreciated. S 



I am also requested to Infonn you that the War s 

 Office Is not in a position, and is not likely to be m ] 

 a position, to render any assistance In the provision "t 

 of funds, equipment, or instructors. Subject to these. ^ 

 restrictions, It Is suggested that the training should ,! 

 consist of the following subjects : — i 



Explosives. — The nature of various explosives in ^ 

 use — methods of firing charges — care In handling-- ,] 

 detonators — fuses — methods of lighting fuses — gren- i 

 ades. 2 



Telephones. — Detection and mending of breaks in | 

 cables — laying of lines — remedying faults In receivers I 

 and senders — reading and sending on the buzzer. | 



Poison Gases. — Methods of combating same— first ? 

 aid to men suffering from same. ^ 



Range Finding. — Methods of taking range. | 



I am to enclose a manual, " Guide to Instruction I 

 in the use of Grenades," and to recommend that In- j 

 structlon in other subjects be from the Manual of | 

 Field Engineering, from the Training Manual, Sig-;^ 

 nailing, as regards Telephones and from the Musketry I 

 Regulations as regards Range Finding. | 



I am to add that every possible assistance will be- i 



given to you, but that this department cannot under- \ 



take to communicate with all the Public Schools. I 



(Signed) F. C. Heath-Caldwell, ' 



Director of Military Training. :\ 



Working on this basis, a syllabus was drawn up. 'J 

 by Mr. J. Young, of the Royal Military Academy,'!; 

 Woolwich, and Mr. Bryant, to which the present., j 

 writer contributed a few suggestions. This work has { 

 already commenced at Harrow and a few other. j 

 schools, and it Is slpcerely to be hoped that every '^ 

 school will follow on the same lines without delay, j 

 The Instruction, however, should also extend to boys I 

 about to enter Sandhurst, as such will not have an j 

 opportunity of studjdng the first three of the above ! 

 subjects In a proper manner after leaving school. ; 

 By avoiding extraneous matters, a single term's work 

 will suffice, even in the case of beginners, to Impart ; 

 a mass of Information of the highest practical value. ] 

 It seems almost incredible that at the j^resent time : 



