368 



NATURE 



[December 3, 1914 



thus arrived, by a totally different path from the 

 one I travelled, at the conception of an element having 

 atoms of different weight though chemically identical. 

 The theory has recently received some confirmation by 

 the analyses of the lead that is found in the minerals 

 pitchblende, thorianite, etc. In my own laboratory a 

 spectroscopic examination of the lead from Cornwall 

 pitchblende has shown traces of thallium not found 

 in pure assay lead ; the unexpected presence of this 

 element may have some bearing on the slightly 

 different atomic weight values recorded for the lead 

 extracted from the radio-minerals. 



Without risking a charge of being unduly optimistic 

 I think I may believe we are on the brink of striking 

 developments in our knowledge of the structure of the 

 elusive atom. Whatever may be the outcome of re- 

 searches now prosecuted with so much zeal and suc- 

 cess, I feel that Addison was speaking with the voice 

 of prophetic Truth when, more than a hundred years 

 ago, he said : " Every atom is a standing miracle and 

 endowed with such qualities as could not be impressed 

 upon it by a Power and a Wisdom less than infinite." 



Medals. 



With great pleasure I announce that the Copley 

 Medal this year is awarded to Sir Joseph John Thom- 

 son, in recognition of the value of his researches in 

 physical science. His early work in the investigation 

 of electrical phenomena showed he possessed a high 

 degree of experimental ingenuity and skill : by his 

 study of the passage of electricity through gases he 

 elucidated the nature of the negative electrical par- 

 ticles, thus providing an experimental basis for the 

 atomic theories of the nature of electricity. His 

 treatise on the conduction of electricity through gases 

 won for him a world-wide reputation as a physicist — 

 to which subsequent work has added. To him is due 

 the investigation of the nature of the positive carriers 

 of the electric charge ; his method of positive ray 

 anah'sis puts a new and extraordinarily valuable tool 

 into the hands of investigators. His experimental 

 work has always been controlled and confirmed by 

 theoretical considerations ; his work at the Cavendish 

 Laboratory at Cambridge has greatly extended our 

 knowledge of the structure and nature of matter. 



The two Royal Medals annually presented by the 

 King have — with his Majesty's approval — been 

 assigned to Prof. E. W. Brown and Prof. W. J. 

 Sollas. Prof. E. W. Brown, who now occupies the 

 chair of mathematics at Yale University, devoted him- 

 self for many years to the study of the movements of 

 the moon ; and by incredible industry seven years ago 

 he brought to a successful conclusion his investigation 

 of this fundamentally important practical problem. 

 He has recently further studied some phenomena 

 which known gravitation causes do not explain, and 

 he has extended his investigations to the general 

 theory of orbits. His work in dynamical astronomy 

 has been remarkably fruitful, and doubtless the years 

 to come will add lustre to his already brilliant reputa- 

 tion. 



The Royal Medal — awarded to a worker in biological 

 science — this year has been conferred on Prof. Sollas, 

 who is a pioneer in many fields, and has made many 

 valuable contributions to our knowledge of geology, 

 mineralogy, zoology, and ethnography. His mono- 

 graph on sponges is a classic on the subject. He has 

 perfected a method of obtaining transverse sections 

 of fossil organisms, and thus he has obtained a know- 

 ledge of the structure of certain specimens which long 

 have been the subject of dispute. We hope that Prof. 

 Sollas will have many opportunities of extending his 

 investigations, which already have borne so much 

 valuable fruit. 



The recipient of the Davy Medal is Prof. W. J. 



NO. 2^<?. VOL. Q4.1 



Pope, who has made highly Important discoveries in 

 stereochemistry, and whose work has thrown much 

 light upon the relation between chemical constitution 

 and crystalline structure. In collaboration with Profs. 

 Perkin and Wallach, Prof. Pope has published the 

 results of many experiments dealing with the Isolation 

 and investigation of optically active compounds of 

 nitrogen, tin, selenium, and sulphur; he explains their 

 activity by supposing that the radicles in the active 

 compound are tetrahedrally arranged round a central 

 atom as In carbon compounds. With Prof. Barlow he 

 has more recently been engaged In the establishment 

 of a theory dealing with the connection between 

 crystalline structure and chemical constitution. He 

 has succeeded in reproducing the crystalline form of 

 most substances of known composition, basing his 

 work upon the assumptions of his theory — the experi- 

 mental and theoretical results show a remarkable con- 

 cordance. He has further suggested a theory of 

 "valency volume" which is leading to Important de- 

 velopments In the Investigation of atomic volumes. 



The Rumford Medal Is awarded to Lord Rayleigh, 

 in token of the council's appreciation of the mathe- 

 matical and physical work associated with his name. 

 Lord Rayleigh has, perhaps, done more than any 

 scientific man living to stimulate research ; his work 

 In the sciences of heat and radiation has paved the 

 way for remarkable advances, both theoretical and 

 experimental. The Copley Medal was given to Lord 

 Rayleigh in 1899, but the council wish to offer him 

 some further mark of their recognition of the great 

 value of the research which he still continues to pursue 

 with such conspicuous success. 



The Hughes Medal Is this year conferred upon Prof. 

 J. S. Townsend, of the University of Oxford, for his 

 work upon molecular conduction in gases, and upon 

 j the nature of the disruptive discharge. Prof. Town- 

 I send has made a brilliant investigation of the pheno- 

 j mena of conduction by the ionlsation of gases by 

 i means of Rontgen and similar radiations. The study 

 of the diffusion of the ions of gases led to very im- 

 portant conclusions about the size and nature of 

 gaseous ions — and the theory of ionlsation has been 

 greatly pxtended bv Prof. Townsend's work. 



The Darwin Medal this year is awarded to Prof. 

 Poulton, in recognition of the value of his researches 

 upon the curious phenomena of mimicry and protec- 

 tive resemblance in insects. Prof. Poulton has 

 brought together a vast number of facts which confirm 

 Darwin's theory on the subject, and he has recently 

 devised and organised a remarkable series of breeding 

 experiments with species of insects in order further 

 to test his conclusions. 



The report of the council refers, among" other 

 matters, to the effect of the war upon several 

 undertakings with which the society is concerned. 

 It is estimated that in connection with the Inter- 

 national Catalogue of Scientific Literature the 

 reduction of subscriptions and sales will mean a 

 loss of about 4000Z. on the three volumes in hand ; 

 and this loss will, at any rate in the first instance, 

 fall upon the Royal Society. About forty members 

 of the staff of the National Physical Laboratory 

 are now servingf with the colours, and this, with 

 other results of the war, has had an adverse 

 effect on the ordinary work of the laboratory- 

 Should the war continue, it will be necessary to 

 bring- the question of the financial position of the 

 laboratory before the Treasury at an early date. 

 The donations to the society recorded in the report 

 of the council are : 5000Z. from Sir James Caird, 

 / in aid of physical research, the amount not to be 



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