4IO 



NATURE 



[December io, 1914 



investigated is that of the antlers of the stag. The 

 Mendelians regard such characters merely as muta- 

 tions which are coupled with primary sex ; but primary 

 sex is determined at fertilisation, and such secondary 

 characters have been shown to be dependent on the 

 presence and function of the gonads. Characters 

 which are determined in the gametes are not generally 

 affected by amputations of the gonads or any part of 

 the body in after life. It has been shown that the 

 effects of castration on the development of secondary 

 sexual characters are due to the stimulus of chemical 

 substances produced by the gonads, especially in their 

 functional activity. 



The hormone theory explains how somatic modifica- 

 tions may be transmitted to the gametes, the hyper- 

 trophied tissue giving off chemical substances or 

 hormones which stimulate the determinants in the 

 gametes. A special application of this principle is 

 necessary in the case of the functional secondary sexual 

 characters to explain how it is that their development 

 is so closely dependent on the functional activity of 

 the gonads. This special part of the theory assumes 

 that the original modification was produced in the 

 presence of the hormone from the sexual organs, and 

 consequently the inherited modification cannot develop 

 in the soma except in the presence of this hormone. 



The following communications were also made to 

 the section, but in the absence of the specimens and 

 diagrams used In illustration they do not lend them- 

 selves to the purposes of a summary. — Prof. Poulton 

 gave an account of Dr. Perkins's researches on the 

 colour-groups of Hawaiian wasps. Prof. Jungersen 

 described the anatomy of Peg.'isus, which he showed 

 to be an Acanthoptervgian, and to require at least a 

 suborder of its own, for it is distinguished by several 

 structural peculiarities from all known fishes ; Mr. T. 

 Steel exhibited beautifully preserved examples of 

 several species of Peripatus and of Australian land 

 planarians. and added observations on their special 

 features and habits ; and Mr. E. de Hamel gave a 

 general account of the ringing of birds and some of 

 the observed results. J. H. Ash worth. 



THE SUPPLY OF CHEMICALS TO BRITAIN 

 AND HER DEPENDENCIES.'^ 



AFTER showing that the foundations of theo- 

 ■^~^ retlcal chemistry were laid almost exclusively by 

 the chemists of England, France, and Sweden, the 

 speaker proceeded to discuss the position of Industrial 

 chemistry. The " Report on Chemical and Pharma- 

 ceutical Products and Processes " in the International 

 Exhibition of 1862, from the pen of A. W. Hofmann, 

 then professor of chemistry in the Royal College of 

 Chemistry and Royal School of Mines, London, con- 

 tains the following passage (p. 3): — "The contribu- 

 • tlons of the United Kingdom, and In particular the 

 splendid chemical display in the Eastern Annexe, 

 prove the British not only to have maintained their 

 pre-eminence among the chemical manufacturers of 

 the world, but to have outdone their own admitted 

 superiority on the corresponding occasion of 185 1." 



Statistics in relation to the development of the 

 alkali trade show how rapidly the production of what 

 are called "heavv chemicals" was proceeding at this 

 period. Figures derived from returns collected by 

 Mr. Christian Allhusen from 81 per cent, of the manu- 

 facturers in the United Kingdom, Immediately after 

 the first Great Exhibition, are shown below. These 

 may be compared with statistics prepared by Mr. W. 



1 .Abstract of a rapsr read before the Royal Society of Arts on 

 November 25 by Sir William A. Tilden, F.R.S. 



Gossage for the year 1861 Immediately before the 

 exhibition of 1862 ^ : — 



1852 



'Ions 



i85i 



Tons 



156,000 



104,000 



13,000 



20,000 



Soda ash 71)^93 



Soda crystals ... ... 61,044 



Bicarbonate 5>762 



Bleaching powder ... 13,100 



The value of these products for 1852 was estimated 

 at about I5 million pounds, while the value of the 

 products of 186 1 was calculated by Mr. Gossage at 

 upwards of two millions sterling. 



The Board of Trade has recently Issued a bulletin 

 concerning German competition in the United Klng- 

 j dom market, and on p. 2 we find the statement that 

 j the soda compounds, excluding chromates and bleach- 

 ing powder, produced In the United Kingdom in the 

 year 1907, are valued at 3,390,000/. The imports 

 from Germany in 1912 are valued at only 8700Z. As 

 to bleaching materials, the product of the United 

 Kingdom for 1907 is estimated at 527,000/., while the 

 import from Germany for 1912 was 44,600/. 



From these figures the easy deduction is made that 

 " the imports of these chemicals into the United 

 Kingdom from Germany are relatively insignificant 

 when compared with the output of the same articles 

 in this country. It is clear that in these particular 

 lines British manufacturers have no need to fear 

 German competltlorj in the home market." 



Similar remarks apply to aluminous compounds, 

 coal-tar products not dyes, the cyanides, sulphuric 

 acid, and other acids for which the bulletin may be 

 consulted. It thus appears that the British manu- 

 facturers of sulphuric acid and soda, from the early 

 times of a century ago, have been abx% up to the 

 present, to hold their own against foreign competition, 

 and have thus added substantially to the revenues and 

 well-being of their country. 



Now leaving to the department of "heavy chem- 

 icals " all such things as agricultural and horticultural 

 washes, coarse disinfectants, and artificial manures, 

 the question arises. How do we in England stand in 

 regard to the supply of drugs, dyes, photographic 

 chemicals, agents for research, and perfumes at a 

 time when many of these things are very urgently 

 needed? 



It may be safely asserted that the sources of supply 

 of all these materials in the United Kingdom are 

 seriously inadequate. And, further, we may point to 

 the acknowledged fact that many of the dyes, nearly 

 all the synthetic drugs, and photographic materials 

 have been systematically imported from Germany. 



The annual statement of the Board of Trade (p. 108) 

 shows that in 19 13 we imported from Germany :■ — 



Alizarin and anthracene dyes ... 271,119 

 Aniline and naphthalene dyes ... 1,382,478 

 Synthetic indigo ... ... .. 76,681 



NO. 2354, VOL. 94] 



;<£^i, 730,278 



Under the head of " Drugs, unenumerated, includ- 

 ing Medicinal Preparations " (p. 107), out of a total 

 of imports from foreign countries and from British 

 possessions amounting to 1,302,860/., more than one- 

 fourth, or to the value of 332,464/., was in 19 13 re- 

 ceived from Germany. From this is to be deducted 

 the inconsiderable amount of dyes and other chemicals 

 from coal-tar, valued at 24,691/., exported In 1913 to 

 Germany (p. 300). According to the Final Report on 

 the First Census of Production of the United King- 

 dom for 1907 (p. 547), this country made 139,000 cwt. 

 of coal-tar dyes, valued at 373,000/., of which prac- 

 tically the whole was consumed at home. 



'■^ Gossage's " History of the Soda Manufacture." 



