November 8, 1900] 



NATURE 



47 



"the amount of harm done to those pipes is merely a question 

 of time. Because of the ignorance of legislators and gas 

 and water companies, nothing is said just now ; but will nothing 

 be said at the end of ten oi twenty years, when pipes are found 

 to be eaten away everywhere ? And if by a slight increase of 

 expense, or rather, as I think, actually no increase of expense, 

 but merely a little increase in inventiveness and common sense 

 on the part of electrical engineers, this evil may be entirely 

 prevented, surely it is in the interests of all of us that insulated 

 returns should be insisted upon. But even if we do not insist 

 on insulating the returns in all systems, surely something may 

 be said for the giving of this protection on lines near such a 

 magnetic observatory as Kew. Even the magnetograph records 

 now being made have been continuous for forty-five years, and 

 if Kew is interfered with no sum of money can compensate for 

 the interference ; for if the Observatory were removed the future 

 observations would have no link with the past. 



An engineer in this room declared that it seemed to him an 

 injustice to hamper the progress of electric tramways " for the 

 sake of making observations that never have given, and never 

 may give, to the world any important results." Now, it is not 

 so much on account of Kew that I object to this sort of ob- 

 servation, as to its general spirit of antagonism to scientific 

 research. 



There is no doubt that the answer to the old question, which 

 Gilbert might have asked three hundred years ago, " What is 

 the cause of terrestrial magnetism ? " is very jealously hidden 

 from us by Nature. The earth probably contains much iron, 

 but its great internal heat seems to forbid our imagining the iron 

 to be magnetic. The assumption that a negative electric charge 

 on the rotating earth will explain things requires such an 

 enormous charge that this assumption has been discarded. 

 There are annual and diurnal variations of a fairly regular kind ; 

 there are storms which have some relation to the Aurora 

 Borealis, to sunspots and to earth currents. There are small 

 sudden changes which seem to occur almost instantaneously all 

 over the earth. Observations of these things may be useless 

 from some points of view, but scientific men have been, and 

 continue to be, willing to give up time and much money for this 

 object. Utilitarians had to be cajoled through superstition to 

 allow observations of the stars to be carried on in ancient times, 

 and we have no such cajolery to offer. We simply say that it 

 has been through this sort of useless- looking method of working 

 that all our progress in science has come. 



Engineers descended from men who sneered at Cavendish 

 and Franklin and Volta and Oersted and Ohm and Faraday, are 

 you who utilise the results of the work so sneered at, and pile 

 up fortunes in consequence of it, are you the men to sneer at and 

 ridicule the scientific work of the present day because it seems 

 to you useless ? 



Tell us a better method of observation ; give us better sugges- 

 tions as to what these magnetic phenomena may mean ; but 

 the past record of scientific observation enables us to laugh at 

 you when you say that magnetic observations may never give the 

 world any important results. Was Nature ever so open and yet 

 so closed about a secret as she is about this one of terrestrial 

 magnetism ? Was there ever one whose revelation promised so 

 much ? How very little we know of electricity and magnetism ! 

 Does the mere motion of the earth, taking no account of electric 

 charges at all, cause it to be magnetic? Almost anything is on 

 the cards. Surely I need not appeal to your cupidity, but it is 

 quite possible that our knowledge of this secret may enable us to 

 tap a tremendous store of Nature's energy. 



Gentlemen, this is not a trades union, and it is not a society 

 for the furtherance of pure scientific research, but it is a society 

 of professional men who recognise the past services of scientific 

 observers with gratitude and respect, and hope for greater ones 

 in the future. And shall it be said of us that our gratitude is 

 not greater than that of Judas, to whom indeed thirty pieces of 

 silver was doubtless a large sum ; that ' ' we have given our 

 hearts away a sordid boon " ; and that as to our future hopes 

 we are willing to sell our birthright for a mess of pottage ? 



THE NEW SCIENTIFIC LABORATORIES AT 



KINGS COLLEGE, LONDON. 

 C\^ the afternoon of October 30 the new scientific labora- 

 ^^ tories at King's College were opened by Lord Lister, in 

 the presence of the Lord Mayor and a large and distinguished 

 gathering of men of science. Lord Lister, after his introduction 



by Dr. Robertson, the principal of the college, said the 

 occasion marked an event of great importance in the higher 

 education of the metropolis. Tne necessity of practical instruc- 

 tion to supplement mere lectures was now fully realised ; and it 

 was in order to satisfy this want in every particular that the new 

 laboratories had been added to King's College. In many 

 branches the college had long been well equipped for this pur- 

 pose ; the Wheatstone Museum in particular would bear witness 

 to this ; but the dissecting-room, and the accommodation for 

 the practical teaching of physiology had been very defective. 

 But now all this had been remedied ; the bacteriological labora- 

 tory and the geological department had also received many 

 improvements ; and, in short, it might safely be said that King's 

 College was now fully abreast of the age in the opportunities it 

 aff"orded for practical teaching in all departments. 



The Lord Mayor proposed a vote of thanks to Lord Lister ; 

 and in seconding, the Hon. W. F. D. Smith, M.P., treasurer of 

 the college, stated that the new buildings, together with their 

 equipment, would, when completed, cost 20,000/., and reminded 

 his audience that only one fifth of this sum had so far been 

 subscribed. 



Lord List^ having declared the laboratories open, they were 

 inspected by those present. 



The laboratories are the result of a comprehensive scheme 

 of extension and improvement of the teaching accommodation 

 of the college, resolved upon by the council in the summer of 

 1899, and now practically completed. The biological, archi- 

 tectural, anatomical and mechanical departments have all 

 benefited to a considerable extent by the new works, especially 

 the departments first mentioned. The whole south wing of the 

 college has been raised by an additional story, which includes 

 the new geological, comparative anatomy and botanical depart- 

 ments, while the second story of the north wing, comprising 

 the physiological and bacteriological departments, has been 

 largely reconstructed, as has also the very fine room on the first 

 floor now allotted to the architectural department. The recon • 

 struction of the anatomical department and medical museum is 

 also approximately complete, but the equipment is at present in 

 progress. 



The department of physiology comprises (l) a spacious central 

 laboratory, seating over 100 students ; the work tables are 

 suited either for microscope work or for practical work in 

 chemical physiology. There are in addition sixteen separate 

 tables provided with shafting and all the necessary electrical 

 apparatus for the study of experimental physiology, a branch 

 of the science which is becoming every year of greater import- 

 ance ; (2) a large room for investigations in chemical physi- 

 ology ; (3) a spacious and well- fitted room for experimental 

 physiology ; (4) a dark room for photographic and galvanometer 

 work ; (5) a private workroom for the professor. These, with 

 the necessary storerooms and accommodation for the laboratory 

 attendants, make up a very complete suite of rooms. 



In the anatomical department the dissecting room has been 

 nearly doubled in size, and all the accessory rooms necessary 

 in a well-equipped anatomical department are now provided. 

 The section of the college museum which relates to pathology 

 will also be housed in part of the old physiological rooms in 

 the basement, and a new room has been built for the anatomical 

 portion of the museum. 



The department of bacteriology contains a practical class- 

 room devoted to the technical education of post-graduate and 

 other students from all parts of the world. Every student with 

 his own hands goes through the whole practical course, and is 

 further assisted by lectures and practical demonstrations. 

 Several students have been especially trained with a view to in- 

 vestigating plague, cholera, yellow fever, madura and other 

 tropical diseases, as well as the diseases of farm stock which 

 are prevalent in our colonies and in foreign countries. In the 

 technical laboratory, research work has been undertaken for the 

 Board of Agriculture and for colonial Governments, while a 

 number of workers have published researches on various bacterio- 

 logical subjects. The new research room and library is used by 

 advanced students and by the professor. A new feature is the 

 bacteriological library of about 1000 volumes and pamphlets, lent 

 by the professor for the use of the senior students. A lecture 

 theatre has been built for the use of the bacteriological and 

 physiological departments, and will accommodate about 200 

 students. 



The general geological laboratory and lecture room will 

 accommodate fifty students. The room is fitted both for lecturing 



NO. 1 6 19, VOL. 6-^ 



