November 8, 1900] 



NA TURE 



49 



The Wheatstone Physical Laboratory is well equipped for 

 delicate balance work, heat and electrical measurement, and the 

 ■determination of the general physical constants. A new dark 

 room for spectroscopic work has been specially constructed, and 

 a room set apart for magnetic work. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — The annual grant to the Botanic Garden has been 

 raised to a sum which will make the income of the garden 670/., 

 instead of 650/. as formerly. 



The examiners for the Burdett-Coutts Scholarship in geology 

 have not awarded the scholarship this year. 



The Board of the Faculty of Natural Science have recom- 

 mended that certificates should be issued entitling the following 

 to supplicate for the degree of Doctor of Science : — Prof. 

 Poulton, for researches on the influence of environment upon the 

 colours of lepidopterous larvae and pupae ; Prof. Turner, /or 

 researches on stellar photography ; Prof Miers, for researches 

 on the red silver ores ; Prof. Love, for researches on the theory 

 of elasticity, theoretical mechanics, and the application of 

 mathematics to physics ; Prof Weldon, for researches on natural 

 selection; Mr. Hatchett Jackson, for researches on comparative 

 anatomy and the morphology of lepidoptera ; Mr. Lloyd Tanner, 

 for researches on the theory of differential equations, theory of 

 ■cyclotomic functions, &c. ; Mr. F. A. Bather, for researches on 

 fossil echinodermata, pelmatozoa, and blastoidea. These 

 gentlemen will doubtless be the first to take the new research 

 •degree, which has at present only been conferred as an honorary 

 degree. 



Cambridge, — Mr. J. G. Leathem, St. John's College, has 

 been appointed Chairman of the Examiners for the Mathema- 

 tical Tripos, Part L 



Mr. R. W. H. T. Hudson, Senior Wrangler 1898, Smith's 

 Prizeman 1900, son of Prof Hudson of King's College, London, 

 has been elected to a Fellowship of St. John's College. 



A meeting for the purpose of establishing a memorial of the 

 late Prof. Sidgwick is to be held in Trinity College Lodge at 

 3 p.m. on November 26. 



The Vice-Chancellor has published a list of donations to the 

 Benefaction Fund, bringing up the total to over 66,000/. 

 Donations to the Agricultural Education Fund, for the special 

 purpose of equipping the experimental farm, amount to nearly 

 1600/. 



It is proposed to alter the regulations for Part II. of the 

 Natural Sciences Tripos so as to permit of a candidate being 

 placed in the first class provided he shows a sufficiently gOod 

 knowledge of two subjects combined. Hitherto a first class 

 has been awarded only for special proficiency in one subject. 



Dr. Erskinb-Murray was appointed, at the beginning of 

 the present session, lecturer and demonstrator of physics and 

 mathematics at the University College, Nottingham, 



The extent of the work of the London Technical Education 

 Board is shown in the current number of the Technical Education 

 'Gazelle. Particulars are given of evening classes conducted 

 under the auspices of the Board during the session 1900-1901, 

 and though they are closely tabulated, the tables occupy 127 

 pages. 



Dr. Oscar Loew, for some time expert physiologist in the 

 division of vegetable physiology and pathology of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, has resigned (says Science) in 

 order to accept a position in the Agricultural College of the 

 Imperial University of Tokyo, Japan, as lecturer on physio- 

 logical chemistry. 



Several months ago the Senate of the University of London 

 asked the London County Council to give the name University 

 Avenue to the road in which the university buildings are 

 situated, now known as Imperial Institute Road. The govern- 

 ing body of the Imperial Institute has, however, strongly 

 objected to the suggested alteration, and the County Council 

 has decided to let the old name remain. 



Speaking at St. George's Hospital on Tuesday, Sir Michael 

 Foster referred to the inadequate provision made in our hospitals 

 for the scientific investigation of disease. The analysis of the 

 phenomena presented at the bed-side and in the posl viorleiu 



NO. 1619, VOL. 63] 



room is not carried out as exactly, as completely, as fully, and 

 as systematically as it might be. The use of the thermometer 

 is a type of the exact analysis of clinical phenomena. la 

 addition there is now chemical analysis, physical analysis, 

 bacteriological analysis, but in none of our great hospitals is 

 that analysis as complete, systematic, and exact as it should be. 

 Such a complete analysis of all the phenomena in each case can 

 only be carried on by means of thoroughly equipped laboratories 

 in connection with the hospital — chemical, physical, biological, 

 bacteriological, and other laboratories. In London the hospitals 

 are less properly equipped in this direction not only than the 

 hospitals of other countries, more especially America and 

 Germany, but than even the hospitals of the provinces. It 

 may or may not be desirable to attach to our hospitals chemical, 

 physical and biological laboratories for the instruction of the 

 student in introductory science ; but each hospital ought to have 

 its ptoperly equipped clinical laboratories established for the 

 welfare of the patient, the cost of which was as much a proper 

 charge on the funds of the hospital as the bill for drugs or 

 surgical appliances. 



The University College of North Wales has numbered, and 

 still includes, among its professoriate the names of men of * ' light 

 and leading " in the worlds of science, art and literat-ure ; hence 

 its courses and laboratories, as described in the Calendar for the 

 session 1 900-1 901, are worth examination. The physical, 

 chemical, and biological laboratories occupy a large area, and the 

 appliances provided are sufficient to enable the college to offer 

 complete courses of work in their sciences. There is a depart- 

 ment of electrical engineering maintained by means of an annual 

 grant made by the Drapers' Company ; and a course of lectures 

 and experimental work, suitable for students of this branch of 

 applied science, has just been commenced. Efforts are being 

 made to establish a department of mining, and a conference in 

 support of this object was held a few days ago at Rhyl. The con- 

 ference was attended by representatives of the county councils, 

 urban and rural district councils, arid the technical instruc- 

 tion authorities of North Wales, as well as the owners and 

 managers of mines, quarries, brick, steel and iron works in the 

 northern half of the Principality. Students in the proposed 

 department would, of course, attend the college lectures bear- 

 ing upon their subject, but it would also be necessary to add to the 

 staff a professor of mining and mine surveying, a professor of 

 geology and mineralogy and an additional assistant lecturer in 

 the chemical department, to take charge of the subject of 

 metallurgy. It is estimated that, in order to meet the additional 

 expense thus thrown upon the college, and for the proper mainten- 

 ance of the new laboratories, an annual income of not less than 

 1 100/. should be assured to the department. The establishment 

 of mining and geological laboratories, and the provision 

 necessary for the teaching of metallurgy would also render 

 necessary a capital expenditure, including buildings, of about 

 8000/. All the speakers at the meeting, including Prof Le 

 Neve Foster, agreed in thinking that mining in North Wales 

 would be benefited by the establishment of the department 

 suggested, and resolutions were eventually adopted expressing 

 support of the scheme, and pledging the conference to exert 

 all possible means to carry it into effect. 



The work of the examinations department of the City and 

 Guilds of London Institute is so extensive that the only satis- 

 factory way to obtain an estimate of it is to read the annual 

 report, which can be obtained for threepence from Messrs. 

 Whittaker and Co , Paternoster-square, E.G. It appears, from 

 the report just issued, that during the session 1899-1900 the 

 total number of classes registered by the institute was 2460 as 

 compared with 2087 in the previous session. The number of 

 candidates' papers worked at the recent examinations was 15,557, 

 as compared with 14,978 in the previous year, and whilst, only 

 a few years ago, all the examinations were held on two days, 

 they extended this year to twenty days. Mention has already 

 been made of the desirability of closely associating the work of 

 the technological department of the institute with that of the 

 branch of the Board of Education dealing with technology. On 

 August 24 an official announcement was made that an assistant 

 secretary for technology had been appointed, and that " in the 

 ensuing autumn it is proposesd to appoint a departmental 

 committee, on which the County Councils and the City and 

 Guilds of London Institute will be represented, to consider, 

 inter alia, the co-ordination of the technological administration 

 of the Board of Education with the technological work at 



