April i8, 1901J 



NA TURE 



593 



details, noted on the spot, of the effect of lightning-strokes on 

 buildings, whether fitted with conductors or not. Persons 

 willing to assist by their observations are invited to communicate 

 th the secretary at the offices of the Royal Institute of British 

 Architects, 9 Conduit Street, London, W. 



We learn from the British Medical Journal that in the course 

 of the present year a statue of Pasteur is to be erected in the 

 town of Dole, in the Jura Department, which was his birth- 

 place. The statue, which is from the chisel of M. Antonin 

 Carles, is in bronze, and stands on a conical pedestal 8 metres 

 high. Pasteur is represented as standing in an attitude of medi- 

 tation. At the base of the monument is a group representing 

 Humanity holding out two children to Pasteur, whilst Science 

 offers him a palm. 



The death is announced in the Times, at the age of nine^- 

 three years, of Prof. Paul Chaix, a well-known citizen of Geneva 

 and a geographer of distinction. In 1836 he was appointed 

 master of geography and history in the Industrial College of 

 Geneva, and in 1868 he became professor at the Gymnasium, 

 and a few years later at the University. M. Chaix was an 

 active member of the German Geographical Society, and an 

 honorary corresponding member of the Royal Geographical 

 Society. He was the author of a map of Savoy, a history of 

 Central America, various elementary geographical works, and 

 papers to geographical and other journals. 



The Paris correspondent of the Chemist and Druggist 

 announces the death, at Grenoble, of Prof. F. M. Raoult, an 

 eminent chemist and senior of the Faculty of Sciences of that 

 town. He was a corresponding member of the Paris Academy 

 of Sciences, a foreign member of the Chemical Society, London, 

 and of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg, and a 

 Commander of the Legion of Honour. M. Raoult was 71 

 years of age, and held a high place amongst French chemists. 

 The death is also announced of M. Maxime Cornu, a well- 

 known French botanist, who took a leading part in the 

 endeavours to eradicate phylloxera in France. The deceased 

 was a professor at the Paris Museum of Natural History, 

 and contributed largely to the literature of botany. 



It is a matter for congratulation that serious efforts are being 

 made by the municipal authorities in many civilised countries to 

 combat disease by all means available for that purpose. We 

 therefore welcome the news that an excellent institution for the 

 exclusive treatment of patients suffering from the various forms 

 of cancer — ^either curable or incurable — is being built in Moscow 

 at the expense, which is said to be an enormous one, of the 

 municipality of that city. It is understood, however, that the 

 main object of erecting this special hospital is to provide the 

 necessary means of studying the nature of cancer from every 

 possible point of view and of enabling and encouraging more 

 thorough pathological and clinical research to be carried out in 

 connection with that malady. Accordingly, we may reasonably 

 hope that by carefully conducted scientific investigations the 

 light of knowledge will be thrown upon a scourge which has, 

 of late years, and particularly in the northern regions of the 

 Russian Empire, assumed a most formidable extent and 

 character. It may be added that the new institute will be 

 under the entire management of a committee consisting of 

 several members of the medical faculty, with Dr. Lewschin, 

 professor of surgery in the University of Moscow, as its 

 director. In addition, facilities will be offered to students who, 

 desirous of joining the scientific circle of investigators there, 

 have already proved themselves efficient workers in that 

 department of pathological research. 



The very alarming reports which were published by the 

 German Press towards the end of March concerning both the 

 extent and rapidity with which the recent outbreak of an 



NO. 1642, VOL. 63] 



epidemic of enteric fever in Upper Silesia had spread throughout 

 that country, and particularly the serious complications and the 

 high rate of mortality by which it was followed, have prompted 

 the Prussian " Cultusminister " to request Prof. Robert Koch to 

 proceed at once to that part of the German Empire for the pur- 

 pose of ascertaining the original source of the infection and of 

 adopting some trustworthy measures to check its further present 

 spread, and to prevent, as far as possible, its occurrence in the 

 future. Prof. Koch, it is reported, will now leave Berlin for 

 Beuthen, which is situated near the Polish frontier, where he 

 will, in the first instance, examine the so-called "hygienic 

 station," which was erected there for bacteriological purposes 

 some years ago, whence he will proceed to the other more im- 

 portant places and towns of Silesia with a view to inspecting 

 carefully their present sanitary conditions. It is believed that 

 Prof. Koch will be engaged on his mission for from six weeks to 

 two months ; subsequently his report, which, it is understood, 

 will cover all the main points of his bacteriological investigations 

 bearing upon enteric fever, will be published by the Reichs- 

 gesundheitsamt of Berlin. 



Representatives of several societies interested in archae- 

 ology met Sir Edmund Antrobus on Friday last at Stone- 

 henge to discuss the details of the resolutions passed at the 

 recent conference in London, and referred to in our last issue 

 (P- 576). The Times reports that all the details of the work it 

 is proposed to do with the view of maintaining the stones in a 

 position of safety were fully discussed, and the representatives 

 present unanimously approved all the suggestions made at the 

 London conference. It was decided to proceed with the work 

 as soon as the weather is favourable. It will be carried out 

 under the supervision of Mr. Delmar Blow, assisted by an 

 eminent civil engineer ; and nothing in the way of restoration 

 will be attempted. The only object the societies have in view 

 is the preservation of this ancient memorial. The first work to 

 be undertaken will be the raising of the huge monolith, which 

 overhangs the altar stone and is in a most dangerous con- 

 dition, into an upright position. It is the largest and finest 

 monolith in England next to Cleopatra's Needle. At present 

 it rests on a smaller stone, but there are two large flaws or 

 cracks in it, and if it were to fall it is feared that it would be 

 broken into three parts. The experts engaged in the work 

 will next proceed to examine the stones numbered 6 and 

 7 on Mr. Petrie's plan, with the view of putting them in a 

 position to .support the lintel which rests upon them. The 

 other recommendations of the societies will be carried out in 

 due course ; and, in the meantime, Sir E. Antrobus hopes to 

 obtain permission to divert the roadway now passing through 

 the earth-circle which surrounds the stones, and to proceed 

 with the erection of the wire fence approved by the conference, 



M. de Fonvielle, ex-president of the French Society for 

 Aerial Navigation, delivered an address upon the position and 

 progress of aeronautics in France,'at a meeting of the Aero- 

 nautical Society held at the Society of Arts on Monday. In 

 the course of the address, M. de Fonvielle referred to several 

 important matters requiring the consideration of meteorologists, 

 astronomers and others interested in scientific ballooning. One 

 refers to the time at which the balloon ascents are made in con- 

 nection with the International Aeronautical Committee. The 

 balloons are sent up about eight o'clock in the morning, but 

 M. de Fonvielle urged that a better plan would be to let the 

 ascents be made at night, when less disturbing variations of 

 temperature would be experienced. As manned balloons are 

 sent up at the same time as free balloons, it was suggested that 

 by making the ascents at night opportunity would be afforded 

 of making astronomical observations which might be prevented 

 at low levels by cloudiness. Another point which M. 



