lO 



NATURE 



[March 7, 191^ 



a certain knowledge of these. But the most important 

 aspect by far is a thorough acquaintance with all the 

 various forms of distress induced by deficient supply 

 of oxygen. It would seem to the layman, and appar- 

 ently to many medical men also, a rather extraordinary 

 thing that something which appears to concern respira- 

 tion alone should produce vomiting, whereas the excel- 

 lent work of Dr. J. S. Haldane and his collaborators, 

 and of other physiologists also, has shown beyond ques- 

 tion that the multitude of diverse symptoms caused by 

 high altitude are results, simply and solely, of low oxygen 

 tension. Sir Watson Cheyne is scarcely explicit enough 

 here, and his statement that the lungs are primarily 

 afifected may easily be misunderstood. What is needed 

 is a regular and periodic testing of the reactions of the 

 airman to reduced oxygen pressure, and this by the 

 accurate methods of the physiological laboratory. The 

 nervous factors referred to by Sir Watson Cheyne re- 

 quire investigation at regular intervals by the expert 

 experimental psychologist. The length of the reaction 

 time is so obviously important that it needs no further 

 reference. The effects on the nerve centres of repeated 

 exposure to deficient oxygen need more experimental 

 investigation. It is, however, satisfactory to find that 

 more attention is being given to the preliminary test- 

 ing of men destined for the Air Service. 



An editorial article entitled "Gunfire in France, 

 Rainfall in England," by Dr. H. R. Mill, in the 

 February issue of Symons's Meteorological Magazine, 

 comprises an analysis of the monthly rainfalT returns 

 for the south-eastern and north-western districts of the 

 British Isles for the wet period 1909-17, considered in 

 subdivisions of two three-year peace-periods and 

 one three-year war-period. The rainfall for each 

 month and for both regions is given in percentage of 

 the thirty-five-year average, 1875-1909, the stations 

 utilised being those employed in "British Rainfall," as 

 specially representative of the districts. Without ex- 

 hibiting the data, it is impossible in the space at our 

 disposal adequately to deal with the salient features of 

 the investigation ; suffice it to say that, in Dr. Mill's 

 words, " they bear very strong evidence to the effect 

 that the abnormalities of the rainfall of the war-years 

 are merely the natural development of changes which 

 have certainly been at work for nine years, and in one 

 case no less certainly for fifty years." This last refer- 

 ence is to the increasing dr}'ness of September, shown 

 by Dr. Mill to have been a feature of the climatology 

 of the British Isles during the past half-century, and is, 

 indeed, a matter of common observation.- Attention 

 is directed to the noteworthy fact that not one of the 

 four war Septembers has had so much as average 

 rainfall. It i& important, moreover, to observe that 

 while 1915 and 1916 had both an excess rainfall of 

 21 per cent, in south-east England, 1917 (which cer- 

 tainly witnessed no relaxation in the activity of artil- 

 lery) was a year of nearly normal fall ( + 4 per cent.). 

 In the same number Mr..F. J. Brodie replies to those 

 who have criticised his treatment in the issue of De- 

 cember, 1917, of the same problem, and incidentally 

 suggests a statistical process by which he considers 

 it might be possible definitely to decide the point at 

 issue. 



At the annual general meeting of the Iiastitute of 

 Chemistry held on March i, Sir James Dobbie, the re- 

 tiring president, said that the past three years have 

 afforded unusual opportunities for demonstrating the 

 utility of the institute, and the special services which it 

 has rendered in connection with the war have been widely 

 acknowledged. It has done valuable work in introduc- 

 ing suitable candidates for commissions in his Majesty's 

 Forces where technical knowledge and experience are 



NO. 2523, VOL. lOl] . 



required, and in providing chemists for Governmr 

 factories, controlled establishments, and laboratori 

 engaged in war work. Every public department an 1 

 every branch of the fighting services that requires tint 

 aid of the chemist has made use of its services. The 

 institute may fairly claim to have been the chief agent 

 in mobilising the chemists of the country for war pur- 

 poses. Since the beginning of the war the institute 

 has been unremitting in its efforts to ensure to chemists 

 a supply of pure reagents, glass, and porcelain. The 

 value of the glass research work carried out under 

 its auspices has been recognised on all sides, and in- 

 vestigations originally undertaken for purely chemical 

 purposes have been extended for the benefit of nearly 

 every branch of the glass industry. The attention of 

 the council has been largely devoted to the revision of 

 the regulations for admission to the membership of the 

 institute, with the view of promoting complete organ- 

 isation of British professional chemists. Sir James 

 Dobbie hopes the institute will undertake to maintain 

 a register for persons engaged in chemistry, but not 

 necessarily qualified for admission as members. Such 

 an organisation would make it possible, when occa- 

 sion demanded, for the chemists of the country to 

 bring their whole weight and influence to bear on 

 questions of national interest. 



We have lately received from Messrs. Wood Bros. 

 Glass Co., Ltd., Barnsley, a copy of their new cata- 

 logue of scientific and laboratory glassware, covering 

 a considerable variety of useful chemical apparatus. 

 When we recollect that three years ago the difficulty of 

 securing supplies of such articles seriously menaced 

 many industries connected with the prosecution of the 

 war, and when we realise the difficulties which had 

 to be overcome to establish this entirely new branch 

 of industry — so far as this country is concerned — we 

 may well congratulate the enterprising manufacturers 

 who have made such a noteworthy endeavour to pro- 

 vide our chemists with these essential requirements. 

 The production of chemical glassware presented many 

 unusual problems for solution. In devising the for- 

 mulae for batch mixtures, Messrs. Wood Bros, and 

 other firms have been assisted by the Glass Research 

 Committee of the Institute of Chemistry ; but they have 

 had to provide special plant, machinery, and moulds, 

 to determine the conditions of working, as well as to- 

 secure the services of workers possessing the necessary 

 technical skill for making many articles of intricate 

 design. With the increasing appreciation of the value 

 of science in industry and the extension of science 

 teaching in our schools, the demand for laboratory 

 glassware is likely to be far greater than it has been 

 in the past, and we hope that every encouragement will 

 be given to the British makers who have achieved 

 such success in spite of the s(^rious obstacles with 

 which they have been confronted. We hope, too, that 

 it is thoroughly recognised by this time that this country 

 must be able to supply its own needs in this direction, 

 and that the industry must therefore be properly 

 protected in order that it may become so well estab- 

 lished here that there will be no inclination or necessity 

 to look to other countries to provide us with anything 

 of the kind. We shall look forward to seeing- future 

 issues of Messrs. Wood Bros.' catalogue, and anticipate 

 that in the course of the present year the range of 

 production will be substantially extended. 



It is a matter of common experience in the fatten- 

 ing of cattle that the gain in live-weight secured per 

 unit of feed consumed diminishes as the fattening pro- 

 gresses. Of the various causes that may contribute 

 to this result the one that is perhaps most commonly 

 regarded as being mainly responsible is the supposed 



