520 



NATURE 



[February" 28, 19 18 



presence in the air of centres {ions odorants) capable 

 of facilitating the condensation of atmospheric mois- 

 ture, a suitable hygrometric state, and cooling of .the 

 air current produced by inspiration. — J. E. Abelous and 

 J. Aloy : The necessity for a hydrogen acceptor and an 

 oxygen acceptor for the manifestation of the process 

 of oxido-reduction in organic liquids of animal and 

 vegetable origin. — M. Marage : Contribution to the 

 study of war commotions. Definding commotion as 

 the lesions produced in a point of the nervous system 

 either central or peripheral, it is shown that this arises 

 from large pressures acting for very short periods of 

 time on the whole of the body surface, and transmitted 

 by the liquids of the organism to the cortical sub- 

 stance of the brain contained in an indeformable 

 chamber, the skull. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Transmission Gears, Mechanical, Electric, and 

 Hydraulic, for Land and Marine Purposes. By E. 

 Butler. Pp. xii+164. (London: C. Griffin and Co., 

 Ltd.) 8s. 6d. net. 



The Exploitation of Plants. By various writers, 

 edited by Prof. F. W. Oliver. Pp. vii+170. (London 

 and Toronto : J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd.) 2s. 6d. net. 



The Kiln Drying of Lumber. By H. D. Tiemann. 

 Pp. ix + 316. (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippin- 

 cott Co.) iSs. net. 



Field Sanitation. By C. G. Moor and E. E. Cooper 

 and others. Pp. viii + 220. (London: Bailliere, Tin- 

 dall, and Co.) 2s. 6d. net. 



Western Live-Stock Management. Edited bv Prof. 

 E. L. Potter. Pp. xiv + 462. (New York: The Mac- 

 millan Co.; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 10s. 

 net. 



A Manual of Physics : Theoretical and Practical, for 

 Medical Students. By Prof. H. C. H. Candy. Second 

 edition. Pp. viii + 451. (London: Cassell and Co., 

 Ltd.) ys. 6d. net. 



Lyon's Medical Jurisprudence for India, with Illus- 

 trative Cases. By Lt.-Col. L. A. Waddell. Sixth 

 edition. Pp. xiii + 763. (Calcutta and Simla: 

 Thacker, Spink, and Co. ; London : W. Thacker and 

 Co.) 28s. net. 



Directions for a Practical Course in Chemical Physio- 

 logy. By Dr. W. Cramer. Third edition. Pp. viii+ 

 ii(). (London: Longmans and Co.) 3s. net. 



The Babv. Bv Dr. S. Seekings. Pp. 63. (Lon- 

 don : S.P.C.K.) gd. 



The Improvement of the Gregorian Calendar. By 

 A. Philip. Pp. 30. (London : G. Routledge and Sons, 

 Ltd.) IS. 6d. net. 



A Dictionary of Aircraft. By W. E. Dommett. Pp. 

 52. (London : Electrical Press, Ltd.) 25. net. 



Experiments in Psychical Research at Leiand Stan- 

 ford Junior University. By J. E. Coover. Pp. 

 xxiv + 641. (California: Stanford Universit\'.) 3.50 

 dollars. 



Infinitesimal Calculus. By Prof. F. S. Carey. Sec- 

 tion II. Pp. x+352 + iv. (London: Longmans and 

 Co.) I05. 6d. net. 



ROVAL It 



Thomson. 



I MONDAY, March 4. 



I Aristotelian Society, at %.— Symposium : Does the Knowing Mind 

 ' Contribute to the Structure of the Object Known ? Prof. G. Dawes Hicks 

 and Dr. H. Wildon Carr. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30. — The Effect of the War on the Economii 

 Condition of the United Kingdom : E. Crammond. 



TUESDAY, March 5. 

 ■ Royal Institution, at 3.— The National Physical Laboratory : Sir R. T. 

 Glazebrook. 



Zoological Society, at 5.30. — The External Characters of the Lemurs and 

 Tarsius: R. L Pocock. — A Classification of the Pyralidae, Subfamily 

 Hypsotropinae : Sir George F. Hampson. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 5.30. — Modern Developments ir 

 Gasworks Construction and Practice : A. Meade. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30. — Po;tugal as a Colonial Power : G 

 Young. 



WEDNESDAY, March 6. 



Gf;oi.ogical Society, at 5.30. — The Igneous Rocks of the Lake District: 

 J. F. N. Green. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30. — The Foundation of Industrial Pe.-ice : 

 A. H. Paterson. 



THURSDAY, March 7. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 6. — The Control of Large 

 Amounts qf Power: E. B. Wedmore. 



Institution OF Mining AND Metallurgy, at 5.30. — The«Application of 

 Charcoal to the Precipitation of Gold from its Solution in Cyanide : H. R. 

 Edmands. — Blast-furnace SmeltiBg of Stibnite, with considerations on the 

 Metallurgy of Aniimony : W. K. Schoeller. — A " Responsive " Shaft 

 Signal Device : B. Angwin. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 5.— (i) The Mimetic and Mendelian Relationships of 

 the "White Admirals" of North America (with Lantern Slides). (2) A 

 New Mimetic Form o( PsetfJacraea po^gci {Dewttz){rom ex-German East 

 Africa, with other African Mimics of Danaiiia chrjsipfiiis {\S\r\n.): Prof. 

 E. B. Poulton. — Mimetic Species of the African Nymphaline Genus Pseud- 

 ac-sea and Lycajnid Genus Miniacraea, together with their Acratine and 

 Danaidine Models and Some of their Co-mimics : Lord Rothschild. 

 FRIDAY, March S. 



Royal Institution, at 5.30. — Vibrations: Mechanical, Musical, and Elec- 

 trical : Prof. E. H. Barton. 



SATURDAY, March g. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Problems in Atomic Structure : Sir J. J. 

 Thomson. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



„ ^ THURSDAY, February 28. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Scattering of Light by Dust-free Air, with 



-Artificial Reproduction of the Blue Sky. Preliminary Note : The Hon. 

 J- Strutt.— The Lommel-Weber O Function and its Application 



to the Problem of Electric Waves on a Thin .Anchor Ring : Dr. J. R. 



.Airey.— Investigations on Textile Fibres : W. Harrison.— Critical Loading 



of Struts and Structure : W. L. Cowley and H. Levy. 



FRIDAY, March i. 

 KOYAL Institution, at 5.30.— The Modern Dye-stuff Industry: Prof. 

 A. G. Green. 



SATURDAY, March 2. 

 institution, at 3.— Problems in Atomic Structure: Sir J. J. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



The New Era in Medicine. By C. A. 501 



Museum Management. By Sir F. G. Kenyon, K.C.B. 502 

 Plant-anatomy in Relation to Evolution. By Prof. 



A. C. Seward, F.R.S 502 



I Our Bookshelf 503 



i Letters to the Editor: — 



J British Scientific In.stiunient Makers' Research. — 



j Conrad Beck . . . . 504 



Alcohol Fuel and Engines.— Prof. Thomas R. Lyle, 



F.R.S .504 



The Prefect of the Nile. {Illustrated.) By Dr. 



Brysson Cunningham 505 



A New British Oil Industry 506 



The Organisation of Research in Agriculture . . 507 



Notes 508 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



NovEe in the Andromeda Nebula 5^2 



New Variable Stars 512 



Two Spectroscopic Binaries .' 5' 2 



Proper Motion Stars 5 '2 



Military Aeronautics 512 



The Association of Technical Institutions . . . 513 

 The Exploitation of the Sea-fisheries. By J. J. .514 

 i Seismic Disturbances Connected with the Guate- 

 mala Earthquake ... .... ... 5^4 



The Pittsburgh Meeting of the American Association 515 



University and Educational Intelligence 515 



Societies and Academies 517 



Books Received 520 



Diary of Societies 520 



Editorial and Puilishing Offices: 



MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., 



ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C.2. 



Advertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 

 Publishers. 



NO. 2522, VOL. too] 



Editorial Communications to the Editor 

 Telegraphic Address: Phusis, London. 

 Telephone Number : Gerrard 8830. 



