August 26, 1920] 



NATURE 



805 



Le Radium: Inter prdtation et Enseignement de la 

 Radioactivity. Par Prof. Fr. Soddy. Traduit 

 de 1 'Anglais par A. Lepape. (Nouvelle Col- 

 lection scientifique.) Pp. iii + 375. (Paris: 

 Fdlix Alcan, 191 9.) Price 4.90 francs. 

 The third edition of Prof. Soddy 's book, "The 

 Interpretation of Radium," which was reviewed in 

 Nature for February 20, 1913, is the original 

 from which this translation was made. The trans- 

 lator has added an appendix in which the work 

 of the period 1914-19 is described, and consequent 

 modifications of theory are indicated. 



Grasses and Rushes and How to Identify Them. 

 By J. H. Crabtree. Pp. 64. (London: The 

 Epworth Press, n.d.) Price 15. gd. net. 

 This little book is a catalogue of all the grasses 

 and rushes of the English countryside. A brief 

 description, accompanied by an illustration, is 

 given of each plant mentioned. The book should 

 be of value to both farmers and students. 



Experiments with Plants. A First School-hook of 

 Science. By J. B. Philip. Pp. 205. (Oxford : 

 At the Clarendon Press, 1919.) Price 35. net. 

 Most of this book is devoted to the experimental 

 study of the elementary physiology of seeds and 

 plants. An account of the reproductive process is 

 included, and the elementary physics and 

 chemistry of soils are briefly indicated. In the 

 appendices a sketch is given of the scientific prin- 

 ciples which are necessary to a study of botany. 

 An index would have been a useful addition to the 

 book. 



Aluminium: Its Manufacture, Manipulation, and 

 Marketing. By G. Mortimer. (Pitman's 

 Common Commodities and Industries.) Pp. viii 

 + 152. (London : Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, 

 Ltd., n.d.) Price 25. 6d. net. 

 This interesting book gives a particularly good 

 account of the numerous applications which alu- 

 minium now finds in modern industry. The 

 technical processes for the extraction of aluminium 

 and its adaptation, both in the pure state and in 

 the form of alloys, to industry are carefully and 

 fully described. The book is well illustrated, and 

 cannot fail to be of interest to chemists, engineers, 

 and the general reader. 



Chemical Theory and Calculations: An Elemen- 

 tary Text-Book. By Prof. F. J. Wilson and 

 Prof. I. M. Heilbron. Second edition. Pp. vii 

 + 144. (London: Constable and Co., Ltd., 

 1920.) Price 45. 6d. net. 

 This is an admirable collection of problems cover- 

 ing a wide range, and including many of an 

 advanced character. A pleasing feature is the 

 brief but lucid account of chemical theory, includ- 

 ing a short section on atomic numbers. The book 

 should prove of great service to teachers and to 

 students preparing for degree examinations. It 

 is distinctly better than most books on chemical 

 arithmetic, since it aims at a higher standard. 

 NO. 2652, VOL. 105] 



Letters to the Editor. 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for 

 opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 

 can be undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 

 this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.'] 



University Grants. 



I AM glad to see that the very urgent necessity for 

 the provision of increased University grants which 

 was so ably stated in your leading article of August 5 

 has led to the position in Leeds and Birmingham 

 being brought lorward so clearly by Sir Michael 

 Sadler and Principal Grant Robertson in Nature of 

 August 12 and 19. There can be no doubt that every 

 university in the country is feeling the need of largely 

 increased financial assistance, without which it will 

 be impossible to carry on ethciently, if at all, depart- 

 ments such as those of science, which must always 

 be a source of large expenditure and financial loss to 

 any university. 



It is probably generally true that the higher the 

 etticiency of a department, the greater is its cost of 

 maintenance, and, consequently, the greater the 

 financial loss to the university. Therefore, so long as 

 reasonable economy in administration is practised, the 

 expenditure of money on a successful department 

 should be welcomed and encouraged, and every effort 

 made to provide funds so that its work may have free 

 scope and not be hampered in any way. Only under 

 conditions of proper equipment as regards both staff 

 and material and freedom from financial worry can 

 a department be expected to develop to its fullest 

 extent and to produce knowledge. 



In the Times of August 18 Prof. Soddy and 

 I directed attention to the critical condition of 

 science at Oxford, and pointed out that there 

 is actually no proper accommodation here even for 

 the teaching of physical and inorganic chemistry. 

 The antiquated buildings which are now used for the 

 purpose are quite out of date, besides being far too 

 small to cof>e with the large number of students who 

 are presenting themselves for the honours degree. 



The case of organic chemistry is also very serious 

 because, although the laboratory which was built four 

 years ago, largely owing to the generosity of Dr. 

 C. Vy. Dyson Perrins, is modern and well-equipped, it 

 is far too small. 



A new extension is in course of construction, but 

 the funds necessary to pay for it are not available, 

 and must be borrowed, and there is, moreover, no 

 adequate endowment to provide for upkeep when t"he 

 buildings are completed. A similar state of things 

 is to be found in connection with the new chair of 

 biochemistry recently endowed through the generosity 

 of Mr. Edward Whitley. There are no laboratories 

 associated with this chair, and in the meantime 

 accommodation must be provided in the already over- 

 crowded physiological laboratories. A careful estimate 

 of the cost of urgently required new buildings shows that 

 at least 250,000/,. as well as an endowment bringing 

 in io,oooZ. per annum, must be forthcoming if the 

 study of chemistry is to be placed on a firm basis in 

 this University. 



I have dealt more particularly with chemistry 

 because it is generally admitted that the most 

 pressing need in this University is that chemistry 

 shallbe placed on such a footing that teaching and 

 research may be done under conditions very different 

 from those which prevail at the present time. But 

 the Other branches of physical science are also urgently 

 in need of financial assistanc^p, partly for - new build-. 



