830 



MATURE 



[August 26, 1920 



of those who show deficiencies from the standards 

 obtaining in conditions of perfect health. 

 Bibliography. 

 (i) Hutchinson, John: "On the Capacity of the 

 Lungs and on the Respiratory Functions, etc." 

 Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, vol. xxix., 1846, 

 London, p. 137; Lancet, vol. i., 1846, p. 630. 



(2) Dreyer, G. : "The Normal Vital Capacity in 

 Man and its Relation to the Size of the Body." 

 Lancet, August 9, 1919. 



(3) Meeh, K. : " Oberfiachen messungen des Mensch- 

 lichen Korpers." Zeitschr. fur Biologie, vol. xv., 



p. 425- 



(4) Dreyer, G., and Ray, W. : Phil. Trans. Roy. 



Soc. London, series B, vol. cci., p. 133, and vol. ccii.^ 

 p. 191. 



(5) Dreyer, G., Ray, W., and Walker, Ainley E. W. : j 

 Proc. Roy. Soc, B, vol. Ixxxvi., 1912, p. 39. 



(6) Idem : Proc. Roy. Soc, B, vol. Ixxxvi., 1912,. 

 p. 56. 



(7) Walker, Ainley E. W. : "The Growth of the 

 Body in Man ; the Relationship between the Body 

 Weight and Body Length." Proc. Roy. Soc, B,. \ 

 vol. Ixxxix., 1915, p. 157. 



(8) Dreyer, G., and Hanson, G. F. : "The Assess- ■ 

 ment of Physical Fitness " (Cassell and Co.). j 



(9) Burrell, L. S. T., and Dreyer, G. : "The Vital ■ 

 Capacity Constants applied to the Study of Pulmonary i 

 Tuberculosis." Lancet, June 5, 1920. ! 



The British Association at Cardiff. 



'T'HE eighty-eighth annual meeting of the 

 -■■ British Association opened at Cardiff on Tues- 

 day morning, in the very unfortunate circum- 

 stances of a general strike of tramwaymen and 

 some other sections of the city workmen. It is to 

 be feared that as, unfortunately, paragraphs about 

 this found their way into the Sunday newspapers, 

 this local trouble has had the effect of diminishing 

 the attendance at the meeting. Members and in- 

 tending members might have rested assured that 

 the city of Cardiff would rise to the occasion. 

 The local secretaries immediately arranged a 

 British Association motor service for the use of 

 members, but it appears that no inconvenience 

 was felt by those who are attending the meeting, 

 and most of the services have now been with- 

 drawn. 



It is not possible at the moment of writing to 

 give exact figures of the membership, but it ex- 

 ceeded 1200 on Tuesday morning, so that a fair 

 average meeting was even then certain, in spite 

 of the strike. The weather, always inclined to be 

 wet in this part of the country, and particularly 

 atrocious during the present summer, has taken 

 a turn for the better, and the visitors have had 

 the opportunity of seeing the sun in Cardiff, when 

 the residents had almost forgotten its existence. 



The citizens' lecture on "Light and Life," by 

 Prof. J. Lloyd Williams, of University College, 

 Aberystwyth, in the Park Hall, on Monday even- 

 ing, attracted a large audience, notwithstanding 

 that many of those present had to face a long 

 walk home. 



At the inaugural general meeting on Tuesday 

 evening, when Prof. Herdman delivered the illu- 

 minating address published in full elsewhere in 

 this issue, the retiring president, Sir Charles 

 Parsons, read a message which the council had 

 sent to the King offering, at this meeting in 

 Wales, the grateful congratulations of the Asso- 

 ciation for the inspiring work done for the Empire 

 NO. 2652, VOL. 105] 



by the Prince of Wales during his Australasian : 



tour. Sir Charles Parsons read also messages of i 



condolence sent to relatives of Prof. J. Perry and j 



Sir Norman Lockyer at the loss sustained by the ; 



recent deaths of these two distinguished repre- i 



sentatlves of British science — one of whom was : 



general treasurer of the Association from 1904 ■ 



until his death, while the other was president in ' 



1903-4. i 



At the meeting of the general committee on 

 Tuesday, the report of the council was adopted j 

 nominating Sir Edward Thorpe as president of 

 the Association for the meeting next year m Edin- 

 burgh, and Sir Charles Parsons as a perma- 1 

 nent trustee, in succession to the late Lord ! 

 Rayleigh. 



The whole of the presidential addresses are this ^ 



year published In volume form under the title ; 



"The Advancement of Science, 1920," at the price ] 



of 6s., or 4s. 6d. to members at the meeting. The ] 



volume makes a valuable record of the progress ! 



and position of many departments of science, and ; 

 of authoritative conclusions concerning them. 



Whilst the meeting Is not likely to rank as a i 



"record," the members present are very keen, ^ 



and everything possible to ensure Its success is ; 

 being done by the city authorities and local Press. 



The palatial apartments of the City Hall are '; 

 being used for the reception room and other 



offices, whilst In the University College and Tech- \ 



nical College near by all the sections are provided i 



with excellent accommodation. The Park Hall, 3 



in which the president's address, the evening dis- ': 



courses, and the citizens' lectures are delivered, ■ 

 has a seating capacity of well above 2000, and 



everyone present has an uninterrupted view and i 

 hearing. 



The numerous sectional and the two general ] 



excursions have not been Interfered with by the < 

 strike, as they rely chiefly on road or railway 



transport. R. V. S. i 



