September ii, 1919] 



NATURE 



39 



progress of geological research could be promoted most 

 effectively. He emphasised the need for a large and 

 widely distributed body of workers to carry on geo- 

 logical research, and discussed the means by which a 

 wider interest in geology might be stimulated. Dr. 

 Evans thought that much might be done to popularise 

 the work of the Geological Survey. He advocated 

 the issue of cheap colour-printed editions of the 6-in. 

 maps of agricultural as well as of mining areas, with 

 sections on the same scale, which would be more 

 easily understood than maps and sections on smaller 

 scales. A simple explanatory pamphlet should be 

 published for each map, describing briefly and in 

 popular language the meaning of the geological 

 colouring and symbols employed, the nature of the 

 rocks and thefr relation to agriculture, water-supply, 

 and other economic questions. H these and other 

 measures suggested involved some extra expense, it 

 would be well worth while if it enabled the fullest 

 advantage to be taken of the expenditure incurred in 

 any event by the Survey. Dr. Evans contended that 

 those engaged in genuine geological research should 

 be assisted by concessions in the matter of railway 

 fares. He advocated a systematic underground survey 

 by means of deep borings, and the investigation of 

 the geological configuration of the sea-bottom. The 

 address then discussed in some detail the application 

 of experimental methods to the determination of the 

 conditions under which igneous and metamorphic rocks 

 have been formed. The possibility was also suggested 

 of obtaining further information as to the structure 

 of the earth's crust by means of observations of vibra- 

 tions originated by artificial explosions, and reflected 

 from subterranean surfaces of discontinuitv. 



Matiiem.wical and Physical Science. 



In his presidential address to Section A, Prof. 

 A. Gray dealt in the main with the utilisation of 

 scientific knowledge and the employment of scientific 

 men in the conduct of the war. He directed atten- 

 tion to the fact that the organisers of the details of 

 our share of the defence against the German attack 

 were without scientific knowledge, and therefore un- 

 fitted to counter the assaults of a war machine per- 

 fected by decades of hard work in a_ country where 

 every available agency had been carefully organised 

 to ensure success and victory. Our military chiefs — 

 the War Oflice Staff and the rest — seemed to have no 

 idea except the naive and simple one of destroying 

 Germans by rifles, machine-guns, etc., which in point 

 of fact were, to a great extent, non-existent. 



Prof. Gray proceeded to describe a scheme of organ- 

 isation and registration of scientific workers which he 

 believes mijjht have been adopted early in the progress 

 of the war, and still advocates for future eventuali- 

 ties. He then dealt with the entire ignorance of 

 science, apparently even contempt for science, which 

 characterises the statesmen of this country. This he 

 attributes in great measure to our present' fashionable 

 but archaic system of education, which takes no 

 account of entirely new provinces of knowledge, and 

 leaves the members of the well-to-do and upper classes 

 quite untrained as regards one side of their minds, and 

 therefore destitute of scientific imagination. Glaring 

 examples of this deliberate neglect of science were 

 cited. The remedy proposed is a radical improve- 

 ment of our educational system, which ought to be 

 helped and stimulated more by the concerted action of 

 scientific men themselves. 



The methods of encouraging and testing inven- 

 tions during the war were criticised, and a better 

 system was advocated. A strong plea was advanced for 

 an organisation of scientific workers to secure for 

 themselves proper recognition and proper reward for 



NO. 2602, VOL. ZOa\ 



their labour. If care is not taken, a new era of exploi- 

 tation of the men with ideas will begin, and will be 

 worse than the former one. 



The organisation of research was also shortly dis- 

 cussed, and the distinction between industrial and 

 purely scientific research emphasised. The importance 

 of leaving the latter perfectly untrammelled by bureau- 

 cratic control was insisted upon 



The remainder of the address was devoted to some 

 details of methods of dynamical teaching and with 

 some recent results of physical research. 



Physiology. 



The president of Section 1, Prof. D. Noel Paton, 

 considered the possibility that the guanidin part of 

 the protein molecule exercises a phjsiological action, 

 just as the amino-acids manifest a physiological action 

 in stimulating the metabolism and increasing the pro- 

 duction of heat. 



The probable liberation of guanidin from protein 

 and its formation from substances in the egg were 

 considered. The existence of free guanidin or 

 methyl-guanidin in muscle and its physiological 

 action in stimulating the outgoing neurons of the 

 spinal cord and the neuro-myal junctions were dealt 

 with. Its increase in tetania parathyreopriva and in 

 idiopathic tetany with the production of their charac- 

 teristic svmptoms was described. 



The fate of the free guanidin or methyl-guanidin 

 was discussed, and the probability of its being de- 

 toxicated by synthesis into crcatin was supported by 

 the experimental investigations carried out along with 

 Wishart, which showed that the creatin of muscle is 

 increased after intravenous injection of guanidin sul- 

 phate. The significance of urinary creatin was then 

 considered in the light of these conclusions. The 

 advantages of studying this on such animals as birds 

 where creatin alone is present were pointed out, and 

 in the light of Prof. Paton's previous work the con- 

 clusion was arrived at that, in fasting, the creatin 

 excreted is an index of the breakdown of muscle, 

 and that bv considering the creatin excretion along 

 with the excretion of total nitrogen an estimate may 

 be formed of the relative extent to which muscle and 

 other tissues are being disintegrated. The evidence 

 as to the fate of creatin in the normal animal on 

 an adequate supply of carbohydrates seemed to 

 indicate that creatin 'ma\ again be built into the sub- 

 stance of muscle, that it may act as an anabolite. 



Zoology. 



The presidential address by Dr. Dixey in Section D 

 began with a brief reference to the effect of the war 

 upon scientific research and upon the estimation in 

 which scientific subjects are held by the general public. 

 It was urged that while the general attention is more 

 easily attracted by the achievements of applied science, 

 the claims of science for its ov.'n sake should not be 

 overlooked. -A more assured place for scientific sub- 

 jects in a general education was advocated, and it was 

 suggested that much time might be gained b\ an irn- 

 provement in the present methods of instruction ; parti- 

 cularly in the teaching of classics. 



The' main part of the address was devoted to a dis- 

 cussion of certain features of insect mimicry, with 

 especial reference to certain groups of butterflies in- 

 habiting New Guinea and some of the Malayan 

 Islands. The verification of a prediction made fifty 

 years ago by .Alfred Russel Wallace was noted, and 

 attention was directtd to the geographical element in 

 the phenomena that have to be explained. The 

 parallelism between the respective species of two dis- 

 tinct genera was illustrated and discussed, and in- 

 stances were adduced of a mimetic form uniting in 



