296 



NATURE 



[November 13, 1915 



urged that this principle should be commonly followed 

 in connection- with great discoveries by which 

 numerous human lives are saved, as it is as the result 

 of military conquests. In the case of a medical man 

 devotion to research means the sacrifice of private 

 practice, and when the result of his work is to the 

 great advantage of the human race at large, or the 

 nation in particular, much can be said in favour of 

 just compensation to him. To further this reasonable 

 claim for awards for medical discovery, a joint com- 

 mittee of the British Medical Association and the 

 British Science Guild has just been formed. Sir 

 Ronald Ross entertained the members of the com- 

 mittee to luncheon on November 4, and among those 

 present were Prof. W. M. Bavliss, Sir Alfred Keogh, 

 G.C.B., Dr. R. T. Leiper, Prof. B. Moore, Col. 

 Nathan Raw, M.P., and Dr. W. Somerville. At a 

 meeting held on the same day it was decided that 

 each of the members of the committee should collect 

 information regarding medical research work ^,nd dis- 

 covery already carried out which he considers worthy 

 of recompense bv the Government or other bodies, 

 and Sir Ronald Ross undertook to collate and edit the 

 information in a report to the committee for further 

 action. 



In June, 1917, the Fuel Research Board was asked 

 by the Board of Trade and other Government Depart- 

 ments concerned to advise as to the most suitable com- 

 position and quality of gas. In January last the 

 Board made its report, and this has since been 

 the basis of negotiations between representatives of 

 the Board of Trade, gas companies, and local authori- 

 ties. An agreement has now been reached, and from 

 a recent statement by Sir A. Geddes. in reply to a 

 question in the House of Commons, a Bill will shortly 

 be introduced to give effect to the recommendations 

 of the Fuel Research Board as modified by the agree- 

 ment now arrived at. The gas consumer will be 

 charged for the potential thermal units supplied to 

 him, the unit to be 100,000 British thermal units. 

 The gas companies are to declare the calorific value 

 of the i^as they propose to supply, no fixed standard 

 being laid down bv Parliament. The British thermal 

 units .'-upplied are to be calculated by multiplving the 

 number of cubic feet registered by the consumer's 

 meter bv the declared gross calorific value of the gas 

 per cubic foot. (The original proposal of the Fuel 

 Research Board is modified tv the introduction of the 

 word "declared.") The calorific value of the gas is 

 to be contlnuouslv measured and recorded. As regards 

 the proportions of inert constituents allowable, the 

 Board's original proposal was a maximum of 12 per 

 cent., the gas companies claiming to be freed from 

 anv restrictions in this direction. The compromise 

 now agreed upon states that the amount of inert con- 

 stituents shall not exceed 20 per cent, for two years, 

 i.S per cent, for the next. two vears, and i? per cent, 

 afterwards. The gas undertaking is to adiust, and 

 if need be to replace gratis, thp burners in consumers' 

 aonliances so that the gas delivered can be burned in 

 these anpliances with safetv and efficiencv. It will 

 no doubt require some time for the consumer 10 

 become accustomed to these changes and to be 

 educated up to grasp the meaning of the new unit, 

 but. owing to the time reouired to make tbp new 

 instr""-^^nt-<: .-snfl to adMiQf- the rrtnsiinief 's no'^'lanr'^'S, 

 it will probably be three or four years after the 

 passing of the new Bill before gas is supplied over 

 the whole country under the new conditions. 



Prof. A. Fowi.er, professor of astiophysics, Koval 

 College of Science, South Kensington^ has been 

 awarded a gold medal by the National .\cademv of 

 NU. 201 1, VOL. IO4I 



Sciences, Washington, in recognition of his eminent 

 contributions to astronomical science. 



Prof. A. W. Crossley, professor of chemistry in 

 the University of London (King's College), has been 

 appointed director of research to the British Cotton 

 Industry Research .Association. 



Notice is given that applications for grants from 

 the Chemical Society Research Fund, made upon 

 forms obtainable from the assistant secretary of the 

 society, must be received on or before Mondav, 

 December i next. 



The Geological Survey of Great Britain and Moseum 

 of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street, S.W. i, have 

 been transferred for administrative purposes from the 

 Board of Education to the Department of Scientific 

 and Industrial Research as from November i. Cor- 

 respondence with reference to the work of the Survev 

 should be addressed as heretofore to the Director of 

 the Survey and Museum, Jermyn Street, S.W. i. 



.•Xt a general meeting of the members of the Royal 

 Institution, held on November 3, the special thanks 

 of the members were returned to Mr. Richard Pearce 

 for his donation of 100/. to the fund for the promo- 

 tion of experimental research at low temperatures ; 

 to Mr. Robert Mond for his gift of laboratory 

 material ; and to Sir Humphrv Davy RoUeston for 

 his gift of a drawing of Sir Humphry Davy's birth 

 place and a water-colour of his statue in the Marker; 

 Place, Penzance. 



At University College, London, on Tuesday, tablets 

 in memory of Lord Lister were unveiled before a large 

 and distinguished assembly. The Duke of Bedford, 

 who opened the proceedings, said that every civilised 

 community realised the debt of gratitude it owed 10 

 Lord Lister. Sir George Makins, president of the 

 Roval College of Surgeons, unveiled the tablet to be 

 erected in Universitv College Hospital, .ind .Sir 

 Joseph Thomson, president of the Royal .Society, that 

 to be erected in University College, 



.At the anniversary meeting of the Mineralogical 

 Socictv, held on November 4, the following officers 

 and members of council were elected; — President: 

 Sir William P. Beale, Bart. Vice-Presidents : Prof 

 H. L. Bowman and Mr. A. Hutchinson. Treasurer: 

 . Dr. J. W'. Evans. General Secretary: Dr. G. T. Prior. 

 Foreign Secretary : Prof. \^'. W. Watts. Editor of 

 the Journal: Mr. L. J. Spencer. Ordinary Members 

 of Council: Mr. H. F. Collins, Mr. J. P. De Castro, 

 Prof. H. Hilton, Mr. .Arthur Russell, Dr. .A. Holmes, 

 Miss M. W. Porter, Mr. R. H. Rastall, Sir I. J. H. 

 Teall, Mr. A. F. Hallimond, Dr. F. H. Hatch, 

 J. -A. Howe, and Mr. W. Campbell Smith. 



The meeting of the Physical .Society of London on 

 November 28 (at .:; p.m. in the Imperial College of 

 Science, South Kensington) is to be devoted to a dis- 

 cussion of the subject of lubrication. The physical 

 qualities of a good lubricant have for long eluded cap- 

 ture, and it is expected that the discussion will at 

 least furnish a step towards the solution of the 

 problem, and at the same time create a wider interest 

 in the subject. .Amongst those who will take part 

 are the following : — L. .Archbutt, R. Mountford 

 Deeley, W. B. Hardv, secretary R.S., F. W. Lan- 

 chester, H. M. Martin, Principal Skinner, and Dr. 

 T. E. Stanton. The meeting is an open one, and all 

 who are inte-.-ested in the subject are invited to attend. 



Dr. John Brownlf.e has investigated statistically 

 the periodicity of influenza epidemics. Considering 

 specially the years 1889-96, he finds that the interval 



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