February 5, 1920] 



NATURE 



615 



ST. ANDREWS INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL 

 RESEARCH. 



^^HE recent opening of an institute for clinical 

 J- research in St. Andrews marks the beginning 

 of a new era in the scientific development of the art 

 of medicine. The enterprise has been initiated and 

 brought to a happy stage of working order by Sir 

 James Mackenzie, who is the director and controlling 

 mind of its endeavours. 



Briefly, the object of the institute is to investigate 

 the early symptoms of disease before structural altera- 

 tions in the body have had time to take place. 

 Hitherto research has been mainly concerned with 

 disease and its more advanced forms when structural 

 and chemical changes can be detected by ordinary 

 laboratory methods. But at the beginnings of disease 

 symptoms of various kinds, often seemingly trivial, 

 do occur. They become familiar to many general 

 practitioners, though no serious attempt has been 

 made to determine their cause and significance and to 

 draw up a classification which will enable the medical 

 man to appreciate their real meaning and thus put 

 him into the position of being able to detect and 

 arrest incipient disease. 



For such purposes a small centre of population, 

 where the same patients can be seen frequently and 

 observed over long periods of time, is preferable to 

 the larger centre with its rapidly moving population. 

 St. .Andrews should provide an ideal site, and has the 

 further advantage of possessing a university and 

 medical school with all that these imply. A suitable 

 building has been secured overlooking the bay and 

 in close proximitv to the historic golf course. 



The institute is affiliated to the University. Its 

 staff consists of a director, a director of labpratory 

 research, a trained biological chemist, a bacteriologist 

 (to be appointed), a whole-time clinical assistant, and 

 several part-time clinical assistants who are also 

 practitioners in the town. 



Three days a week patients are examined, and two 

 davs are given over to general discussions. The latter 

 are wide in scope, and are freely opened to anyone 

 who has anvthing to contribute. The trained logician 

 and psychologist are especially welcome, and not in- 

 freouentlv join in the debate. 



The institute is also educative, and aims at the 

 training of the practitioner in the methods of research. 

 The institute has now been at work for some 

 months, and is already bearing fruit. It has promoted 

 harmony and eoodwill and a keen interest in their 

 work among its members. It provides an excellent 

 model for the development of other centres, and shows 

 how a spirit of co-operation can be fostered amons? 

 medical men which is of mutual benefit to themselves 

 and to their patients. The scientific results will 

 follow. P. T. Herring. 



FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS IN SOUTH 

 AFRICA. 



THE Marine Biological Report of the Province of 

 the Cape of Good Hope (No. 4) for the year 

 ending June 30, 1918, has recently been received. The 

 report is signed by Prof. J. D. F. Gilchrist, and 

 although it appears that his department has been 

 gieatly restricted by lack of funds, it is clear that 

 much useful work was done during the year under 

 review. It is well known that a valuable industry in 

 canning and exporting the local crawfish has been 

 developed successfully at the Cape in recent years, and 

 perhaps the most interesting feature of the report is 

 an account of the habits of the different larval stages 

 of this crustacean. The first larva of Jasus lalandii is 



NO. 2623, VOL. 104] 



small, somewhat opaque, and swims at the surface 

 by its feather-like antennae, the other appendages being 

 folded close to the body, and not used. This first stage, 

 known as a " naupliosoma," continues for only a few 

 hours, when it passes into the flattened " phyllosoma " 

 stage. The larvae in this stage are able to swim in a 

 horizontal direction, but their natural habitat is still 

 the surface waters. They were successfully reared, 

 and after three or four days at most they passed into 

 the third larval stage, in which they descend to the 

 bottom and seek out the darkest corners. They then 

 feed actively on the small animal and vegetable par- 

 ticles in the mud and sand, and are comparatively free 

 from the attacks of their enemies. After undergoing 

 a series of moults, which do not yet appear to have 

 been followed in detail, the larva enters the " puerulus " 

 stage, which has hitherto been found only close 

 inshore. 



Details of a number of experimental hauls for craw- 

 fish in different localities are given in the report, as 

 well as an account of some marking experiments, 

 which have thrown light upon the migrations of this 

 crustacean. A useful list is added of the different 

 species of lobsters and crawfishes found in South 

 .-Xfrican waters, with short, popular descriptions drawn 

 up by Mr. K. H. Barnard. Prof. H. B. Fantham con- 

 tributes a short article on parasitic protozoa found in 

 South .African marine fishes, and the third and final 

 list of Cape fishes, drawn up by the late Mr. W. Ward- 

 law Thompson, is included in the report. The strong 

 recommendation of Prof. Gilchrist that the scientific 

 fishery investigations, which have been suspended for 

 a number of vears, should now be resumed is one 

 which will have the hearty suptx)rt of all marine 

 biologists, who know the valuable work which was 

 formerly carried out under his direction. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Birmingham. — .\t the meeting of the council held 

 on January 29, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor in the chair, 

 Mr. C. Grant Robertson received a cordial welcome 

 as Principal of the University. 



The thanks of the council have been accorded to 

 Mr. Arthur Serena for his generous offer to provide 

 a sum of 5000!. towards the endowment of a depart- 

 ment of Italian studies and a chair of Italian. .Mso 

 to Mr. John Smith, of Edgbaston, for his offer to 

 endow a prize for students in metallurgy in sorne 

 educational establishment or establishments in Bir- 

 mingham, to commemorate the contributions made by 

 Prof. Turner to the science of metallurgy, to be known 

 as "the Thomas Turner prize (or prizes) in metal- 

 lurgy." 



Lt.-Col. J. E. Dixon (Messrs. Rabone Bros.), Mr. 



Frank Gower (the Birmingham .Aluminium Casting 



Co.), and Mr. Donald Hope (Messrs. Kynochs, Ltd.) 



.have been appointed members of the Commerce 



Advisory Board. 



Prof. John Robertson and Dr. C. J. Lewis have 

 been appointed representatives of the University at 

 the Congress of the Roval Sanitary Institute to be 

 held in Birmingham in July next. 



Mr. James Young has been appointed an assistant 

 lecturer in the department of physics. 



Cambridge. — ^The offer of a fund to endow a John 

 Couch Adams astronomcrship in the University is 

 announced. The offer was made by the late Mrs. 

 Adams, widow of Prof. Adams, the discoverer of 

 Neptune. The post, if established, is to be held by 

 the director of the observatory unless he be at the 

 same time a professor of the University, in which 



