5^4 



NA TURE 



[April 14, 1892 



called. But, on the other hand, his reply reveals the fact 

 that the educational authorities of the War Office still 

 fail to see that science studies, like all other studies, must, 

 in the case of the young, be somewhat prolonged in order 

 to properly develop their value and render their efifects 

 permanent ; especially if only a moderate portion of time 

 can be devoted to them. For he stated thit so far no 

 cadet has gained admission to the Engineers without a fair 

 knowledge of chemistry and physics. Now, as a good 

 many of the cadets enter upon their work at Woolwich 

 with little or no knowledge of these branches of science, 

 as ten subjects are studied at the Royal Military Academy, 

 and as the whole course of work only covers two years, 

 it seems clear that the elementary knowledge in question 

 must often be of a very elementary character indeed, 

 however excellent the teaching may be, especially when 

 it is remembered that some of the cadets doubtless have 

 but little taste for such studies, and that the scientific 

 faculties of these will have become more or less weakened 

 by disuse during their previous course of training, which 

 frequently has included no experimental science subject 

 for several years. 



The following are the circumstances of the case. The 

 course of instruction at Woolwich occupies two years, 

 which are divided into four terms. At the end of the 

 second term, the choice of join-ng the Engineer Division 

 is offered to the candidates in order of merit as indicated 

 by the marks obtained in the first two terms. But no 

 cadet can be posted to the Engineer Division who does 

 not obtain 50 per cent, in fortification. 



The marks for the obligatory subjects are : — 



Mathematics 1 

 Fortification ... 

 Military Topography 

 French or German ... 

 Chemistry and Physics 

 Model Drawing 



3000 

 2000 

 2000 

 1000 



lODO 



300 



In addition, each cadet may take up a second modern 

 language as a voluntary subject (in practice this is 

 usually German), marks 1000 — 50 per cent, being the 

 counting minimum ; and landscape drawing is also a 

 voluntary subject, marks 700, and counting minimum 50 

 per cent. 



To count marks in any of the obligatory subjects, at 

 least 25 per cent, of the total must be obtained. 



For class promotion at the end of the first and second 

 terms, candidates are required to obtain 50 per cent, of 

 the marks in mathematics, and in at least three out of 

 five obligatory subjects, and 50 per cent, of the aggre- 

 gate. 



Thus it appears that a candidate who had learnt no 

 science at school might gain admission to the Royal 

 Engineers in spite of failing in science at Woolwich. 



Experience of this system as it works at the Royal 

 Military Academy shows that in consequence of the very | 

 low minimum counting mark of science, even a beginner ' 

 must be very dull or very idle to prevent him from count- i 

 ing the subject, especially as the teaching is suitable for 

 beginners. Consequently, though chemistry and physics 

 are nominally compulsory, anything beyond a very slight 

 degree of proficiency is really a voluntary matter, es- 

 pecially as the effect of low marks in them can be com- 

 pensated by marks obtained for a voluntary modern 

 language by those who have offered two modern languages 

 at entrance. The converse of this is not possible. For 

 the voluntary modern language, in consequence of its 

 high counting minimum mark, and in the absence of any 

 really elementary teaching of the subject at the Royal 

 Military Academy, cannot be made to count, as a rule, in 

 the very limited time available, by those who have not 



' 800 additional marks for higher mathematics, but cadets cannot count 

 these papers if they do not obtain at least 40 per cent, of the marks. 



NO. II 72, VOL. 45] 



taken it as one of their subjects at the entrance examina- 

 tion. 



The result is that at the end of the second term those 

 cadets who have taken two modern languages at the 

 entrance competition may not only score a high mark for 

 a voluntary language, but can also easily gain a helpful 

 mark in science ; whilst those who have taken up one 

 modern language, and a branch of science, can only as a 

 rule count marks in one subject at the later stage. As 

 the competition for Engineers is very keen, the latter class 

 are at a serious disadvantage. In short, the taking up of 

 a secon d modern language at the entrance examination is 

 made almost compulsory by the present system, much to 

 the loss of those candidates whose abilities are greater in 

 other subjects. 



The state of things which we have endeavoured to make 

 clear in a few words has only lately been realized by school- 

 masters and parents, through the reports of former pupils 

 and others who are familiar with the matter. The result 

 has been that there is now often great pressure upon 

 teachers to send up candidates with two modern languages, 

 and no science for the entrance examination, even when 

 they believe that to take up one modern language, and a 

 branch of science would give the boy an equally good or 

 better chance of gaining admission into Woolwich, and 

 would be of far greater professional value to him after- 

 wards. It is therefore certain that, unless it be shown 

 that these views are wrong, or the conditions are amended, 

 there will soon be a distinct diminution in the proportion 

 of candidates offering science from the public schools. 



The present situation is unfair to candidates whose 

 abihties lie in the direction of science. It tends to keep 

 out of the scientific branch of the Army the specially 

 scientific candidates. It will tend, also, to keep boys 

 from public schools out of the Army, and replace them 

 by those who have resorted to Continental tutors. And 

 finally, by discouraging the teaching of science in Army 

 classes, it must make it increasingly difficult to maintain 

 a high level of science work at schools generally. We 

 therefore hope that those who are with us in this matter 

 will take any steps they may be able, to secure that the 

 opportunity created by Sir Henry Roscoe shall not be 

 lost. 



THE LATE SIR WILLIAM BOWMAN. 



'T^O many of the readers of Nature the distinguished 

 -*■ man of science whose life was so unexpectedly 

 brought to an end a little more than a fortnight ago, was 

 best known as a great ophthalmic surgeon who for a long 

 period of years occupied the first rank in his own line of 

 professional work. But to those of us who are old 

 enough to remember what physiology and anatomy were 

 forty years ago, the name of Bowman has very different 

 associations. It recalls to us a series of splendid ana- 

 tomical discoveries communicated to the Royal Society 

 between 1840 and 1850, of which the chief results were 

 afterwards brought together in the great work which 

 Bowman subsequently published in association with Dr. 

 Todd on the " Physiological Anatomy of Man." In the 

 following paragraphs I have endeavoured to give a sketch 

 of the most important of these discoveries, in the hope 

 that the many scientific friends to whom his memory is 

 dear may find it, however imperfect, yet acceptable for 

 his sake. 



The three most important subjects of Bowman's re- 

 searches were : (i) the structure of muscular fibre, (2) the 

 structure of the kidney, and (3) that of the mucous mem- 

 brane of the alimentary canal. 



(i) The Structure of the Fasciculus of Striated Muscle 

 (Phil. Trans., 1 840).^ — It had been recognized that the fasci- 

 culus of striped muscle is made up of what Fontana desig- 

 nated as "'f/.y charnus primitifs" ; and much more recently 



