2l6 



NATURE 



[May io, 19 17 



>een only 17-6 in 10,000, and in England even less. 

 la contends that compulsory health insurance is 

 .rimarily a question of taxation, as 20 per cent, of 

 he cost is to be paid out of general revenues for the 

 pecific benefit of a selected group, which is merely 

 loor relief under another name, and is mdirect taxa- 

 ion in its most pernicious form, and contrary to the 

 undamental principles of republican government. 



A. 



TiiE UNITED STATES NATIONAL 

 RESEARCH COUNCIL. 



N important feature associated with the April ses- 

 . - sions of the National Academy of Sciences a 

 Vashineton D.C., was the meeting of the National 

 Sarch Council. The Pesearch Council is made up 

 ,f eminent men of science who are members of the 

 IcadTmy, and of representatives of the mihtary bureaux 

 >f the Government, and it co-operates with the United 

 states Government in the solution of scientific 



'"^Dr^ G^E Hale of the Mount Wilson Solar Observa- 

 ory," chairman of the council, presided at the meet- 

 ng, and reports were presented by Dr. CD. Walco t, 

 ■ecretarv of the Smithsonian Institution, for the Mili- 

 ary Committee; Dr. R. A. Millikan, of the Univer- 

 sity of Chicago, for the Physics Committee ; Dr. M. i . 

 3ogert of Columbia, for the Chemistry Committee; 

 md Dr V C. Vaughan, director. Medical Research 

 Laboratory, University of Michigan, for the Medicine 

 md Hygiene Committee. ,. , , , .u 



In connection with the work accomplished by the 

 Military Committee, Dr. Walcott, who is also a mem- 

 3er of the National Advisory Committee for Aero- 

 lautics, stated that investigations had been conducted 

 svith noxious gases as employed for military purposes ; 

 aroblems connected with all forms of signalling had 

 c>een studied; the utilisation of opium for obtaining 

 a supply of morphine for medical purposes had been 

 :onsidered; and improvements had been suggested in 

 the service Army blanket, which is not thought to be 

 warm enough. Other work for military establish- 

 ments of the Government is confidential. The Army 

 was represented by Maj.-Gen. W. C. Gorgas, Brig.- 

 Gen. William Crozier, and Brig. -Gen. George O. 

 Squier, the chiefs of the medical, ordnance, and avia- 

 tion divisions of the Army. Representatives of the 

 Navy are : — Rear-Admiral D. W. Tavlor, chief con- 

 structor; Rear- Admiral R. S. Griffin, engineer-in- 

 chief; and Dr. J. Gatewood, medical director. Navy 

 Medical School. The other members of the committee 

 are : — Dr. S. W. Stratton, director of the Bureau of 

 Standards ; Mr. Van H. Manning, director of the 

 Bureau of Mines; Prof. C. F. Marvin, chief of the 

 Weather Bureau; and Mr. H. E. Coflfin, Council of 

 National Defence, Naval Board, and Research 

 Council. 



In reporting for the Committee on Physics, Dr. R. A.. 

 Millikan stated that they were co-operating with the 

 National Societv and the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science in an effort to find the men 

 and the means for attacking certain physical problems 

 which are now confronting the National Government. 

 While no information as to the exact nature of these 

 researches was announced, the chairman stated that 

 four or five of them were submarine problems, several 

 pertained to aeronautics, and some were optical, 

 having to do with range-finding devices and the pro- 

 duction and use of optical glass. Experiments with 

 X-rays are being conducted for the Government, as 

 are studies in therm'J: conductivity, atmospheric elec- 

 tricity, as encountered by airships, and even the manu- 

 facture of guns. 



NO. 2480, VOL. 99] 



The study of these problems has brought to life the 

 vital need 'for a central co-ordinating body, such as 

 the National Research Council. For example, certain 

 questions concerning the submarine were being con- 

 sidered separately by a naval investigating board, 

 three of the industrial r'^search laboratories, and a 

 number of universities before the solution of its vari- 

 ous phases was undertaken and distributed by the 

 council. Encouraging results have been secured as 

 the commi*:tee has become familiar with the general 

 lines of attack of each investigation An important 

 problem, which on April i was in a discouraging con- 

 dition, is now well under way towards solution. The 

 members of the committee include : Dr. F. P. Jewett, 

 Western Electric Company; Prof. T Lyman, Har- 

 vard; Dr. I. Langmuir, General Electric Company; 

 Prof. C. E. Mendenhall,. University of Wisconsin; 

 Prof. E. Merntt, Cornell; Dr. P. N. Pupin, Columbia; 

 Dr. S. W. Stratton, Bureau of Standards; Brig. -Gen. 

 George O. Squier, U.S.A.; Prof. A. " G. Webster, 

 Clark University; and Prof. R. W. Wood, Johns 

 Hopkins, 



Other committees of the council are on educational 

 institutions, nitrate supply, census of research, astro- 

 nomy, botany, zoology, agriculture, physiology, geo- 

 graphy," geology, and anthropology. Another special 

 co-operating body, the Engineering Foundation, estab- 

 lished to promote scientific and engineering research, 

 and representing several American engineering organ- 

 isations, is giving the entire available income from its 

 endowment to the worH of the National Research 

 Council. 



The purpose of the Research Council is to pursue 

 organisedinvestigation for the Government when such 

 investigation is needed, in co-operation with the de- 

 partment desiring the experiments or data. It brings 

 into co-operation existing governmental, educational, 

 industrial, and other research organisations. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 ■ INTELLIGENCE. 



Birmingham.— The executors of the late Sir Charles 

 Holcroft, Bart., have informed the University Council 

 that the deceased baronet bequeathed to the University 

 the sum of 5000Z. upon trust, to apply the income 

 thereof to the promotion and encouragement of re- 

 search work in connection with any of the following 

 subjects, viz. physics, chemistry, zoology, botany, 

 geology, engineering, mining aiid metallurgy. Sir 

 Charles Holcroft contributed, during his lifetime, 

 about ioo,oooZ. to the University. 



The Rev. John Howell has presented to the Odonto- 

 logical Museum a further collection of skulls and teeth 

 from the Congo region. 



Prof. W, R. Scott, of the University of Glasgow, 

 will deliver the Jevons Memorial Lectures on 

 •' Economic Problems of Peace after War " at Univer- 

 sity College, Gower Street, on Tuesdays and Fridays, 

 beginning on Tuesday, May 15. The subject of the 

 first lecture will be "The Economic Man and a World 

 at War." The lectures will be free to the public. 



Dr. William Price, of Southerndown, Glamorgan, 

 at one time an active member of the council and court 

 of governors of the University College of South Wales 

 and Monmouthshire, died at Southerndown on January 

 II Iast._ By his w-'ll, of which the principal of the 

 college is one of the executors and trustees. It is pro- 

 vided that the residue of his trust estate, afterpayment 

 of certain legacies, annuities,, gifts, and devises, shall 

 be bequeathed to the council of the college to be 

 devoted to the medical department of the college 



