14 



NATURE 



[x\PRIL lO, I919 



of the temperature of the point of maximum density 

 of water caused by the addition of a solute is directly 

 proportional to the concentration of the latter. Mr. 

 Wright further shows that the lowering of the tem- 

 perature of the maximum density of water produced 

 by a highly ionised binary electrolyte is composed of 

 two separate independent effects, one due to the acid 

 and the other to the basic radicle, and can therefore 

 be calculated by the addition of two moduli to the 

 lowering produced by a molecular solution of a chosen 

 standard substance. The standard substance chosen 

 was normal hydrochloric acid. The acid salts of the 

 dibasic acids behave normally, but the neutral salts 

 and the salts of bivalent metals do not conform to 

 any simple rule in their effect on the temperature of 

 maximum density. The feebly ionised organic acids 

 show abnormal effects, but their highly ionised salts 

 behave in the normal manner. 



Considerable interest is attached to the compara- 

 tively rare alkaloid hyoscine or scopolamine, owing 

 to its use in the treatment popularly known as "twi- 

 light sleep." The hyoscine of commerce, extracted 

 from solanaceous plants, is laevorotatory, but an 

 optically inactive form produced by the action of dilute 

 alkali on the naturally occurring alkaloid is known. 

 -At a meeting of the Chemical Society on April 3 Mr. 

 Harold King, of the Wellcome Chemical Research 

 Laboratories, described the resolution of this optically 

 inactive hyoscine into the well-known laevo- form and 

 the hitherto unknown dextro- form. On hydrolysis 

 Z-hyoscine yields Z-^tropic acid and an optically inactive 

 amino-alcohol, oscine. Mr. King has also resolved 

 the latter into its optically active components. Since, 

 therefore, tropic acid and oscine each contain an asym- 

 metric carbon atom, and are each capable of existing 

 in three forms, two active and one inactive, the 

 possible combinations of these various forms may give 

 rise to ten, or possibly eleven, isomeric hyoscines. It 

 becomes of interest to ascertain which of these forms 

 are represented bv the two optically active hyoscines 

 alreadv known. This question is still under investiga- 

 tion, but Mr. King pointed out that as benzoyl d-oscine 

 gives optically pure d-oscine on hydrolysis, it seems 

 probable that the known hvoscines contain inactive 

 oscine, the optical activity being due to the laevo- and 

 dextro-tropyl radicles respectively. 



On taking over the duties of the chair of metal- 

 lurgy in the Royal Technical College, Glasgow, last 

 September, Prof. Cecil Desch devoted his introductory 

 lecture to a review of the aims of a Glasgow School of 

 Metallurgy. In this address Prof. Desch laid emphasis 

 upon a change in the methods of industry which has 

 recently been taking place. He quoted from Prof. 

 Patrick Geddes, who has proposed to divide the indus- 

 trial age into two periods, which he has called the 

 " palaeotechnic " and the "neotechnic." In the earlier 

 of these the aim of industry was merely the accumula- 

 tion of material wealth. Natural resources were 

 squandered recklessly, the one consideration being 

 their rapid conversion into marketable products. 

 Human life was disregarded, the cheapest labour 

 being utilised without reference to the standard of 

 life. In England this was essentially the age of coal. 

 Fuel was cheap and abundant ; no care was exercised 

 in its use, and our scenery was disfigured by smoke 

 as the manufacturing districts spread over the country. 

 Housing conditions were such as to accommodate the 

 largest nuniber of persons on a given area at the 

 lowest possible cost, and the results are to be seen 

 in the squalid industrial regions of Manchester, Shef- 

 field, the Black Country of the Midlands, and Glas- 

 gow. It is, however, being slowly realised, both by 

 the employers of industry and the workers themselves, 

 that all natural resources must be used with the 

 NO. 2580, VOL. IO3I 



utmost economy, unnecessary destruction avoided, 

 health and comfort considered in the devising and 

 planning of works, and the erection of squalid dwell- 

 ings crowded into a minimum of space must give 

 place to town-planning on a scientific and sound basis. 

 The symbol of the palaeotechnic age was the furnace 

 fired with raw coal ; that of the neotechnic age is the 

 electrical power-house with its clean atmosphere and 

 white-tiled walls. Prof. Desch is to be commended 

 on having laid such emphasis on a matter of vital 

 importance to the future of the country. 



Copies have reached us of Nos. 2 and 3 of the 

 Children's Newspaper, a weekly periodical edited by 

 Mr. Arthur Mee, and published by the Amalgamated 

 Press, Ltd. Mr. Mee was editor of the "Children's 

 Encyclopaedia" and " Harmsworth's Popular Science," 

 both of which are among the best works of their 

 class. The new periodical shows the same interest in 

 scientific matters and originality in presenting them to 

 juvenile readers. Its aim is to give " the story of the 

 world to-day for the men and women of to-morrow," 

 and we are glad to see that the world includes Nature 

 as well as man. We should like to think that when 

 the boys and girls who now derive pleasure and profit 

 from the newspaper published especially for them 

 become adults they will expect like fare to be provided 

 in the public Press. The Children's Newspaper will 

 be a valuable aid in this direction, and we cordially 

 welcome it. 



Messrs. A. and C. Black, Ltd., will publish shortly 

 a book on " Cerebro-spinal Fever," by Drs. C. 

 Worster-Drought and A. M. Kennedy. The authors 

 were responsible for the treatment of the disease 

 among the troops in the Woolwich military district. 

 The following works have been arranged for appear- 

 ance in the Universitv of Chicago Science Series 

 (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press; London: 

 The Cambridge University Press): — "Black Body 

 Radiation," Prof. C. E. Mendenhall ; "Mechanics of 

 Delayed Germination in Seeds," W. Crocker; "The 

 Rigidity of the Earth and of Materials," Prof. A. A. 

 Michelson ; and " Linear Integral Equations in 

 General Analysis," E. H. Moore. The new list of 

 Messrs. Longmans and Co. includes "The Design of 

 Propellers for Aircraft," H. C. Watts; "The Design 

 of Aero Engines," Major A. T. Evans and Capt. 

 Adams; "Engineering Machine Tools and Processes," 

 A. G. Robson ; "The Principles and Practice of Elec- 

 trical Testing," R. G. Allen; and "Garden First in 

 Land Development," W. Webb. M,r. H. Milford 

 announces "The Place of the University in National 

 Life," the Right Hon. H. A. L. Fisher (No. 4 of 

 " Barnet House Papers"). 



The latest catalogue (No. 387) of Mr. F. Edwards, 

 83 High Street, Marylebone, W.i, appears at an 

 opportune moment, seeing that it deals with books 

 relating to Europe. It is historical and descriptive, 

 and conveniently arranged according to the various 

 countries of the Continent. Doubtless it will be of 

 interest to many readers of Nature at the present 

 time. Copies are obtainable upon application. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The April Meteoric Display.— The shower of 

 Lvrid meteors in April dates from antiquity, and some 

 of the early displays appear to have been of an excep- 

 tional and striking character. In 1803 a brilliant 

 exhibition was witnessed in America, and in 185 1 it 

 was repeated in Indian skies. In 1863 its visitation 

 as viewed from England was conspicuous, if it lacked 

 the grandeur of old-time spectacles. It is evidently 

 not a phenomenon with attractive features which we 

 can await with confidence every year as in the case 



