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NATURE 



[April 17, 19 19 



Iro-magnets led to the design of an improved 

 electric generator described in his patents of 1863 

 and 1865. Wilde's "dynamo-electric machines " 

 — as they were named by Charles Brooke, F.R.S. 

 — quickly replaced batteries for electro-deposition 

 aid arc lighting, but in use they had the serious 

 disa'lvantage of becoming very hot. In the en- 

 deavour to i-ure this fault Wilde designed a very 

 diifertnt l-.-ie of dynamo. This was a multipolar 

 macluiie, u^th sixteen pairs of electro-magnets, 

 which was made self-exciting by a "minor" 

 current from four of the armature bobbins. Both 

 this and the earlier machine were used by Elking- 

 ton for the electrolytic refining of copper. 



W'ildc directed l.is attention to the use of his 

 generators for other electro-chemical purposes. 

 He obtained a patent in 1871 for protecting iron 

 tubes from corrosion by coating them with copper, 

 and four years late; he introduced a valuable 

 process for making by electro-deposition rollers 

 of copper used in calico printing. With a re- 

 volving cathode he was enabled to employ rela- 

 tively high current densities, and yet obtain a 

 good quality of copper. 'J'his invention proved to 

 be financially the most valuable of all his patents. 



Experiments with two of the multipolar 

 machines led to the discovery in 1868 that it was 

 possible to run them, when in synchronism, as 

 alternators in parallel. The importance of this 

 was not realised until fifteen years later, when 

 Dr. John Hopkinson, unaware of the work of 

 Wilde, showed that this was theoretically pos- 

 sible, and now the parallel running of alternators 

 is an everyday occurrence at supply stations. 



Wilde designed direct- and alternating-current 

 arc lamps suitable for search- and light-house pur- 

 poses. Some large battleships were equipped with 

 these under his direction, and after the Titanic 

 disaster he strongly urged that mercantile vessels 

 should be fitted with searchlights. 



In 1884 Wilde retired from his business as an 

 electrical engineer. During the remainder of his 

 long life he chiefly devoted himself to special 

 scientific subjects. He published a number of 

 papers relating to atomic weights, and invented 

 a magnetarium for reproducing the phenomena of 

 terrestrial magnetism. 



Wilde was a considerable benefactor to public 

 Institutions, amongst which must be especially 

 mentioned the Literary and Philosophical Society 

 of Manchester. Including the Wilde endowment, 

 his contributions to the society exceeded io,oooI. 

 He died at The Hurst, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, 

 where his wife also died twenty-six years previ- 

 ously. He had no children. After some legacies, 

 the residue of his estate has been bequeathed to 

 the University of Oxford. W. W. H. G. 



NOTES. 



The projected Atlantic flight is naturally exciting 

 considerable interest at present, but it has recently 

 been bad flying^ weather, and large storm systems 

 have been sweeping eastwards across the ocean. For 

 the flight to be safe and successful such disturbances 

 must be avoided. In a statement issued on Monday 

 NO. 2581, VOL. 103] 



by the Air Ministry relative to the weather factor of 

 the flight, estimates were given of the time required 

 for the flight eastwards and westwards between New- 

 foundland and Ireland under favourable and adverse 

 conditions during the months of April, May, and June. 

 The report states "that in every case weather condi- 

 tions are more favourable for flying from Newfound- 

 land to Ireland than from east to west, and that it 

 would on certain occasions be impossible to accom- 

 plish the journey in the latter direction." It is not 

 easy to see how the Air Minstry has used the avail- 

 able data, and there must necessarily be a great 

 element of doubt meteorologically. The aeroplane 

 flying eastwards will travel about four times as fast 

 as the average easterly translation of an Atlantic 

 storm, and may quite easily overtake • at least one 

 storm. A storm, on an average, takes four or five 

 days in crossing the Atlantic from shore to shore ; it 

 may, however, be developed in mid-ocean and start 

 its passage eastwards, and when nearing the European 

 side the track of the storm may quite possibly be to 

 the northward. The upper air generally has a quick 

 movement to the eastward. So far as possible, for a 

 successful air passage choice should be made of a 

 period when the Atlantic is comparatively free from 

 important storm areas ; such periods exist, but under 

 the present conditions indefinite waiting has its draw- 

 backs. Meteorologists can scarcely favour an attempt 

 to flv westwards until further experience is gained of 

 the movements of the upper air. 



Wireless telephony is being installed in the Folke- 

 stone-Cologne aerial mail service. Along this route a 

 chain of call-stations is being erected, and the aero- 

 planes engaged in the service are being fitted with 

 both sending and receiving sets. In practical tests it 

 was found that clear voice signals were transmitted 

 from 'plane to ground, and vice versa, at a distance 

 of thirty miles. By operating a simple switch the 

 connections are changed from "send" to "receive." 

 A certain amount of voice-trainini^ is desirable, other- 

 wise the voice may be drowned by the engine drone. 

 The operator in the aeroplane wears a carefully fitted 

 helmet with ear-receivers. It is necessary that com- 

 plete freedom of movement should be ensured and all 

 wind-noises eliminated. At present specially trained 

 men are employed to fit on the helmets. Improvements 

 are continuallv being effected in the methods and 

 aoparatus. so that the complete practical transmission 

 of speech between aeroplanes and grcvmd stations is 

 assured. 



No profession is free from its obscurantists, and the 

 little band of half a dozen medical men who serve the 

 anti-vivisectionist agitation have once again written 

 to the Times to declare their conviction that experi- 

 ments on dogs are unnecessary for the advance of 

 medical science. Such a letter, devoid as it is of 

 authority, serves a useful purpose in emphasising the 

 weif^hty character of the resolution recently passed 

 at the meeting of the British Medical Association, 

 when the combined sections of medicine, pathologv, 

 and preventive medicine expressed their opinion, with, 

 out a single dissentient, that the prohibition of experi- 

 ments upon dogs would hamper the progress of medi- 

 cine, and render Britain alone among civilised nations 

 unable to contribute to progress in a department of 

 medical research in which it has hitherto played a 

 distinguished part. The Royal College of Physicians 

 has also recorded its opinion " that the passing into 

 law of the Dogs Protection Bill, now before the House 

 of Commons, will j?reatly retard the progress of our 

 knowledge with regard to the prevention and treat- 

 ment of disease." The supporters of the Bill, to 

 judge from their* letters in the Press, are annoyed at 

 the statement made by men who actually carry out 



