May 22, 1919] 



NATURE 



229 



able amplification and, of course, more money. 

 The need is emphasised for more county work, 

 more farm institutes, more experimental farms, 

 and valuable information is given as to the best 

 methods of carrying out the purpose of these 

 various institutions, but no great change is sug- 

 gested. It is entirely satisfactory to everyone 

 concerned that the men who have had to carry out 

 the scheme should regard it so favourably. The 

 foundations have already been well laid ; let us 

 hope the building will be worthy of its purpose. 



E. J. Russell. 



THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF 

 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY. 



THE University of Cambridge in general, and 

 its scientific departments in particular, find 

 themselves in a grave position financially as a 

 result of the diminution of the value of money 

 brought about by the war. Towards the end of 

 last term the heads of the scientific departments 

 presented to the Council of the Senate a statement 

 showing that to provide for the efficient working 

 of their departments on the pre-war scale, without 

 making allowance for any extension of activity, 

 an additional income of 17,000!. was required to 

 meet the increased cost of wages and maintenance. 

 They further pointed out that in addition to the 

 higher cost of living a new factor had arisen, in 

 that various departments had to face an increased 

 competition with activities outside the University 

 for the services of the most competent scientific 

 men ; and they were of opinion that an average 

 increase of 50 p>er cent, in the pre-war payments 

 to the teaching staff was required if the University 

 was to continue to command the best scientific 

 talent in the country. This increase of stipends 

 would require an additional income of 15,000!., 

 making 32,000!. in all. 



In November of last year the acting vice- 

 chancellor received a letter from the President of 

 the Board of Education inviting him to send a 

 statement as to the needs of the University in 

 order that "the Government should obtain a con- 

 spectus of the needs of higher education over the 

 whole country." In response to this request the 

 acting vice-chancellor sent a summary of the pro- 

 spective needs of the University, and in March 

 an informal deputation, consisting of the master 

 of Caius, the president of Queens', the master of 

 Downing, Dr. Stewart, Sir J. Larmor, and Sir 

 W. J. Pope, waited on Mr. Fisher for the purpose 

 of laying before him the financial difficulties of 

 the University. 



On April 16 Mr. Fisher sent a letter to the 

 vice-chancellor informing him that the Govern- 

 ment would not feel justified in sanctioning a grant 

 to the University out of Parliamentary funds 

 except on the condition that in due course a com- 

 prehensive inquiry into the whole resources of the 

 University and its colleges, and into the use which 

 is being made of them, should be instituted by 

 the Government. Subject to the acceptance of this 

 condition by the University, the Government would 

 NO. 2586, VOL. 103] 



be prepared to instruct the Standing Committee 

 which is to be formed to advise the Government 

 concerning grants to universities and colleges to 

 submit recommendations with a view to an emer- 

 gency grant being made to the University during 

 the current financial year to meet the immediately 

 urgent needs of salaries and maintenance. The 

 Government would also be prepared, after the 

 completion of the inquiry, to consider, in conjunc- 

 tion with the University, if it should so desire, 

 the conditions under which a grant designed to 

 meet the permanent requirements of the University 

 might be made. 



This letter was communicated to the Senate, and 

 the proposals which it involved were formulated 

 by the Council and submitted for discussion in 

 the Senate on May 13. In the important debate 

 which took place the proposals were supported by 

 a number of the most prominent members of the 

 University, including the provost of King's, Sir 

 J. J. Thomson, the president of Queens', Sir 

 W. J. Pope, and Prof. Sims Woodhead. They 

 were opposed by the master of Corpus, Mr. 

 Whibley, and, in part, by Dr. E. H. Griffiths. 

 The question as to whether the University is pre- 

 pared to accept financial assistance from the 

 Government under the conditions laid down in Mr. 

 Fisher's letter will probably be submitted to the 

 vote of the Senate in the near future. 



The discussion in the Senate was opened by 

 the vice-chancellor with the announcement that a 

 munificent gift had been offered to the University, 

 the British oil companies having agreed to join 

 together in a scheme for endowing the chemical 

 department, the Burma Oil Co., the Anglo-Persian 

 Oil Co., and the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. each 

 offering 50,000/., Lord Cowdray and the Hon. 

 Clive Pearson between them 50,000!., and Mr. 

 Deterding 10,000!., making a total of 200,000 

 guineas. This generous offer to one of its great 

 scientific departments meets with very high appre- 

 ciation in the University. 



THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AND 

 SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE. 



CTIR LEONARD ROGERS'S recent presi- 

 »^ dential address to the Indian Science Con- 

 gress at Bombay is a forcible protest against the 

 long conflict between scientific enthusiasm and 

 official apathy. The benefits conferred on long- 

 suffering humanity by scientific investigation have 

 strangely not sufficed to remove this dull resist- 

 ance. Twenty years ago the present writer made 

 a note in the visitors' book at the leper station 

 of Almora to the effect that no systematic investi- 

 gations were being made in India into the terrible 

 disease leprosy. It is true that individual workers 

 here and there in India, among them Sir Leonard 

 Rogers, have carried on researches, but what con- 

 certed efforts has the Government of India made 

 towards stamping out the disease, and where are 

 the leprosy laboratories with their staffs of trained 

 investigators? The cause and mode of trans- 

 mission of elephantiasis and allied conditions 



