I 



August 21, 19 19] 



NATURE 



499 



Mr. M. H. Haddock, of the Doncaster Technical 

 Ck)llege, has been appointed county mining organiser 

 for Leicestershire, and to have charge of the new 



■• mining institute and technical school at Coalville. 



i It is proposed to erect a geological building in con- 

 nection with the University of Wisconsin as a memorial 

 to Dr. C. R. Van Hise, late president of the Univer- 

 sity, thus bringing together under one roof the depart- 

 ments of geology and mining engineering, and the 



*. State and Federal geological surveys. 



j' In connection with the New York Botanical Garden, 

 which has well-equipped laboratories and an extensive 

 horticultural library, a two-year course in practical 

 gardening has been inaugurated for the purpose of 

 providing careers for convalescent soldiers and sailors 

 and to meet the increasing demand for trained gar- 

 deners. 



The following appointments to professorships in the 

 University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, have been 

 made : — Physics : Prof. G. Owen (University of New 

 Zealand). Mathematics: Prof. W. H. Yoiing (Uni- 

 versity of Liverpool). Agriculture : A. E. Jones (head 

 of the Department of Agriculture, University of 

 Wales). Geology: Capt. W. T. Pugh. 



The total number of higher education grants for 

 ex-Service officers and men awarded by the Board of 

 Education now amounts to 5400. The courses in 

 respect of which grants have been awarded include 

 more than 1000 for engineering and technological sub- 

 jects, between 600 and 700 for classics, philosophy, 

 and literature, and about an equal number for pure 

 science and mathematics. 



An association has been formed in New York, called 

 "The New York Association for the Advancement of 

 Medical Education and Medical Science," the main 

 objects of which are : To improve and amplify the 

 methods of undergraduate teaching ; to perfect plans 

 for utilising the clinical material of the city for teach- 

 ing purposes and to make use of teaching talent now 

 unemployed ; to bring about a working affiliation of 

 the medical schools, hospitals, and laboratories, and 

 the public health facilities of tiie city ; and to initiate 

 the establishment of a medical foundation in the city 

 whereby funds may be secured to meet the financial 

 requirements of all forms of medical education and 

 investigation. 



The prospectus of the evening courses in technology 

 at Leeds University for the session 1919-20 is now 

 available. The arrangements announced are sub- 

 ject to revision in consequence of the special circum- 

 stances of the present time. Technological courses 

 will be held, it is hoped, in the following departments 

 of the University: — Civil, mechanical, and electrical 

 engineering ; coal-mining ; textile and leather indus- 

 tries ; colour chemistry and dyeing ; and geology 

 applied to sanitary and civil engineering. The 

 evening courses in the department of textile industries, 

 to refer in more detail to one department, are 

 primarily designed to meet the requirements of 

 persons who, having already passed through approved 

 courses of study, wish to take up some particular 

 line of research work, or to conduct trade investiga- 

 tions necessitating the use of special equipment. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries announces 

 that,, as part of the Government schemes of higher 

 education and training of ex-Service officers, provision 

 is made by the Board for financial assistance for agri- 

 cultural training by means of (a) grants for residential 

 training with selected farmers in England and Wales, 

 and (b) agricultural scholarships at approved universi- 

 ties or agricultural colleges in England or Wales. More 

 than 1300 officers have now been approved for grants 

 NO. 2599, VOL. 103] 



under (a), of whom more than 1000 are actually in 

 training on farms, whilst 65 out of the 100 scholar-- 

 ships available under (b) have been awarded. In view 

 of the numerous applications which are still being 

 received, the Board has decided that no application 

 either for a grant for training on a farm or for a 

 scholarship can be entertained by them (1) from any 

 officer who has been demobilised by July 31, 19J9, 

 unless the application has been lodged at the appro- 

 priate district directorate of the Ministry of Labour 

 on or before August 31, 1919; and (2) from any officer 

 who has not been demobilised by July 31, 1919, unless 

 it is received by December 31, 19 19, except in any 

 case in which it can be shown that for military 

 reasons the application could not have been made by 

 that date. All applications from non-demobilised 

 officers should be made as soon as possible. Par- 

 ticulars of these farm-training grants and agricultural 

 scholarships and of the manner of making application 

 are given in the Board's booklet, " Land Settlement in 

 the Mother Country " (L.S.9), which can be obtained 

 either from the Board's offices at 72 Victoria Street, 

 London, S.W.i, or from any district directorate of 

 the Appointments Department, Ministry of Labour. 

 The address of the appropriate district directorate can 

 be. ascertained at any post office. Non-demobilised 

 officers should make their applications on Army form 

 Z15 or Navy form S1299. Warrant officers, non-comr 

 missioned officers, and men in the ranks of suitable 

 educational promise are also eligible for these grants. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, July 28. — ^M. Ldon Guignard 

 in the chair. — A. Laveran' and G. Franchini : Some 

 flagellae of insects obtained in a pure culture, and in 

 particular Crithidia melophagi. Details of the 

 technique for obtaining pure cultures are given, and 

 proof of the pathogenic action on mice. — A. Rateau : 

 The theory of aeroplanes : application to an example. 

 — R. de Forcrand and F, Taboury : The stability of 

 the sulphones formed by the iodides of sodium, 

 rubidium, and caesium. These compounds have the 

 composition MI-f3SO, ; their dissociation pressures 

 have been measured at -225° C, 0° C, +965° C, 

 and at 15° C, and the results are given in the form 

 of curves. — ^N. E. Norlund : The polynomials of 

 Euler. — Ch. Platrier : The elastic equilibrium of a 

 homogeneous isotropic body of revolution submitted 

 to radial forces either proportional or inversely pro- 

 portional to the radius. — H. Abraham and E. Bloch : 

 Recording galvanometers with movable needle. — E. 

 Brylinski • The induction rea"ction of alternators. — 

 E. Poirson : A method of secret telephony. The tele- 

 phonic currents are deformed by periodic interruptions 

 by mechanical means, and the message cannot then 

 be understood. The distorted currents can be rectified 

 at the receiving end by a synchronised apparatus. 

 Experiments have been carried out by this method 

 with success over distances up to 600 km. — J. 

 Lavanx : Electrolytic luminescence phenomena pre- 

 sented bv certain metallic anodes. — Jh. Martinet: The 

 indirubins. — Ch Chavanne and L. J- Simon : The 

 critical solution temperatures in aniline of mixtures 

 of hydrocarbons. Application to the analyses of 

 petrols. — H. Colin and O. Lidvin : The spontaneous 

 oxidation of complex organic compounds of cobalt. 

 Alkaline solutions of glycerol or lactic acid containing 

 cobalt absorb oxygen up to a maximum^ of one atom 

 of oxvgen for one atom of cobalt. Other substances, 

 such as mannitol, erythritol, and glucose, under 

 similar conditions absorb oxygen continuously beyond 

 this limit. — P. Russo : The Eocene containing phos- 



