October 26, iii93] 



NA TURE 



617 



On the death of Prof. Moseley, in 1891, I was ap- 

 pointed his successor in the Linacre chair of Human 

 and Comparative Anatomy. The University voted funds 

 for the building and fitting of additional laboratories for 

 the Linacre professor (which were completed and opened 

 without ceremony last year) at the same time that we 

 approved the expenditure necessary for a new laboratory 

 for Human Anatomy. At my suggestion a statute was 

 prepared, and has received the assent of her Majesty in 

 Council, removing the words "human and" from the 

 title of the Linacre professor ; so that the professorship in 

 question is now the " Linacre professorship of Compara- 

 tive Anatomy," whilst the duty of teaching anthropotomy 

 or that special study of the topography of the human 

 body which medical training requires, is definitely 

 assigned to the " lecturer in Human Anatomy." 



The consideration of human structure in relation to 

 that of vertebrate animals — the morphology of man as of 

 other animals —the " comparative " anatomy of man and 



collections of Comparative Anatomy and Craniology, 

 which are attached to the Linacre professorship, do not 

 need advertisement ; they have been rendered famous 

 by the scientific discoveries and researches of those who 

 in the past have held that office. Of the new rooms for 

 the study of anthropotomy, we have the expectation that 

 they will in the future, under the care of successive 

 lecturers in Human Anatomy, add to the attractions of 

 the University as a centre of professional training, and 

 justify the policy which has led us to the expenditure 

 necessary for their erection. E. Ray Lankester. 



CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE PARIS 



OBSERVATORY. 



A DESCRIPTION of the work that is being done in 



-^"^ connection with the photographic star chart and 



catalogue is given in La Nature by M. A. Fraissinet. 



We are indebted to that journal for the accompanying 



Fig. I.— 1 he part of ihe Paris Observatcry devoted to the Photographic Star Chart. 



animals— remain as heretofore the charge of the Linacre 

 professorship. In short, the treatment of man's structure 

 as part of the general science of morphology remains 

 necessarily the business of the professor of Comparative 

 Anatomy. The exposition of the geography of the human 

 body, in which the surgeon, and to some extent the 

 physician, must be as expert and familiar as a townsman 

 in the pathways of the city in which he resides and does 

 his business — is the distinctive function of the teacher of 

 "human anatomy" in a medical school. It is for this 

 special purpose that we have just added to the excellent 

 laboratories and museum already arranged and used for 

 the study of anatomy in its widest sense, a new dissecting 

 room and adjuncts adapted to the reception and proper 

 treatment of human bodies. 



It is to be hoped that the effort now made by the Uni- 

 versity to establish technical training in anthropotomy 

 as an independent fifshoot of the Linacre professorship 

 may be successful. The older laboratories and museum- 



NO. 1252, VOL. 48] 



illustrations and the following information referring to 

 them. 



A special bureau for the measurement of the stellar 

 photographs designed for the catalogue was organised at 

 the Paris observatory in 1892. 



To accommodate the new service the building shown 

 in Fig. I was erected. On the first floor of the new 

 building a photographic laboratory has been established. 

 The ground floor has been set apart for the service of the 

 measurement of cliches organised by MM. Henry. This 

 service is under the direction of Mdlle. Klumpke, who is 

 assisted by four other ladies. 



Two measuring machines were provided last year of 

 the new kind devised by Gautier, and supplied to the 

 French and some foreign co-operating observatories. 



The instrument is illustrated by Fig. 2. It consists at 

 the lower part of a fixed horizontal piece having two 

 rails on which a carriage may be caused to slide by 

 means of a screw. Under the face of the carriage 



