3Q Presidential Address 



a strange discontinuity between this 

 persistent element and its successive 

 accessory body-plasms a discontinuity 

 which would convert individual organisms 

 into mere temporary accretions or excre- 

 tions, with no power of influencing or 

 conveying experience to their generating 

 cells is advocated by one school. 



Discontinuity does not fail to exercise 

 fascination even in pure Mathematics. 

 Curves are invented which have no 

 tangent or differential coefficient, curves 

 which consist of a succession of dots or of 

 twists ; and the theory of commensurable 

 numbers seems to be exerting a dominance 

 over philosophic mathematical thought 

 as well as over physical problems. 



And not only these fairly accepted 

 results are prominent, but some more 

 difficult and unexpected theses in the same 

 direction are being propounded, and the 

 atomic character of Energy is advocated. 

 We had hoped to be honoured by the 

 presence of Professor Planck, whose 

 theory of the quantum, or indivisible unit 

 or atom of energy, excites the greatest 



