546 



NATURE 



[August 8, 1S95 



as follows : Astronomy, Mathematics, and Physics : President, 

 Mr. R. L. J. Eller), ^CM.G., F.R.S. ; Secretaries, Prof. R. 

 Threlfall and Mr. J. Arthur Pollock. Chemistr)- : President, 

 Mr. T. C. Cloud : Secretar)-, Mr. W. M. Hamlet. Gcolog)- 

 and Mineralog)- : President, Captain F. W. Hiilton, K. R.S. ; 

 -Secretaries, Prof. T. \V. K. David and Mr. E. F. I'ittman. 

 Biulogj- : President, Prof. T. J. Parker, F.R..S. ; Secretaries, 

 Prof \V. A. Ilaswell and Mr. I. II. Maiden. Cieography : Sec- 

 retar)-, Mr. II. S. \V. Cnmimer. Kthnolog)' and .\nthroiX)lc^' : 

 President, Mr. A. \V. Howitt ; Secretar)-, Dr. John Frascr. 

 Economic Science and Agriculture : President, .Mr. R. M. 

 Johnston ; Secretaries, Prof Walter Scott and Mr. F. B. 

 Guthrie. Engineering and .Vrchitecture : President, .Mr. H. C. 

 Stanley ; Secretar)', J. W. Grimshaw. Sanitar)- Science and 

 Hygiene: President, Hon. Allan CamptwU ; Secretar)-, Dr. 

 J. Ashburton Thompson. Mental Science and Education : 

 President, Mr. John Shirley ; Secretary, Prof Francis Anderson. 

 Communications and papers for the meeting, or inquiries, may 

 lie addressed to the Permanent 1 Ion. Secretar)-, The Chemical 

 I.alx>rator)-, The University, .Sydney, N.S.W. 



I r is announced that the Hotlgkins prize of ten thousand 

 dollars has been awarded by the Smithiionian Institution, in 

 equal proportions, to \joxA Rayleigh and Prof Ramsay, in 

 rect^nilion of their discovery- of argi)n. 



; \Vk regret to notice the death of .Mr. Joseph Thomson, whose 

 explorations in Africa have added so much to our knowledge of 

 thai continent. lie was only thirty-six years of age. 



Scietue announces the following appointments : — Prof William 

 J. Hus.sey, of Illihois, to succeed Prof Barnard as Astronomer al 

 the Lick Observatory ; Dr. J. Allen Gillierl to be Assistant Pro- 

 fessor of P.sychology at the University of Iowa ; Mr. J. M. 

 Tyrrell to \x Professor of Geology and Mineralogy in the 

 University of Toronto. 



Rf.I-TKr's corres(>ondem at Newfoundland, writing under 

 date of July 23. says:— The steamer A'ih; having on board llie 

 nienilwrs of the Peary Relief I-^xpeilition, took her departure a 

 few (lays ago for Bowdoin Bay, IngleficUI Gulf Her return can 

 hardly U: looked for before October I. 



Mk. Ckcii. II. Smith, of the Deparlment of Greek and 

 Roman Antiquities in the British Museum, has been appointed 

 director of the British School at Athens for Ihe next two years, 

 in succession to" Mr. Ernest Gardner, who has held the office 

 since 1887. The Trustees of the British .Museum have, with 

 the concurrence of the Treasury, given Mr. Smith .special leave 

 of aincnce for the purpose. 



TllK annual meeting of the Scwiely of Chemical Industry was 

 helil in ^ orkshirc College, I-ecds, last week. In his presidential 

 ■address. Dr. T. E. Thorjic, F.R.S. , described .some of the 

 im|X)rtant advances made in technological chemistry during 

 recent years, and especially dwelt U|ion Ihe methods used for 

 the enrichment of coal gas ; the mannficturc of glycerine from 

 w.-isle soap lyes ; the manufacture of-ftlible fals ; the improve- 

 mcnls on the chemical side of photography : and the chemistry 

 of textiles. The following new officers were elected : — President, 

 Mr. Tyrer ; Vice-Presidents, Mr. T. Fairley, Mr. Boverton Ked- 

 wikmI, Sir H. E. Roscoe, Dr. T. E. Thorpe. Memljers of 

 Cipuncil, Prof I^ Neve Foster, Mr. Dougl.is llerm.in, Mr. C. 

 C. Hiitchinvin, Mr. Ivan I-evinstein, Mr.-J. S. Mc.Arlhur, Sir 

 Kniicrt Pullar. Treasurer, Mr. E. Rider Cook. Foreign 

 Secretar)-, Dr. I.u<lwig .Mond. It was decided to hold the 

 next annual meeting of the .Society in Ixindon. 



BKiit-'ORli Coi.i.KCF. (for Women) has taken what apjwars to 

 us to \k an important and commendable step in establishing a 

 NO. 1345, VOL. 52] 



separate and scientific course of instruction in hy-giene. This 

 subject, w-hich is becoming evei-)- day of more consideration, 

 has generally been taught in a stpmewhal disconnected manner, 

 as an adjunct to be attached anywhere, rather than as a distinct 

 study ; at Bedford College it is now to lake its place as a special 

 subject. Students will be required to devote themselves for a 

 session or more solely lo this and allied branches of science, 

 namely, physiology, bacteriology, chemistry, and physics, 

 practically as well as theoretically, and thus they will have 1 

 the opportunity, by following a connected system of teaching, of 

 really understanding the meaning and practical bearings of the 

 subject. Many appointments as sanitar)- inspectors, health 

 mistresses in schools, and teachers of hygiene, being now open 

 to women, the subject seems to ofier considerable inducement to 

 those who have an aptitude and liking for scientific work, to 

 devote themselves to this study. 



Men of .science often have occasion to regret that ihey do not 

 live in the glorious age when tidal evolution shall h-ive so 

 reduced the spin of this world of ours that there will be forty- 

 eight hours in a day. To be able to devote twice the present 

 amount of time to observation would indeed be a boon lo the J 

 busy investigak)r, and the man who shows how to do it, places ] 

 his fellow workers under a deep obligation to him. Vet that is j 

 what Dr. Gowers, F.R.S., did in an inaugural address delivered 

 before a general meeling of the Society of Medical Phono- 

 graphers last week. Here is his argument : " Science rests on 

 observation, which without immediate record is of little value ; 

 not cnly is menuiry inadequate, but record at once reveals un- 

 suspected imperfections in observation, Compatetl with long- 

 hand, shorthand permits, in a given time, twice the amount of 

 record, while leaving twice the time for observation." Shorthand 

 requires no better recommendation than this to the notice of 

 students of science, and we are glad lo know that the Society 

 of which Dr. Gowers is president, though only started last 

 December, h.as now 165 members. In the daily work of the 

 practitioner, which is peculiar in being a form of personal 

 science, record is very importanl. l-'or most jiraclitioners, how- 

 ever, record is practically impossible in longhand, while short- 

 hand offers them the desireil means. But this is not only the 

 .l^c with medical men ; il is always importanl that observations, 

 li..»ever trivial or strange, should be committed to writing. W'e 

 are, therefore, a little surprised thai the Society should, so far 

 its the name is concerned, be only one of .Meilical Phonographers. 

 Its objects appear to be broad enough lo justify the name being 

 changed to the Society of Scientific Phonographers, and a 

 further argument for ihe more comprehensive designation is ih.at 

 many scientific workers outside the nmks of ihe medical pro- 

 fession have already become members. 



An interesting point in connection with the sand fillralion of 

 waler h.is been recently bmiighl lo light by Dr. Kurlli, of Bremen. 

 Il has freipienlly been pointed out that the thickness ol the 

 layer of fine sand in filtering beds cannot be reduceil beyond 

 cerlain limits without endangering the bacterial (|u.ility of the 

 filtrate. Making more detailed examinations of the particular 

 bacteria present in ihe ellluenl from a filler in which llie depth 

 of filtering material h:id been interfered with, Dr. Kurlh Umm\ 

 Ihat the rise in the numlier of luctcria w.as almost entirely due 

 to the presence in large (juantily of one particular microbe, of 

 which, however, no trace could be found in the raw waler with 

 which Ihe filler was being fed. t)n one occasion there were as 

 many as 900 in I c.c. present of this .special microbe, whilst all 

 Ihe Ixicleria together in Ihe raw w.ater did not amount to more 

 than 760 in I c.c. In this instance, therefore, the object ion.ible 

 rise in ihe number of bacteria present in the filtrate di<l not 

 necessarily indicate that the efficiency of the filler in dealing 

 •.vith Ihe raw waler was in fault, but rather that the disturbance 



