August 20. 1903] 



NATURE 



373 



temperature which Prof. Dewar has developed at the Royal 

 Institution laboratories enabled some careful experiments 

 to be mftde. It was found that the heat radiating power of 

 radium bromide is not diminished at the temperature of 

 liquid ai\r, and is actually greater at the temperature of 

 liquid hydrogen. It -is stated that the experiments leave 

 no room for doubt that the rate of emission of heat by 

 radium is greater at the temperature of liquid hydrogen 

 than at any temperature from that of liquid air up to that 

 of an ordinary room. The experiments also showed that 

 the radiating power of a salt, or solution of a salt, of 

 radium increases for about a month after its preparation 

 a maximum at which it then apparently remains 

 itionary. 



Ihe fire which occurred last week on the Paris Metro- 

 litan Railway is probably the most disastrous which has 

 .ken place in connection with electric traction. In addi- 

 rion to the sympathy one. feels for the unfortunate victims 

 and their relatives, the accident is to be especially re- 

 i,^retted as tending to discredit a system of transit which 

 was becoming increasingly popular in this country. But 

 although the fire was apparently started by the fusing of 

 an electric wire, the terrible results which followed can in 

 no way be charged to the account of electric traction, nor 

 indeed to the system of underground railways. So far 

 as one can judge by what is as yet known, there seem to 

 have been serious mistakes made after the fire had been 

 first noticed, and finally a panic resulted with its attendant 

 dangers. But for this the accident might have been 

 followed by little serious result ; it is safe to say that in 

 all accidents of this kind the best that any system can do 

 - to safeguard, as far as possible, against the occurrence 

 a panic, for once this occurs the result is in no way 

 <-(nnmensurable with the original accident, and whatever 

 precautions for safety may exist they are rendered in- 

 operative. 



The Antarctic relief ship Terra Nova will leave Dundee 

 on August 21. The vessel will proceed to Hobart, where 

 she will be joined by the Morning. Captain McKay will 

 command the Terra Nova and Captain Colbeck the Morn- 

 ing. Each vessel will carry instructions in duplicate for 

 Captain Scott, upon whom the supreme command will 

 devolve when communication has been established. A 

 Globe correspondent states that the French Antarctic Ex- 

 pedition has sailed from Havre under the leadership of 

 ' . Charcot. The first task to be undertaken by the ex- 

 lition will be that of finding the Swedish Antarctic Ex- 

 pedition under Nordenskjold, which, it is supposed, is fast 

 in the ice off Graham's Land. If Nordenskjold should be 

 found, then a voyage will be made into the Antarctic 

 • an, mainly for purposes of scientific research, as the 

 , sedition will not try to establish an " Antarctic record." 

 l)r. Charcot is taking out five men of science, and pro- 

 visions for twenty-eight months, as the expedition will be 

 absent nearly two years. A Reuter message from Stock- 

 holm reports that the Swedish expedition for the relief of 

 Dr Otto Nordenskjold 's South Polar Expedition sailed 

 m there on August 17 on board the Frithjof. 



I HE recent serious floods in Silesia have raised an interest- 

 iiij point as to the relation between them and deforestation. 

 ! i-' rivers which inundated Silesia have their origin in 

 -tria, and it appears from a Berlin message in Monday's 

 rning Post that the Prussian authorities are informed 

 experts that the overflows are due principally to the 

 Testation of the Austrian highlands, which have be- 

 ne so barren of timber that the rivers no longer lose 

 NO. 1764, VOL. 68] 



the large quantity of water which the trees formerly 

 absorbed. Prussia has concluded, therefore, that until the 

 Austrian highlands are retimbered the flood danger in 

 Silesia cannot be eradicated, and heavy relief expenditure, 

 such as the 500,000/. just granted, will be wasted. 



We learn from Science that it is proposed to celebrate 

 the seventieth birthday of Prof. August Weismann, which 

 will occur on January 17, 1904. The committee has decided 

 to have prepared for that time a portrait bust of Prof. 

 Weismann, which shall be deposited at the Zoological 

 Institute of the University of Freiburg with appropriate 

 festivities. It invites cooperation in this undertaking, not 

 only from those who owe scientific stimulus to Prof. Weis- 

 mann and have been guided by him into zoological activity, 

 but also from all colleagues who desire to join in honour- 

 ing Prof. Weismann for his work. Contributions may be 

 sent to the Deutsche Bank, Leipzig, for the account of 

 Prof. Zur Strassen, who is treasurer. 



The first International Exhibition of Industrial Art for 

 Metal or Stone Products will be held at St. Petersburg 

 in November next. The exhibition has the object of making 

 the public acquainted with the progress attained by Russian 

 and foreign industry in the artistic finish of metal and 

 stone products. 



The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has decided, 

 with the cooperation of the Government of the Congo Free 

 State, to dispatch a trypanosoma expedition to the Congo 

 Free State in September. The objects of the expedition 

 will be to report on the sanitary conditions of Boma, 

 Leopoldville, and other centres visited, and to recommend 

 improvements of existing sanitary conditions ; to continue 

 th'-, work of trypanosomiasis, human and animal, including 

 the occurrence and distribution of trypanosoma in the 

 Congo, the carriers of the parasite, and the relation of 

 trypanosoma to sleeping sickness. Major Ross, of the 

 Liverpool School, has received a letter from Major Penton, 

 the principal medical officer of the Sudan, testifying to the 

 success of the measures taken against mosquitoes for the 

 prevention of malaria. Ismailia has been found by Major 

 Penton to be practically free from mosquitoes, and to show 

 a striking improvement as regards malarial fever. 



The committee of the National Physical Laboratory 

 announces that it is prepared to test the accuracy of 

 the pipettes, measuring glasses, and test-bottles used in the 

 Lister-Gerber and other methods of testing milk. The 

 fees charged are very moderate, and in view of the in- 

 creasing attention that is being bestowed upon our milk 

 supplies, these facilities should be largely made use of. 



In addition to the usual circulars respecting the close 

 seasons for the salmon and other fisheries, the Fish- 

 mongers' Company has issued a notice with regard to the 

 opening of the oyster season. It is pointed out that the 

 various oyster beds, pits and layings round the coasts have 

 been inspected, and all those proved to be polluted With 

 sewage have been closed, and no oysters from these places 

 will knowingly be allowed to be sold until they have been 

 proved to be safe and wholesome. The cooperation of the 

 medical and sanitary authorities in this matter is invited. 



The July number of the Journal of Hygiene (No. 3, vol. 

 iii.) contains several papers of considerable interest. Drs. 

 Newsholme and Stevenson describe the graphic method of 

 constructing a " life table," and Mr. Hayward gives a new 

 " life table " for England. Dr. Meredith Richards dis- 

 cusses the factors which determine the incidence of infantile 

 diarrhoea, and concludes that artificial feeding and in- 



