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NATURE 



[April 27, 19 16 



THE INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS. 



'X'HE proposal to assemble an Indian Science Con- 

 ^ gress was first put forward in 1913, and was 

 due to the initiative of Prof. MacMahon and of Dr. 

 Simonsen. The support of the Asiatic- Society of Ben- 

 gal gave to the new scheme a prestige which has 

 helped it materially. The first congress was held at 

 Calcutta in 1914, the second at Madras in 1915, and 

 the third has recently been held at Lucknow. The 

 future development of these congresses will be watched 

 with interest by all who are engaged in scientific 

 work. 



India is struggling to devise an educational system 

 that will satisfy her peculiar and complicated require- 

 ments ; in her endeavours she has been the recipient of 

 much criticism and advice; other countries have been 

 held up to her as models, and she has been 

 urged to adopt, for her numerous races and her tropical 

 climate, methods that have been found suitable to 

 homogeneous northern peoples. 



Amid the clamour of politicians quarrelling over 

 questions of primary education, the Government of 

 India has had to consider the teaching of science at 

 colleges and universities, and the prosecution of re- 

 search in its scientific departments. In the last twenty 

 years many well-qualified professors of science (physics, 

 chemistry, zoology, medicine, mathematics) have been 

 appointed, the Science Institute at Bangalore has been 

 founded by the late Mr. J. N. Tata, the Research In- 

 stitutes at Dehra Dun and Pusa have been erected and 

 officered. In 1902, in order to prevent the duplication 

 and overlapping of work, and in order to promote 

 co-operation and touch. Lord Curzon created the Board 

 of Scientific Advice, upon which each scientific depart- 

 ment of State is represented. 



The expansion of scientific teaching and work in 

 India has created new wants, and the absence of 

 scientific societies and of scientific libraries has now 

 begun to be felt. Although the Board of Scientific 

 Advice may prevent the Forest Department in its 

 researches from overlapping the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, it does not bring the scientific departments into 

 touch with the universities and colleges, and it does 

 not bring together individuals who are working at 

 the same branch of science. 



If the Government of India had made no efforts to 

 push on the teaching of science, it would have been 

 blamed for supineness; now, however, that it is show- 

 ing enterprise and determination, it is criticised for 

 giving scientific education without providing a career 

 or a livelihood for the youth whom it educates. It is 

 pointed out that the educated youth of India is crowd- 

 ing into the legal profession, because it is the only 

 learned profession that holds out a prospect of money- 

 making. This statement is, however, no longer quite 

 correct, as the medical profession is beginning to offer 

 great chances to young men of ability. In every 

 civilised country the public are willing to pay large 

 fees to men who can save them from illness or can 

 protect them in the law courts; and this fact will 

 always render the legal and medical professions popu- 

 lar and lucrative. 



The word "research" is now in common use, but 

 what is meant by "research"? Some authorities, 

 influenced by the commercial success of foreign medi- 

 cines and of synthetic indigo, urge that research 

 must be utilitarian ; others are contending that science 

 must be pursued for love of science only. Enough 

 has been said to show the difficulties of the situation 

 in India. In such a situation an annual congress of 

 all interested in science cannot fail to be advantageous. 

 Twenty years ago such a congress would not have 



NO. 2426, VOL. 97] 



been possible ; twenty years hence it will have created 

 for itself a powerful position. 



In India workers in science are scattered 

 to an extent which residents in England can 

 scarcely realise. It is desirable that they should 

 become personally acquainted. Without libraries 

 and without intercourse individuals cannot keep 

 abreast of the tiines. A congress meeting 

 affords an opportunity for workers from every part of 

 India to meet together and to discuss their difficulties, 

 and is of particular value to the younger workers, in 

 that they are able to present their results to audiences 

 capable of offering sound criticism. Trained students 

 from the Indian colleges are able at a congress to 

 obtain information concerning chances of employ, 

 ment. 



The recent congress at Lucknow was well attended 

 by both Europeans and Indians, and the discussions 

 showed great and general interest. Colonel Selby, the 

 principal of the Medical College, had kindly placed 

 some of his buildings at the disposal of the congress, 

 which was opened on January 13 by Sir James Meston, 

 the Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces. Sir 

 Sidney Burrard was the president, and in his address 

 he discussed the origin of the mountain ranges of 

 India. The congress then separated, and meetings of 

 its several sections were held— Agriculture, Zoology, 

 Chemistry, Botany, Physics and Mathematics, Geology 

 and Ethnology. It would serve no useful purpose to 

 give complete lists of the papers read in the various 

 sections. A report of the meeting, with abstracts of 

 the papers read, has been published in the Journal of 

 the Asiatic Society of Bengal for February, igi6. 



From the papers presented to the Chemistry Sec- 

 tion, it is clear that both among the European and 

 Indian members of the teaching staffs at the variou'S 

 colleges and institutions, a keen desire to carry out 

 chemical investigations exists, a desire which is shared 

 also by the senior students of some of the colleges. 

 Among the centres where such activity is pronounced 

 are Calcutta, Madras, Dacca, and Bangalore. The 

 growth of this desire to participate in chemical re- 

 search has been most marked during the past few 

 years, and the activity at present is such that materials 

 for papers and discussion at subsequent meetings of 

 the congress are assured. 



In the Physics Section the attendance was large. 

 Papers were read on atmospheric electricity ; radio- 

 activity of rocks ; electrical discharge in gases ; the 

 oscillations of a violin string, and the history of mathe- 

 matics, showing that the range of work was wide. 

 The papers were of a high standard, and indicated 

 that research in the physical sciences is healthy in 

 India. Of the researches described in the papers read, 

 four were made in Government scientific departments 

 and eleven in university colleges. The meetings acted ; 

 as a stimulus to those taking part in them. 



Lucknow being a large city, the committee of the j 

 congress arranged for three lectures to which the 

 public were admitted. The first was by Dr. Hankin. 

 on the evolution of flying animals ; the second by Dr. , 

 Bose, on invisible light ; and the third by Prof. Neogi, : 

 on the manufacture of iron in ancient India. 



With a record of three successful meetings, it seems 

 clear that the Science Congress has established itself 

 as a valuable aid to scientific progress in India. In 

 the future it is perhaps possible that it may develop 

 on broader lines and eventually grow into an Indian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, with 

 greater scope for promoting scientific inquiry and co- 

 operation. All who have been engaged in scientific 

 work in India will realise the great benefits which ' 

 might be conferred by such an association. 



