July 27, 1916J 



NATURE 



441 



book, as we have already reviewed the first 

 editions in Nature, and also, on two occasions, 

 Prof. Fleming- 's more comprehensive treatise on 

 wireless telegraphy. We ventured then to pre- 

 dict that both these books would become standard 

 manuals on the subject, and our forecast is shown 

 to have been correct by the recurring necessity 

 for the issue of new editions. There is not much 

 difference to be noted between the present volume 

 and its forerunners, but certain additions have 

 been made to bring it up to date. 



No doubt when the present war is over much 

 valuable experience which has been gained of the 

 use of wireless telegraphy both in sea and land 

 operations will, by degrees, become public, but 

 one does not look for such information at present. 

 It is to be hoped that this experience may be 

 turned, in due course, to more peaceful ends, in 

 which case one may look forward to a fresh 

 edition of Prof. Fleming's book. In the mean- 

 time, it remains the best introduction to the sub- 

 ject for all students, and a sufficient manual for 

 those who intend to take up the practical applica- 

 tion, but who do not wish to go too deeply into 

 the theoretical and mathematical side. The book 

 is well and amply illustrated, though some of the 

 process-blocks are not so clear as could be wished. 



M. S. 



An Inquiry into the Statistics of Deaths from 

 Violence and Unnatural Causes in the United 

 Kingdom. By Dr. W. A. Brend. Pp. v + 8o. 

 (London: C. Griffin and Co., Ltd.,-1915.) Price 

 35. 6d. net. 



The object of this book (a thesis approved for 

 the M.D. degree, University of London) is to 

 examine the official statistics relating to deaths 

 from violence and unnatural causes in the United 

 Kingdom, to investigate their usefulness and the 

 accuracy of the returns, and to sugg^est modifica- 

 tions in the present system. 



Several different authorities (Home Office, 

 Board of Trade, Local Government Board, Regis- 

 trar-General, etc.) compile the returns, but the 

 different reports do not seem to be co-ordinated. 

 Thus during the same period the deaths from 

 alcoholism in Liverpool are given by the Registrar- 

 General as 36, by the Home Office as 113; the 

 Local Government Board records deaths from 

 *' starvation and privation " as 94, the Home 

 Office ("want and exposure") as 231. and the 

 Registrar-General ("cold and starvation ") as 146, 

 and these instances might be multiplied ! 



More accurate returns are needed in many in- 

 stances. The importance, for example, of trust- 

 worthy information concerning infant mortality 

 from overlying and deaths of children from 

 burning is obvious. 



Dr. Brend 's analysis shows that there are classes 

 of deaths of which our knowledge, both statistical 

 and otherwise, is seriously inadequate. At pre- 

 sent, for example, the records of coroners' courts 

 are practically inaccessible ; the sug-gestion is made 

 that all the records should be sent to a central 

 office where they could be further analysed. 

 NO. 2439, VOL. 97] 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible fur 

 opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 

 can he undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 

 this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.] 



The Universities, the Technical Colleges, and the 

 Army. 



A COUPLE of months ago it occurred to myself and 

 the staff of the Heriot-VVatt College that the first-year 

 engineering course for the diploma would — with a few 

 modifications — form an excellent preliminary scien- 

 tific training for boys entering the Army who might 

 hope for promotion to an officer cadet unit, the course 

 at the same time still to remain an integral part of 

 our diploma course. 



The suggestion did not meet with local approval, 

 but while thinking out the details, I also brought 

 the matter before the Board of Education and the 

 Association of Technical Institutions, where, I gather, 

 it is meeting with some attention. I also found that 

 similar suggestions had already been made by Mr. 

 Darling in Nature (January 20 and February 10) in 

 some communications which I had missed, and also 

 that a similar scheme was being carried out in certain 

 English public schools. 



Among those to whom I wrote was the Vice-Chan- 

 cellor of Leeds University, and I have just heard from 

 him that in his hands the whole scheme has taken a 

 wider aspect, the idea being to devise courses of train- 

 ing which, while valuable as a preliminary scientific 

 training for boys entering the Army, will at the same 

 time be allowed to qualify as part of the course 

 required for a university degree. It is on account of 

 this wider aspect given to the matter by Principal 

 Sadler that I venture to write to you on the matter. 



The idea, which I believe originated with Lord 

 Haldane, of drawing upon the universities for officers 

 in the Army, and the establishment of the O.T.C., 

 is no doubt a sound one. At the same time, at that 

 stage the conception seemed to be to allow a student 

 to go on with his ordinary university course while 

 giving him in his spare time a certain amount of 

 military training on the lines required by an officer. 



It seems to me that among us we have evolved a 

 much sounder conception of the duties of the univer- 

 sity towards the Army, and that is, to give the boys 

 such a scientific training as will be of value to them 

 when they go to their special military training. There 

 can be no harm in giving them a little drill, but the 

 main object of the universities and the technical col- 

 leges should be to devote the time at their disposal 

 principally to laying the foundations of the scientific 

 knowledge of which modern warfare is an application. 



A. P. Laurie, 



Principal. 



Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, Julv 18. 



The late M. Joseph Decheiette. 



Of the many scientific men who have fallen in the 

 present war none calls forth a deeper note of r^ret 

 than the eminent and promising French archaeologist 

 and anthropologist, M. Joseph Decheiette, who was 

 killed while leading his company to attack on October 

 4, 19 14. A committee, embracing all the leading 

 archaeologists and anthropologists of France, has been 

 formed "de con server son effigie et de glorifier sa 

 m^moire." The committee has secured the co-opera- 

 tion of the sculptor, M. Henry Nocq, to prepare a 

 portrait plaque with, on the reverse : " L'ep^e modeme 



