JUNE 11, 1914] 
The radiant point in Sagittarius represents a well- 
known June and July meteoric shower. 
Further observations of the large meteors seen on 
June 3 and 4 are required. Many observers must have 
noticed them in the north of England. 
OBSERVATIONS OF Nov.—Prof. E. E. Barnard con- 
tinues to keep watch on the behaviour of nove with 
the large Yerkes instrument after they have passed 
out of reach of ordinary telescopes, and communicates 
some further observations concerning the Nove 
Geminorum 1 and 2, and Nova Persei 2. With regard 
to Nova Geminorum 2 (Enebo), he states that this nova 
seems to have changed its focus and general appear- 
ance back again to the normal. This rapid change 
to the abnormal and back to the normal focus sug- 
gests a resemblance to that of Nova Persei 2 (Ander- 
son), this object having been examined frequently by 
him. In the case of Nova Geminorum 1 (Turner), 
which was examined in February of this year, the 
star was faint but not difficult. The estimation of its 
magnitude would make the object 16:8; it is still 
fading, but Prof. Barnard hopes to be able to follow it 
with the 4o-in. refractor for another year at least. 
REPORT OF THE CaPE OBSERVATORY.—The report of 
his Majesty’s Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope 
to the Secretary of the Admiralty for the year ending 
1913 has just been issued. In the eight pages we are 
introduced to a large programme of work which has 
either been accomplished or is in progress. Among 
the observations with the reversible transit circle were 
6948 meridian transits, 1330 observations of meridian 
marks, 6670 determinations of zenith distance, 690 
nadir determinations, etc. The 8-in. transit circle has 
had a self-registering micrometer mounted at the eye 
end, and worked in conjunction with a special chrono- 
graph. The combination is for the determination of 
stellar parallax, and after preliminary trials a regular 
programme of observations was commenced. The 
heliometer has been employed on the major planets 
at the times of opposition, and 177 observations were 
made. The Victoria telescope was chiefly occupied in 
securing stellar spectra for radial velocity determina- 
tions, and 151 plates were obtained. During a por- 
tion of the year the spectroscope was dismounted and 
photographs were taken of Jupiter and the Galilean 
satellites near the epoch of quadrature of the planet. 
The astrographic telescope was for the main part used 
for the magnitude*plates, while with the photohelio- 
graph 634 negatives of the sun, taken on 311 days, 
were secured for inclusion in the Greenwich series. 
The report concludes with statements concerning the 
reductions, publications, time signals, and personal 
establishment. 
THE ADMINISTRATION OF 
ANASTHETICS. 
EATH under anesthesia is always a most lament- 
able occurrence, and these accidents fall into 
three categories : first, those which no human skill can 
avert, for example, in unsuspected cases of status 
lvmphaticus; secondly, those due to want of knowledge 
on the part of the medical practitioner; and, thirdly, 
those which occur in the practice of unqualified per- 
sons. The second class of cases can be met by ensur- 
ing that instruction in anesthetics is an essential part 
of medical and dental education, and this has been 
in a measure secured by recent alterations in the 
regulations of examining bodies. The deaths which 
occur under the third heading can only be prevented, 
and the public protected, by making the administration 
of anzsthetics by unqualified persons illegal. There 
NOnWw2g26, VOL. 93] 
NAT ORE 
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385 
is reason to believe that such accidents occur more 
frequently than reports in the public Press would lead 
one to suppose, but statistics are obviously difficult to 
obtain. A Government measure, regulating the ad- 
ministration of anzesthetics and prohibiting their use 
by unqualified persons, was suggested by a Depart- 
mental Committee of the Home Office some years ago, 
but this has never come to fruition, and private bills 
introduced into Parliament have shared the usual fate 
of private bills. The question, however, has been kept 
alive by the energy of Sir Frederick Hewitt, Prof. 
Waller, and others, and year by year fresh evidence 
has accumulated shov ing the urgent need of legis- 
lation ; since the introduction of cocaine the evil has in- 
creased. We are glad to learn that the council of the 
British Association, at its last meeting, passed a 
resolution (inspired by the anzesthetic committee of the 
association) by a large majority, asking the Govern- 
ment to introduce a measure limiting the use of these 
dangerous drugs to properly qualified persons, or to: 
those acting under their immediate supervision. The 
council is to be congratulated on thus fulfilling one of 
the objects of the association, namely, to attempt to 
remove disadvantages of a public kind. We can only 
trust that Parliament, having got the burden of its. 
three large measures off, or nearly off, its shoulders, 
may now find time to do so some really useful work. 
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY RESEARCH. 
"rE HE report of the committee appointed by the Post- 
master-General *‘to consider and report how far 
and by what methods the State should make provision 
for research work in the science of wireless telegraphy,,. 
and whether any organisation which may be estab- 
lished should include problems connected with ordinary 
telegraphy and telephony,’’ has just been published 
(Cd. 7428, price 13d.). We propose to deal later with 
the scheme put forward for the appointment of a 
national committee for telegraphic research, and the 
establishment of a national research laboratory in 
connection with it; and here limit ourselves to a state- 
ment of the conclusions arrived at from a considera- 
tion of the research work undertaken in the United 
States and Germany. (1) That it is desirable to estab- 
lish some body or institution to initiate and control 
research in matters of general principle which cannot 
conveniently be investigated in departmental labora- 
tories, to coordinate so far as may be the work now 
undertaken by the Post Office, Admiralty, and War 
Office, respectively, in connection with experiment 
and research in wireless telegraphy, so as to prevent 
work undertaken by one department overlapping work 
undertaken by another, and thus secure economy, and 
to discuss any difficulties arising in practice. (2) That 
the work now being done by the departments should 
be continued and extended, opportunities being also 
found for the departmental engineers to carry out such 
experiments and tests as may be approved by the body 
or institution to be established for the purposes above 
referred to, and may require high power and service: 
conditions. (3) That it is desirable to establish a 
research laboratory (as distinguished from thg exist- 
ing departmental laboratories and service stations), in 
which research work bearing on the practical needs of 
the services should be carried out under the guidance 
of the body or institution above referred to. (4) That 
though the work to be undertaken by the new body 
or institution and in the new laboratory, the establish- 
ment of which we recommend, will principally concern 
wireless telegraphy, it is undesirable to exclude there- 
from the problems of ordinary telegraphy and _ tele- 
phony. 
