5^8 



NA TURE 



[September 26, 1901 



hygiene, rendered them relatively insignificant. Further, 

 these reports gave rise to a very considerable polemic, 

 other workers in this field not accepting Thudicum's 

 results, or, a fortiori, the theories founded upon them. 



In 1 87 1 Dr. Thudicum published conjointly with Dr. 

 Dupre his most copious work, a book of 700 odd pages, 

 on the origin, nature and varieties of wine. His views 

 upon this subject have also not received general accept- 

 ance. In 1872 he published a manual of chemical 

 physiology. His last work of note appeared in 1886 and 

 consisted of a treatise on the chemical constitution of the 

 brain. 



Although Thudicum's life-study must be regarded as 

 physiological chemistry, he from time to time wrote upon 

 e,\clusively practical medical subjects, inter alia diseases 

 of the nose, the curative \alue of electricity in medicine, 

 &c., and consistently with this he made and kept together 

 a large medical practice, being successful as a physician 

 and greatly esteemed by his patients. 



Thudicum's mind was one of problems, and whenever a 

 problem esented itself to him he did his best — often, it 

 is true, with imperfect methods — to solve it ; even if, as 

 in many cases must be admitted, his work has not yielded 

 results of first importance, by his death medical science 

 has lost at least an honest and indefatigable investigator 

 and many men and women a sincere friend. 



NOTES. 



The profound grief expressed by the British Association when 

 news of the assassination of the late President of the United 

 States was received, was described in last week's Nature. We 

 have now received a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Choate, the 

 American Ambassador, by Prof. Rlicker, president of the 

 Association, and of the reply. The letter sent was as follows : — 

 " To his Excellency the Hon. J. H. Choate, Ambassador 

 of the United States of America. Sir, — The General Com- 

 mittee of the British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, assembled this year in Glasgow, desire me to express 

 to you the horror with which they heard of the attack upon 

 the late President of the United States, and their deep sorrow 

 at his death. On the first day of the meeting in Glasgow the 

 Association telegraphed to Mr. McKinley the assurance of their 

 sympathy and of their earnest hopes for his recovery. These 

 hopes have not been fulfilled, and it is now my sad duty to 

 inform you that the tragic fate of the President of the United 

 States has cast a deep shadow over our meeting. Together with 

 all our fellow countrymen we share in the sorrow of the great 

 sister-nation which you represent ; and we desire, through you, 

 to inform the men of science of America that the members of 

 the British Association are bound to them not only by ties of 

 blood, not only by the links which unite all students of Nature, 

 but by the deeper feelings which draw together those who are 

 partners in a common sorrow, and mourn one of the leaders of 

 our common race. — I am, sir, your obedient servant, A. W. 

 Rlicker." In reply, the American Ambassador wrote : — "Sir, 

 — I have received with heartfelt gratitude the kind expression of 

 condolence and sympathy at the death of President McKinley 

 which you have forwarded to me on behalf of the General 

 Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of 

 .Science. I shall duly advise my Government of its receipt, and 

 it will be highly appreciated by them and by Mrs. McKinley. 

 Vour kind message and hundreds of other similar communica- 

 tions from all parts of the British Dominions, carry an assurance 

 of national friendship and goodwill which will be most welcome 

 to the American people. — Yours sincerely, Joseph H. Choate." 



Many men of science will sympathise with Dr. Henry Wood- 

 ward, F. R.S., at the sad death of his younger son, Mr, Martin 

 NO. 1665, VOL. 64] 



Fountain Woodward, demonstrator in biology. Royal College of 

 Science, Sou:h Kensington, London. Mr, Woodward was 

 drowned on the night of September 15 by the capsizing of a boat 

 at Moyard, near Letterfrack, co. Galway, Ireland, where he was 

 in charge of the Marine Biological Laboratory of the Fisheries 

 Board for Ireland, during the long vacation. He was in his 

 thirty-sixth year. 



Dr. a. C. Haddo.n, F.R.S., sailed by the Campania on 

 September 21 for a ten weeks' visit to the United States, for 

 the purpose of studying the ethnological museums and the 

 methods of instruction and research in ethnology in the States. 



The Swiney lectures this year will be delivered by Dr. J. S. 

 Flett, on the " Geological Evidences of Former Geographical 

 Conditions." The lectures will be delivered at the Victoria and 

 Albert Museum, South Kensington, and will commence on 

 Monday, October 7. 



The programme of the National Home-Reading Union for 

 the thirteenth reading session, 1901-1902, includes nature-study 

 among the subjects upon which advice will be given as to 

 suitable books to read, and helpful articles will be contributed to 

 the Society's magazine. Nature is, of course, the best teacher, 

 but books are valuable in directing attention to her attractions. 

 The address of the Society is Surrey House, Victoria Embank- 

 ment, London, W.C. 



We regret to record the death of Dr. Edward Waller 

 Claypole, B.A., F.G.S., of the Throop Polytechnic Institute, 

 California, and previously professor at Antioch College, Yellow 

 Springs, and at Buchtel College, Akron, in Ohio. In 1878 he 

 drew attention to the discovery of the oldest known fossil tree 

 from the Upper Silurian of Eaton, Ohio, and he named the 

 specimen Glyptodetidron eatonense. Since that date he con- 

 tributed many papers to American journals on the geology and 

 pal:eontology of the United States, giving a good deal of atten- 

 to fossil fishes, but dealing with all branches of geological 

 investigation. 



On Sunday, September 22, a solemn festival was held in the 

 small Swedish island of Hveen. The occasion was the ap- 

 proaching 300th anniversary of the death of Tycho Brahe, the 

 celebrated astronomer, who lived and worked on the island and 

 spent his happiest years there. The festival was held among 

 the few remains of Brahe's once imposing observatory at 

 Uranienborg. The Copenhagen correspondent of the Times 

 states that, early in the morning, guests from Denmark and 

 Sweden, including representatives of the Universities, arrived 

 in steamers. Outside the small harbour the Swedish shipZ'^'o// 

 was at anchor with King Oscar on board. The King landed 

 with the other guests and drove to Uranienborg. After Divine 

 service, conducted by Bishop Billing, of Sweden, Dr. Hille- 

 brandt, of Sweden, delivered a long speech, ending with the 

 following words ; — " We congratulate Denmark upon the never- 

 dying memory of this man. This spot is now Swedish ; there- 

 fore the King of Sweden is here to-day to honour the memory 

 of Denmark's great and noble son." The party then walked 

 through the ruins, which were decorated with the Swedish and 

 Danish flags. The monument of Tycho Brahe, erected by 

 Swedes, was decorated with the Danish colours. 



Proi~. Engler has returned from the Canary Islands with a 

 large collection of plants for the Botanical Garden and Museum 

 at Berlin. 



Mr. T. Meehan has an interesting paper, in the Proceedings 

 of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, on the 

 bending of branches in mature trees. The " weeping " habit is, 

 according to him, always the result of diminished vitality in the 

 tree. 



