July 14, 1904] 



AT.-I rURE 



253 



for an investigation of the mass and compression of Jupiter 

 and of corrections to the elements of the orbits of his 

 satellites; and to Mr. I.. Oonraster for research on the early 

 development of the egg. &c., in various species of sawflies, 

 and for breeding experiments with certain species of 

 Lepidoptera and with domestic animals. 



A COMMITTEE has been formed in the \'ictoria L'nivprsity 

 of Manchester lo procure a portrait of Prof. Osborne 

 Reynolds, F.R.S., the senior member of the leaching staff, 

 as a memorial of the long and distinguished services which 

 he has rendered to the Owens College and of his many 

 valuable original contributions to physical science and 

 engineering. In view of the eminent and widely recognised 

 position which Prof. Reynolds holds as a scientific investi- 

 gator, it is felt that there are many friends not immediately 

 connected with the university who would be glad [o be 

 associated w-ith the memorial. .\ny subscriptions should 

 be sent to the treasurer of the Manchester Committee (Mr. 

 S. Chaffers, Owens College). 



Sir Oli\'kr Lodge, and other representatives of leading 

 educational institutions in Birmingham, have addressed a 

 memorial to the I.oid Mayor of the city suggesting the 

 establishment of a natural history museum on a portion of 

 land recently acquired by the corporation. The memorial 

 states : — " The absence of such a museum is, in our opinion, 

 a grave defect in our municipal institutions, and is a 

 matter of astonishment to strangers visiting our city. 

 Several valuable collections of objects of natural history 

 have already been lost to the city for want of a suitable 

 building in which to deposit them, and many more collec- 

 tions — zoological, entomological, botjinical, and geological 

 — will find their wav to metropolitan and other museums 

 if suitable prevision is not made in Birmingham for their 

 reception. " 



1 1 is proposed 10 hold an optical convention In London 

 next year. .At a meeting held on Monday, in the rooms 

 of the Society of .Arts, Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S., the 

 president of the Optical Society, occupying the chair, an 

 executive committee was elected, and the following were 

 elected honorary \ ice-presidents : — Lord Crawford, Lord 

 Rossp, Lord Rayleigh, Lord Blythsvvood, .Sir William 

 .\bney, the Hon. .Alban Gibbs, Mr.'w. H. M. Christie (the 

 .Astronomer Royall, Mr. T. R. Dallmeyer, Mr. J. Stuart, Sir 

 Howard (irubb. Dr. Glazebrook, and Lord Kelvin. One of 

 the honorary vice-presidents will be asked lo take the 

 position of president of the convention. 



The report of the committee on ancient earthworks and 

 fortified enclosures was presented to the congress of archse- 

 ological societies on July 6. The committee expresses 

 regret that more archaeological societies have not taken up 

 the idea of compiling a schedule of the ancient defensive 

 works in their respective districts ; and it is urged upon 

 ihe secretaries of .societies to arrange, when possible, for 

 the survey and scheduling of all such works as are included 

 in the inquiry. The committee concludes the report by 

 again impressing upon archaeologists the importance of 

 doing their utmost lo prevent the destruction which from 

 time to time threatens so many defensive enclosures of 

 earth or stone. 



The seventv-second .umual meeling of ihe British Medical 

 .Association will be held at Oxford from July 26-29. The 

 president is Dr. T. D. Griffiths, and the president-elect Dr. 

 \V. Collier. .An address in medicine will be delivered by 

 Sir William S. Church, Bart., K.C.B., and an address in 

 surgery will be delivered by .Sir William Macewen. A 

 popular lecture wWX be delivered by Dr. G. Bagot Ferguson 



N'>. l8[ I, VOL. 70] 



on Thursday evening, July 28. The annual meeting this 

 year will comprise fourteen sections, which, with their 

 presidents, are as follows : — Medicine, Dr. W. T. Brooks ; 

 Surgery, Mr. H. P. Symonds ; Obstetrics and Gynjecology, 

 Dr. F. H. Champneys; State Medicine, Dr. J. S. Haldane, 

 F.R.S.; Psychological Medicine, Dr. C. .A. Mercier ; 

 Pathology, Dr. J. Ritchie; Physiology, Prof. Francis 

 (iotch, F.R.S. ; Anatomy, Prof. .Arthur Thomson; Ophthal- 

 mology, Mr. R. W. Doyne ; Dermatology, Dr. T. C. Fox; 

 Laryngology and Otology, Mr. C. J. Symonds ; Tropical 

 Diseases, Dr. -A. Crombie, C.B. ; Navy, Army, and Am- 

 bulance, .Surgeon-General A. Frederick Bradshaw, C.B. ; 

 Dental Surgery, Mr. E. -A. Bevers. 



The third annual meeting of the general committee of 

 the Cancer Research Fund was held last Friday, July 8, 

 at Marlborough House, the Prince of Wales occupying the 

 chair. The report of the superintendent (Dr. Bashford) 

 details the work that has been carried out during the past 

 year. Specimens of new growths have been examined from 

 a varietv of animals, including fish and a wild mouse, 

 showing that cancer occurs in animals in a wild state. 

 Certain cells of malignant new growths have been found 

 to present nuclear changes similar to those by which the 

 sexual cells are prepared for fertilisation, and the fusion 

 of nuclei has been demonstrated in tumours of the mouse; 

 These observations suggest that the new growth of cancer 

 is a mass of cells that has taken on an independent exist- 

 ence. Statistical investigations have also been carried out, 

 and among other things do not support the widely spread 

 belief that cancer is on the increase. The report of the 

 treasurer appeals strongly for more extended pecuniary 

 support ; out of a population of 40 millions only 328 

 individuals and 10 city guilds have contributed, and the 

 income has proved insufficient to meet current expenses. 



On Mondav a large deputation waited on Lord London- 

 derry, President of the Board of Education, to urge the 

 compulsorv teaching of hygiene in elementary and secondary 

 schools. The deputation was in support of a petition which 

 has been signed by nearly fifteen thousand medical prac- 

 titioners. The petitioners urged the central educational 

 authorities of the United Kingdom to consider " whether it 

 would not be possible to include in the curricula of the 

 public elementary schools, and to encourage in the 

 secondarv schools, such teaching as may, without de- 

 veloping anv tendency to dwell on what is unwholesome, 

 lead all the children to appreciate at their true value 

 healthful bodily conditions as regards cleanliness, pure air, 

 food, drink, &:c." The petitioners remark that a widespread 

 ignorance prevails concerning not only the nature and 

 properties of alcohol, but also its effects on the body and 

 the mind. Central education authorities are therefore 

 asked to include in the simple hygienic teaching desired 

 elementarv instruction at an early age on the nature and 

 effects of alcohol. Dr. Farquharson, M.P., introduced the 

 deputation, and short speeches in support of ils objects were 

 made by Sir W. Broadbent, Dr. D. GritViths, Sir T. Barlow, 

 Sir Lauder Brunton, Sir Victor Horsley, Dr. Mary Schar- 

 lieb. Dr. Hutchinson, and Prof. Sims Woodhead. Lord 

 Londonderry, in reply, said the proposals made by the 

 deputation had his sincerest sympathy, and he only wished 

 it was in the power of the Board of Education to carry 

 them out. He was as anxious as anyone to see increased 

 instruction being given in the laws of health, but at the 

 present time the necessary teachers did not exist, and he 

 should be the last to wish anybody to act as instructor in 

 such important subjects who had not received instruc- 

 tion in them. The Board was at the present moment 



