July 21, 1904] 



NA TURE 



279 



That American engineers have in recent years taken 

 the initiative in this direction will be admitted, but it 

 is some consolation for English printers to observe that 

 the home manufacturers are beginning to realise the 

 situation, and are endeavouring to make amends and 

 thus regain their position in the field. 



In looking abroad it is customary to associate 

 -Messrs. Hoe's name with some of the best of American 

 machinery, whilst for that of French origin the late 

 M, H. Marinoni was looked upon as the best manu- 

 facturer of machinery especially adapted for newspaper 

 •or magazine work. To specify other names in either 

 country would require space, although in fairness to 

 <iermany it must be said that many really good 

 machines of various kinds are now before the trade 

 and at worlj in this country. 



To the lay reader it may be explained that the 

 various classes of machinery used for letterpress 

 printing are divided under certain heads, and may be 

 iiroadlv grouped as follows: — (i) rotary machines; (2) 

 double cylinder perfecting machines; (3) single cylinder 

 ■one-feeder machines ; (4) single cylinder two-feeder 

 machines; and (5) platen machines. 



Commencing with the rotary kind, as its name 

 Implies, the action is that of continuous rotation whilst 

 the machine is in motion. Although there are a few 

 machines on the market with flat type beds that print 

 from the reel, this class of machine generally prints 

 from a surface made from either stereotype or electro- 

 type plates, and curved to the cylinder similar to the 

 •one which gives the impression — the paper as it is 

 unwound from the reel passing between the printing 

 :and impression cylinders continuously whilst the 

 ni.-ichine is running. 



The paper is made to the required width and wound 

 on reels; sometimes these webs contain paper two or 

 three miles long, the length being regulated by the 

 weight or thickness of the material. Such machines 

 are used mostly for newspaper work, or magazines of 

 a non-illustrated character, where a large number of 

 copies are required, and each section or copy is cut 

 and folded before it leaves the machine. They are also 

 7nade in duplicate, quadruple, or even larger sizes, so 

 that the machine is self-contained, and will produce 

 just as many duplicate copies as it is constructed for. 



It is true that illustrated work is now attempted on 

 TOtary machines, and whilst no doubt further improve- 

 ments will be made in due course, the results are not 

 altogether satisfactory so far, although illustrations 

 "in line are more successful than those produced by the 

 half-tone process. 



Perfecting machines have two cylinders, and 

 are used mostly for newspaper or magazine work 

 •of shorter numbers, and occasionally for bookwork. 

 These print both sides of the paper, which is in single 

 sheets, before it leaves the machine, but the double 

 Impression is two distinct operations. Although this 

 •class of machine has been used for a great number of 

 years, it is not adapted for the best class of book- 

 work owing to the difficulties of ink set-off. These 

 ■machines, and all other than the rotary kind, print 

 from a fiat printing surface. 



The single cylinder (one-feeder) is par excellence 

 -adapted for the best bookwork, whether illustrated or 

 not. Of this class there is a great variety, the 

 English make being called the " Wharfedale," and 

 huilt on the stop-cylinder principle, that is, the 

 cylinder over which the sheets of paper are carried, 

 and which gives the impression to the printed sheet 

 as it revolves, is stopped or locked on the return travel 

 •of the machine, when it is automatically released and 

 revolves again as the type carriage or bed travels for- 

 ward once more. 



Other single cylinder machines are those of the two- 



NO. 181 2, VOL. 70] 



revolution kind, that is, the cylinder revolves con- 

 tinuously in the same direction, once whilst the sheet 

 is being impressed and again whilst the type bed is 

 travelling back to its original position, thus making 

 two revolutions for each copy printed. This class of 

 machine is well represented by the Miehle and 

 Century, both of which are of .American manufacture, 

 and are admirably adapted for high-class illustrated 

 work of the magazine order because the inking facili- 

 ties are so well considered. 



.Another kind of single cylinder machine is the two- 

 feeder, and it may be described as being somewhat 

 similar to the ordinary Wharfedale, but it has a 

 longer travel for its type carriage, with an arrange- 

 ment at both ends of the machine for inking and 

 rolling the forme. Unlike the stop-cylinder of a single 

 feeder machine, which is stationary on the return 

 travel, the impression cylinder of the two-feeder 

 immediately reverses on the completion of the revolu- 

 tion on the principle of the old " tumbler " machine. 

 In doing this a fresh sheet is seized by a second set 

 of grippers or fingers attached to the cylinder. By 

 this method a sheet is printed at each propulsion of the 

 machine in either direction. 



Those of the platen kind are used for smaller work, 

 mostly of a commercial character, and the action is 

 somewhat similar to that of the old hand press, be- 

 cause both type and paper are impressed on the flat. 

 They are made in many sizes, and some will print 

 almost as large a sheet as the old hand press. 

 .Although one operator only is required, he will, with 

 the aid of power, produce at least three or four times 

 as much as two men at hand press with equally good 

 results, provided the worker is a skilled hand. 



Ch.as. T. Jacobi. 



CANCER RESEARCH. 



A S Dr. Bashford remarks in his introductory note 

 -'*■ to the report of the Cancer Research Fund,' the 

 solution of the problem of the cause of malignant 

 disease in man is really the logical destination and 

 centre towards which all channels of cancer research 

 must converge, rather than the starting point thereof. 

 The zoological distribution of cancer has therefore 

 formed one of the first lines of inquiry to be under- 

 taken by the Cancer Researcli Fund, founded about 

 two years ago, for investigating this dire disease. By 

 the willing cooperation of many workers, a most 

 interesting series of tumours has been obtained from 

 the various domestic animals, from the mouse and 

 hen, and from three species of fish, proving that 

 malignant disease is not confined to man. The 

 malignant growths of man seem to be incapable of 

 transmission to animals, but a malignant new growth 

 from one animal may occasionally be transmitted to 

 another individual of the same species. This has been 

 carried out by Jensen, of Copenhagen, and bv Borrel, 

 of Paris. Through the kind collaboration of Prof. 

 Jensen, a specimen of epitheliomatous tumour of the 

 mouse was obtained and successfully transplanted into 

 mice, but not into other animals, thus confirming 

 Jensen's results. 



The last half of the report contains an account of 

 Dr. Bashford and Mr. Murray's investigations on the 

 cytology of malignant growths, illustrated with a 

 number of drawings. The results obtained are 

 practically the same as those of Prof. Farmer, Mr. 

 Moore, and Mr. Walker, already detailed in these 

 columns (N..\tl"re, vol. Ixix. p. 319), viz. that in the 

 cancer process there is a transformation of the normal 



' "Scientific Reports on the Investigations of the Cancer Research 

 Fund. No. I. The Zoological Distribution, the Limitations in the Trans- 

 missihility, and the Comparative Histological and Cytological Characters 

 of Malignant New Growths." (Taylor and Francis i9'-4.) 



