190 



NATURE 



[November 7, 19 18 



in the form of a Fourier series, which he described 

 in the Philosophical Magazine for July, 1894. 

 Henrici will be remembered chiefly ;is .1 great 



teacher. He had learned during his early struggle 

 for a livelihood in London to ;iim at perfection 

 in form of expression, and he refrained from pub- 

 lishing anything until he fell satisfied as to its 

 form. But for this characteristic we might have 

 had his books on "Similar Figures " and "Vector 

 Analysis. " 



Vs "iie of the large body of Henrici 's pupils, the 

 present writer is able to bear testimony to the 

 singular lucidity of his teaching and to his readi- 

 ness to explain difficulties at all times. With 

 qualities such as these it is easy to understand 

 the mingled respect and affection with which his 

 pupils regarded him. They feel that a great master 

 el his an has passed to his rest. 



M. J. M. Hill. 



NOTES. 



The epidemic of influenza which has ravaged the 

 country during the last month or so seems to be 

 abating, at least in London, where, however, [256 

 deaths were attributed to it in the week ending 

 October 26. The experience of previous epidemics in 

 London has been that excessive mortality from in- 

 fluenza in any single epidemic does not continue 

 bevond a period of about six weeks. Contrary to 

 what has been slated in the public Press, a summer 

 epidemic like that of last July is unusual, and the 

 occurrence of a second epidemic like the presi nt 

 within three months of a previous one is almost un- 

 known. While the influenza bacillus was found only 

 in a small proportion of cases in July, now it seems 

 to be fairly prevalent, but the pneumonia complicating 

 the disease, and to which the mortality is chiefly 

 attributable, appears to be caused mainly by secondary 

 infection with the pneumococcus or the streptococcus. 

 In a small localised influenza epidemic which occurred 

 in a hospital in France Majors Foster and Cookson 

 establish an incubation period of forty-eight hours 

 for the disease, also that infection spreads only within 

 a narrow radius (Lancet, November 2, p. 588). 



A SCHEME for a national organisation, to be called 

 the Scientific Research Association, to secure a more 

 effective promotion, co-ordination, and endowment of 

 ch has been developed recently by a small provi- 

 sional committee, the acting secretary of which is Mr. 

 A. G. Tansley, F.R.S., Grantchester, Cambridge. The 

 to set up machinery for collecting intelligence 

 as to what is being dene and what are the 

 current and prospective needs. Subject committees 

 would act as intelligence bureaux, which would put 

 workers in touch with the best existing facilities foi 

 pursuing research in the various branches of 

 science, and at the same time collect informati in 

 as to current work and needs. This information 

 would be co-ordinated by the council of the associa- 

 tion, which would ai 1 as an intermediary between the 

 subject committees on one hand, and Government 

 and public bodies disposing of funds available for the 

 endowment of research on the other. The aim of 

 the association would be in no way to interfere with 

 the activities of any existine body, but to co-operate 

 intimatelv with all bodies and institutions concerned 

 with research, and to act as a co-ordinating agency 

 in all that relates to research. Adheri nee to the aims 

 of the association has been obtained from a large 

 number of representative men of science throughout 



NO. 2558, VOL. I02] 



the country, and it is hoped to brine, the association 

 into relationship with the whole body of research 

 workers in pure science. 



Tin: I. oid Mayor of Manchester (Sir Alexander 

 Porter) presided on October _$i at a meeting which 

 he had convened to consider the question of holding 

 an exhibition of British scientific products in Man- 

 chestei in December and January next. The meeting 

 decided that the proposed exhibition should be held, 

 and that the offer of the City Council to make the 

 building of the College of Technology available for 

 the purpose should be accepted. The proposed exhibi- 

 tion will be similar to that organised by the British 

 Science Guild, which attracted so much attention 

 when it was held recently in King's College, London. 

 Its object will l»- in show Lancashire people, cspccialh 

 manufacturers and merchants, how many of the pro- 

 ducts which before the war they wire accustomed to 

 obtain from Central Europe are now being manufac- 

 tured in this country, and how many altogether new 

 products have been invented in Britain since the war 

 began. The exhibition should aKo give an impetus 

 to the application of science to the industries of 

 Lancashire- bv showing how much some of these indus- 

 tries, as well as other British industries, owe to the 

 work which British men of science have accomplished 

 during the war. A sufficient sum of money has been 

 guaranteed to cover the necessary expenses of the 

 exhibition. It is hoped that further contributions to 

 the guarantee fund will continue to be received so as 

 to . nable the scope of the exhibition to be exti 

 ami 1.1 include exhibits that will be of special interest 

 to Lancashire. Offers to contribute to the guarantee 

 fund and all other communications relating to the 

 exhibition should be addressed to the Secretary of the 

 Exhibition Committee, College of Technology, Man- 

 chester. 



We learn from the Brititli Medical Journal that 

 the following resolutions, recently adopted unanimously 

 by the Paris Academy of Sciences of the Institute of 

 France, were unanimously endorsed by the Academy 

 of Medicine on October 15 : — (1) The academy, bi 

 ing personal relations between scientific men of the 

 two groups of belligerents to be impossible until re- 

 paration and expiation of the crimes which have put 

 the Central Empires under the ban of mankind 

 permil them again to enter the concert of civilised 

 nations, has adopted the following resolutions : 

 (2) The- Central Empires shall be compelled : 

 provision of the treaty of peace to retire from inter- 

 national scientific associations established by diplo- 

 matic conventions and implying personal relations 

 between the members. This exclusion would not apply 

 to common action solely concerning administi 

 relations indispensable between such publii servii 

 those affecting the regulation of navigation, railways, 



lil- ih-, clc. (3) As soon as circumstance's allow, 



those international conventions nol belonging to the 

 two categories noted above shall be denounced by 

 each of the competent groups of the Entente and of 

 the United States of America in accordance with the 

 statutes anil regulations of each of them. New asso- 

 ciations recognised to be needed for the progress of 

 the- sciences and their application shall be established 

 forthwith hv the Allies and the United States with the 

 contingent co-operation of neutrals. (4) The Govern- 

 meiils nf the' Allied countries and of the- United Slates 

 shall refrain from sending delegates to any inter- 

 national assembly at which representatives of the 

 Central Empires would be expected to figure. It is 

 desirable that the nationals of the Entente countries 

 and of the United States should adopt the same line 

 of conduct and not take part in any enterprise in 



