3'4 



NATURE 



[December 19, 1918 



tent, two of the lowest, and four intermediati Thesie 

 were grown in Hmawbi (high rainfall), Tatkon (inter- 

 mediate rainfall), and Mandalay (low rainfall). From 

 the results <>f the analyses of the seeds obtained the 

 following conclusions arc drawn: 11) Thai the 

 hydrogen cyanide content is an inherenl character of 

 pure single-plant cultures; (-') the content varies con- 

 siderabl) with the -.oil and climatic conditions; (3) thai 

 cultures giving low amounts of hydrogen cyanide in 

 one locality give !<>w figures under all the conditions 

 tested; (4) that differences in the colour of seeds 

 from .1 single culture arc not correlated with the 

 different hydrogen cyanide content of their progeny; 

 and (5) that the best cultures hitherto found contain 

 prussic acid, but only halt that present in the 

 originally imported Madagascar bean. 



Messrs. Standley Belcher and Mason, Ltd., 

 Church Street, Birmingham, writing with reference to 

 the article on scientific glassware contributed by Or. 

 M. \Y. Travels to Nature of December 5, state that 



"already by November, 1014, we were supplying 

 beakers, etc., made in our own moulds, from a for- 

 mula supplied by us." In Dr. Travers's article those 

 linns onlj were mentioned which mark their glass 

 with the name of the maker and the words " British 

 made," and that accounts for the omission of the 

 names of other firms. Xo injustice was intended, but 

 it must he admitted that, by displaying and selling 

 glassware which does not hear the maker's name, cer- 

 tain dealers fail in their obligations to British industry 

 and belong to a different category from firms con- 

 cerned solely with ware distinctly shown to he of 

 British manufacture. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Fireball on Decemrer 6. — At gh. 36m. a verv 

 fine meteor was observed at Bristol, Weston- 

 super-Mare, and, Falmouth. The object lit up 

 the partially clouded sky like a vivid flash of 

 lightning. From the descriptions already to hand it 

 appears that the meteor moved slowly from a radiant 

 at t33° + oq , and fell from a height of 67 to 24 miles 

 along a path of (17 miles. The position was from above 

 Rhayader to south-east of Carmarthen, in South 

 Wales, but further observations are necessary for the 

 determination of very trustworthy results. 



t'oMii hiiX ( ; (Schorr).— A new comet, of feeble 

 luminosity, was discovered at Bergedorff (Hamburg) 

 by Dr. Schorr on November 23. From observations 

 made on November 23, 24, and 25, Messrs. J. Braae 

 and J. Fischer-Petersen have calculated the following 

 orbital elements : — 



T=i9iS August 7-906 G.M.T. 

 <a =230° 42'l8"| 

 ^ = 129° 16-90' [1918-0 

 i = 5 272 i'J 

 log ^=0-19222 

 The following is an extract from the ephemeris : 



K.A. Dect. 



1918 1918-0 iqiS'o Log r Log .i 



Dec. 21 3 58 15 V\2 543 0-3749 01666 



2 S 3 57 4' +13 ] °-3 03816 01844 

 29 3 57 30 +1327-1 0-3883 0-2024 



During December the computed brightness ranges 



from the 14th to tin- 15th magnitude. 



Spectra of Binarv Stars.— In a communication i<> 

 the American Astronomical Society (Pop. Ast„ 

 vol. xxvi., p. 633) Dr. R. 1.. Aitken summarises the 

 lesults of a comparison .if his list of close double- 

 stars with the unpublished new Drapei Catalogue of 

 stellar spectra. The spectral classes "l 5919 pairs, 

 NO. 2564, VOL. I02j 



including practicallj all those as bright as 8-5 B.D. 

 magnitude, were identified, with the results shown in 



the following table, which also include S the (103 spectro- 



scopii binaries tin the entire sky) which were known 

 in < )i tober, 1917 : - 



Spe 



Totals .in'" 100 ... 605 'oo 



The figures show that while spectroscopic binaries are 

 most numerous among stars id class 15, the visual 

 binaries are relaiivelv mOSl numerous among stars nl 

 class G. 



A New "Solar Constant" Observatory.— The 

 Smithsonian Institution has established an observing 



station at Calama, Chile, for further investigations of 

 the apparent variations of the solar radiation, to which 

 so much attention has been given bj the director, Dr. 

 C. G. Abbot {Pop. A.st., vol.' xxvi., p. (133). The site 

 is 2230 metres above sea-level, and, according to 

 several years' records, is the most cloudless station 

 in the world. For the two years 1913-14 the averagi 



number of wholly cloudless davs at 7 a.m. was 228, 



at _> p.m. 206, at 9 p.m. 299, and of completely cloudy 

 days none. The precipitatipn is zero, and the tem- 

 perature seldom falls below 0° C. Or rises abOVI 



25 C. fhe observational conditions would thus 



appear to he extremely favourable for the work con- 

 templated. 



MEDICAL RESEARCH. 

 T\/j L'CH has been said of late as to the importance 

 ^»* of encouraging research work in the applied 

 sciences. In the fourth annual report of the Medical 

 Research Committee ' we have ample illustration of 

 the enormous field presented for research work in 

 medical science under conditions both of peace and 

 of war. 'fhe diversion of scientific research to war 

 purposes has nowhere led to more marked service than 

 in the sphere of medical research. When considered 

 from! the point of view of mere economy of expendi- 

 ture, and quite apart from the enormous saving of life 

 and suffering, medical research is shown to pay; thus, 

 by improved methods in the treatment of heart cases 

 at the Colchester Hospital, cures were effected more 

 rapidly, with a consequent saving of 30,000/. in a 

 single year. 



Although attention has naturally been focussed on 

 tin magnitude of pain and on the toll of life involved 

 in war casualties, it must not be forgotten that in 

 times of peace the volume of avoidable suffering and 

 loss is measurable in terms of similar magnitude to 

 those which obtain in war. Among the grave 

 problems with which we are now faced is that of the 

 low standard of our national physique, the statistics 

 of which have recently been described by the Prime 

 Minister as "staggering." 'fhe investigations carried 

 ouf undei the auspices of the Medical Research Com- 

 mittee on problems connected with tuberculosis, 

 riclceis, growth factors, industrial diseases, industrial 

 fatigue, etc., are a step lew. nds the scientific estab- 

 lishment ,>f a healthy race, and have already reached 

 important results. 



A remarkable feature of medical research since the 



1 Fourth Annual Report of the Medical Research Committee, 1917-18 

 (London : H.M. Stationery Office, 1918.) Price 4 rf. net. 



