498 



NATURE 



[February 20, 19 19 



t>l the crippling of a strut of variable flexural rigidit; 



n sull is 1 xpressed in .1 1 stremeh convenient 



for graphical treatment.— A. I>ey : \ new method 1 

 the absolute determination of frequency. (With 1 

 prefatory note bj C. V. Raman.) 



Aristotelian Society. February j, Prof. T. P. Nurin, 

 hon. treasurer, in the chair.- Prof. H. Wildon Carr ■ 

 Philosophy as monadology. The monad is a substam 

 conceived as an active subject owning its activities, 

 and not as a substratum oi qualities or attributes. 

 Monads are a mental or spii itual order not to be 1 01 

 fused with physical atoms, which are an external ordei 

 In ordinary experience we find it necessarj to regai I 

 the world from two points of view : ( i ) as an extended 

 sphere of activity in which space, time, and man. 1 

 arc common to all subjects, and (2) as a private 

 universe existing onlj for, and reflected into, on< 

 individual subject, Monads arc windowless. This 

 negative attribute is not a defect, but a positive 



chara listinguishing the monadic order from the 



atomii - Evi ry o ntre .if 1 i f . - or consciousness possi ss< 

 the unit} of a subject of experience, and even change 

 of iis state is wholly within itself. No monad 'by inter- 

 course parts with its substance or deprives another 

 monad of its substance. Then' are no"t monads and 

 atoms. When we view existence as a monadic ordei 

 there are no atoms; when we view it as a svstem of 



'Meinal relations, atoms, there are no monads, II,, 

 twp orders, though each effacing the other, are not of 

 equal validity. Monads alone are real; atoms arc an 

 abstract view of reality for a practical <ni\. 



Physical Society, Januan 24. Prof. C. II. Lees, 

 president, in the chair.— S." Skinner : Notes on lubrica- 

 tion. Experiments on the pressure of air in the 

 neighbourhood of a flywheel running in contact with 

 a flat tangential board are described to exhibit the 

 properties of a compressible lubricant. A comparison 

 of the compressibilities and viscosities of the vegi 

 table and mineral oils leads to the conclusion that 

 the special property of "oiliness" is the physical pro- 

 perty of incompressibility. In note ii. Worthington 's 

 experiments on the adhesion of two solids immersed 

 in a stretched liquid are explained as an illustration 

 of the phenomena of lubrication in a stretched liquid 

 In note iii. the effect of glass beads, etc., in pro- 

 moting the free boiling of air-free water is explained 

 by the occurrence of cavitation behind the moving 

 beads, etc., the strain entering the cavities thus pro- 

 duced and dilating them into large bubbles —Prof 

 YV. B. Morton: Sir Thomas Wrightson's theory .a 

 hearing. 1 be theon seeks to explain the power pos- 

 sessed by the ear of analysing' into its component 

 a compound aerial disturbance. It assumes 

 'ii that impulses act on the mechanism of the ear 

 ponding with lb.- maxima and minima of the 

 compound vibration-curve, and also with the points 

 in"..- crosses the axis; (2) that among the 

 these impulse-points there is a prepon- 

 derance ■ intervals which approximate to the periods 

 1,1 the comi 1 nt ton, s, their lower 01 taves and their 

 ' ombination h . and thai tin se spacings determin. 

 the sensations -1 the component tones. The present 

 note is concerned with the second of these assump- 

 tions. Graphs a.- drawn which exhibit the way in 

 which ih'- distribution ol impulse-points varies when 



relative intensities and phase-relation of tb ponei 



s are changed. Difficulties are found in ft) thi 



large number of other spacings presented to the ear, 

 hi variations of the spacings with loudness-ratio 



and phase relation, and ( ; 1 the fart thai in a singli 

 pure tone the spacing is a quartei ..l the period 1 

 the vibration.- Dr. \. Russell; Electrical theorems in 

 ci 1 nection with parallel cylindrical conductors, Mart 



no. 2573. vol. 102] 



pi obi. nis In conn., tion with parallel cylindrical con- 



dui mis 01 . in in prai iii al ela trical work. I hi 



ml* for lb.- capacity between the lu s and 



lor the effective inductance are well known, but the 

 values of the capacity and potential coefficients and 



ol the inductance coefficients have I leter- 



mined. It is shown that for the casi of a cylinder 



inside a cylindrical tube their values can in all 



be easil) computed. When the cylinders are external 



"' anothei ii is proved thai the thret 1 apai 



coefficients are connected by two ver) simple relal 



Limiting values between which 1 fficients must 



lie are found, and methods oi obtaining I 

 proximal, values in special cases .if given. 



tieallv identical formulas enable us to find the current 

 densit} and the inductance coefficients with high- 

 frequency currents, both for a cylinder inside a cylin- 

 drical tube and for two parallel cylinders, tn the 



latter case il is shown that when the phase difference 

 between the currents is less than 90 , the mechanical 

 force between tin' cylinders is repulsive when thi 

 close together and attractive when they are far apart. 

 At a definite distance apart, therefore, the cylinders 

 when carrying high-frequency currents are in stable 

 equilibrium. Since the- potential coefficients can 

 always be determined experimentally, it follows that 

 the inductance coefficients f.n high-frequency currents, 

 which are equal to them, are also found by the sami 

 experiments. 



Royal Anthropological Institute, January 2S. sit 

 Hercules Read, president, in the chair.— Sir Hercules 

 Read: Presidential address: War and anthropology. 

 The president dealt with some of the scientific 



problems that confronted the institute as a con- 

 sequence of the war, and suggested that it would be 

 good for the institute, as well as for the world at 

 large, if such societies were to take up the considera- 

 tion of the physical well-being of the people regarded 

 from every side. He referred first to the research 

 work that had been done by his predecessor, Prof. 

 Keith, in regard to the change in shape of the 

 jaw and face contours ..f the British race in 

 consequence, to some extent, of improper diet. He 

 insisted upon the great importance of such investiga- 

 tions, and upon tin- duty that lay upon the Govern- 

 ment to take measures to prevent degeneration 



owing to neglect of lb,- obvious measures that 

 would put a stop to such a decline. The institute 

 bad done excellenl work in the establishment of a 

 Bureau of Anthropometry, a branch of investigation 

 that bad been nut to practical use in the Army, and 

 no doubt numberless records had accumulated during 

 the last four years. These would be of very great 

 value as a demonstration of the physical condition of 



the British population, and in particular of the 

 gain that had resulted to the youths during their 

 period of training — a period generally of very short 

 duration, but of enormous benefit to the recruit. The 

 president strongly advocated the continuance of such 

 training, insisting upon the obvious advantages In the 

 race on the physical side, and holding as strongly to 

 the view that if in the course of training the youth 

 could at the satin lime attain to tb. 1 condition of 

 being able 1.. defend himself and bis belongings 

 against am aggressor, it would be an added advan- 

 ag. Sii Hercules then dealt briefly with tb.- diffi- 

 culties connected with the Government scheme foi the 

 housing of lb.- people, especially in relation to the 

 healthiness of the proposed dwellings. 



Zoological Society, February 1 Dr. S I •'. Ha 

 vice-president, in the chair.- Sir Douglas Mawson : 

 Vustralasian, Vntarctic, and sub-Antarctic life. A large 

 scries of lantern-slides was exhibited, illustrating the 



