February i, 1906J 



NATURE 



Dr. Uhlig, increased since 1901. Thus the report in- 

 dicates that the retreat of glaciers, which began about 

 forty-five years ago, still continues, having over- 

 powered the slight rally which has been occasionally 

 perceptible during the last decade. T. G. B. 



THE REVOLUTION OF THE CORPUSCLE. 1 



Air: " The Interfering Parrot." (Geislia.) 



A corpuscle once did oscillate so quickly to and fro, 

 He always raised disturbances wherever he did go. 

 He struggled hard for freedom against a powerful 



foe — 

 An atom — who would not let him go. 

 The asther trembled at his agitations 

 In a manner so familiar that I only need to sav, 

 In accordance with Clerk Maxwell's six equations 

 It tickled people's optics far away. 



You can feel the way it's done, 

 You may trace them as thev run — 

 dy by dy less dB by dz is equal K.dX/dt. 



While the curl of (X,Y,Z) is the minus djdt of the 

 vector (a,b,c). 



Some professional agitators only holler till they're 



hoarse, 

 But this plucky little corpuscle pursued another course, 

 And finally resorted to electromotive force, 

 Resorted to electromotive force. 

 The medium quaked in dread anticipation, 

 It feared that its equations might be somewhat too 



abstruse, 

 And not admit of finite integration 

 In case the little corpuscle got loose. 



For there was a lot of gas 



Through which he had to pass, 



And in case he was too rash, 



There was sure to be a smash, 



Resulting in a flash. 

 Then dy by dy less d/3 by dz would equal K.dX/dt. 



While the curl of (X,Y,Z) would be minus dldt of the 

 vector (a,b,i). 



The corpuscle radiated until he had conceived 



A plan by which his freedom might be easily achieved, 



I'll not go into details for I might not be believed, 



Indeed I'm sure I should not be believed. 



However, there was one decisive action, 



The atom and the corpuscle each made a single 



charge, 

 But the atom could not hold him in subjection 

 Though something like a thousand times as large. 



The corpuscle won the day 



And in freedom went away 



And became a kathode raw 



But his life was rather gay, 



And he went at such a rate, 



That he ran against a plate; 



When the asther saw his fate 



Its pulse did palpitate, 

 And dy by dy less d$ by dz was equal K.dX/dt. 



While the curl of (X,Y,Z) was the minus dldt of the 

 vector (a,b,c). 



1 Composed by Mr. A. A. Robb and sung at the annual dinner of the 

 research students of the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, on December 6, 



NO. 1892, VOL. Jl,'] 



NOTES. 

 Dr. X. L. Britton, director of the New York Botanical 

 Garden, has been elected president of the New York 

 Academy of Sciences. 



During the meeting of the French Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, to be held at Lyons next August, 

 it is proposed, if the suggestion arouses sufficient interest, 

 to arrange an exhibition of urban hygiene. 



The Brussels correspondent of the Daily Telegraph 

 states that at the last meeting of the Academy of Science 

 it was announced that Dr. Jacobs had conclusively proved 

 cancer to have a bacterial origin. This is not the first 

 time that similar positive statements have been made 

 which subsequent research has proved to be fallacious, and 

 all such reports must be received with the greatest reserve. 



The Morrison lectures of the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 Edinburgh, have this year been delivered by Dr. Ford 

 Robertson on the pathology of general paralysis of the 

 insane. The main theme of Dr. Robertson's lectures is 

 that general paralysis is an infective or germ disease 

 caused by certain diphtheroid bacilli, which can be isolated 

 from the blood and cerebro-spinal fluid of the patient, and 

 the toxins of which by their action on the central nervous 

 system induce the paralysis and other symptoms. 



The Milroy lectures of the Royal College of Physicians 

 of London will be delivered by Dr. W. H. Hamer on 

 March i, 6, and 8, the subject being " Epidemic Disease 

 in England : the Evidence of Variability and of Persistency 

 of Tjpe." The Goulstonian lectures will be delivered by 

 Dr. H. Batty Shaw, on the subject of " Autointoxication," 

 on March 13, 15, and 20; the Lumleian lectures by Dr. 

 Ferrier, the subject being "On Tabes Dorsalis," on 

 March 22, 27, and 29; and the Oliver-Sharpey lectures by 

 Dr. E. J. Spriggs on April 3 and 5, the subject being 

 ' The Bearing of Metabolism Experiments upon the Treat- 

 ment of some Diseases." Prof. W. Osier will deliver the 

 Harveian oration on St. Luke's Day, October 18, and 

 Dr. S. J. Sharkey the Bradshaw lecture in November. 



The annual general meeting of the Iron and Steel Insti- 

 tute will be held on Thursday and Friday, May 10— 11. 

 The council will shortly proceed to award Carnegie research 

 scholarships, and candidates must apply before February 28. 

 The awards will be announced at the general meeting. 

 In place of the ordinary autumn meeting, a joint meeting 

 of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and of the 

 Iron and Steel Institute will be held in London on 

 July 23-29. The Lord Mayor of London has consented 

 to act as chairman of the London reception committee, and 

 will give a conversazione at the Mansion House on the 

 evening of July 24. The annual dinner will be held at the 

 Hotel Cecil on Friday, July 27. A programme of the 

 visits and excursions to be made during the meeting will 

 be issued when the arrangements are sufficiently matured. 



The death is announced, at the age of eighty-three, of 

 M. Jules Despecher, who for more than half a century 

 pia\ed a prominent part in organising and arranging sub- 

 marine cable services. 



The commission for the methods of examining and 

 methylating alcohol, appointed by the French Government, 

 has decided to offer the following prizes for open com- 

 petition, irrespective of the nationality of the competitors : — 

 (1) a prize of 20,000 francs for a method of methylating 

 alcohol, which shall be preferable to that now in vogue in 

 France, and which at the same time shall prevent anj- 



