84 
INA TRAE 
[May 25, 1899 
THE EDINBURGH CHAIR OF PHYSIOLOGY. 
eee following is the closed list of candidates for the 
chair of Physiology in the University of Edinburgh, 
rendered vacant by the death of Prof. Rutherford : Dr. 
Wace Carlier and Dr. Noel Paton, Edinburgh ;_ Prof. 
Reid, Dundee; Prof. Schafer, London; Prof. G. N. 
Stewart, Cleveland, Ohio ; Prof. Stirling, Manchester ; 
Prof. Anderson Stuart, Sydney. 
The Edinburgh chair of Physiology, though founded in 
1742, has almost invariably been occupied by physicians 
—amongst others Cullen, Gregory, Alison, and Ruther- 
ford’s immediate predecessor, Hughes Bennett. The one 
striking exception in addition to Rutherford is Allen 
Thomson, the famous anatomist. Rutherford’s time 
having been largely devoted to teaching, it may be truly 
said that Edinburgh, from a physiological point of view, 
has still its spurs to win. Had other counsels prevailed 
in 1855, Edinburgh might have secured the services 
of Sharpey, and long ere this been as famous for its 
physiological as for its anatomical school. 
The mistakes of 1855 (when the services of Agassiz, as 
well as those of the founder of English physiology, were 
declined) are not likely to be repeated, for it is now suffi- 
ciently evident to all concerned that if the Scottish 
capital is to maintain and extend her medical school, 
she must fill her Science chairs with men who, in addi- 
tion to great teaching powers, have gained by their 
researches a world-wide reputation. As it happens, the 
Court of Curators, in whose hands the appointment lies, 
will have the opportunity of largely atoning for the past 
by placing at the head of the physiological department a 
pupil of Sharpey’s who, by his success as a teacher and 
worker, has placed himself in the very foremost rank of 
British physiologists. 
In the interests of science and of the great imperial 
seat of learning, we, with Lord Lister, “venture to 
express the earnest hope that Prof. Schafer’s paramount 
claims may receive their due recognition.” 
NOTES. 
THE second (or ladies’) conversazione of the Royal Society 
will take place on June 21. 
AT the next meeting (June 8) of the London Mathematical 
Society, the President, Lord Kelvin, G.C.V.O., proposes to 
read a paper ‘‘ On solitary waves. equivoluminal and irrota- 
Gonal, in an elastic solid.”’ At the previous Council meeting, 
the election of the sixth De Morgan medallist of the Society 
will take place, and the announcement of the result will be 
made to the members present at the general meeting. The 
presentation of the medal will be made at the annual meeting 
in November next. 
THE International Exhibition of Electricity, organised in 
celebration of the Volta centenary, was opened at Como on 
Saturday by King Humbert. His Majesty also opened a 
national silk industry exhibition, connected with the electrical 
exhibition. Switzerland was officially represented at the 
ceremony, and there were also present the Bishop of Como, 
the Senators and Deputies representing the province in the 
Italian Parliament, some members of the family of Volta, who 
was born at Como, a number of scientific celebrities, and a 
large attendance of the general public. Speeches were de- 
livered by the Mayor, the presidents of the two exhibitions, 
and Signor Salandra, the Minister of Agriculture, who dwelt 
on the progress made by Italy in the silk-growing industry. 
AN international congress dealing with the prevention and 
cure of tuberculosis was opened in Berlin yesterday. The 
Emperor and Empress of Germany are taking the greatest 
NO. 1543, VOL. 60] 
interest in the congress, and her Majesty attended in person at 
the formal opening of the proceedings in the great hall of the 
Reichstag by the Duke of Ratibor. Some of the foreign 
delegates will be presented to the Emperor on Sunday after the 
termination of the congress.. Owing to the Whitsuntide recess, 
the congress will have the use of the whole of the Reichstag 
buildings. The 72mes correspondent at Berlin reports that on 
Tuesday night there was an informal reception of the members 
and delegates by Princess Elizabeth of Hohenlohe in the main 
gallery of the Reichstag. The congress will be attended by 
nearly 2000 persons, including 112 foreign delegates and a 
great number of unofficial foreign members. 
Ir is announced in Sczence that Mr. Edward H. Harriman, of 
New York, has invited a number of scientific men to accom- 
pany him as his guests on an expedition to Alaska. The party 
will leave Seattle about the end of May, on a large steamer 
chartered and fitted up specially for the expedition. They 
expect to take the ‘inside passage” route to Lynn Canal, and 
then, after visiting Sitka, proceed westward along the coast to 
Yakutat Bay, Prince William Sound, Cook’s Inlet and Kadiak 
Island. Numerous places will be visited which are out of reach 
of ordinary travellers, and stops will be made to admit of 
scientific work. Steam launches, tents, camp outfit, packers, 
&e., have been bountifully provided, so that the largest 
amount of work may be done in the shortest time. 
Pror. S. P. THompsen, F.R.S., will be the president of 
the Institution of Electrical Engineers for the ensuing session. 
Pror. J. A. FLEMING, F.R.S., will deliver one of the even- 
ing lectures during the meeting of the British Association at 
Dover in September. He has selected as his subject, ‘‘ The 
Centenary of the Electric Current.” 
THE steamship Antarctic, with the members of Prof. 
Nathorst’s Expedition on board, left Stockholm on Saturday 
for the east coast of Greenland in search of Herr Andrée and his 
two companions. 
Tue Russian members of the Russo-Swedish Expedition for 
taking meridian measurements at Spitsbergen, left St. Peters- 
burg on Sunday. The leader of the expedition is Captain 
Sergiefisky. 
Mr. R. W. ForsytTH, Royal College of Science, South 
Kensington, has been appointed official reporter to the Physical 
Society. 
ArT the last ordinary meeting of the Midland Malacological 
Society, held in Mason University College, Birmingham, on 
May 12, the president, Mr. Walter E. Collinge, in the chair, 
Dr. Henry Fischer, of Paris, and Prof. H. A. Pilsbry, of 
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A., were both elected honorary members 
of the Society. 
THE announcement of the death of Mr. G. F. Lyster at the 
age of seventy-six will be received with regret in engineering 
circles. Mr. Lyster was fora long period engineer-in-chief to 
the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. He was a dock 
engineer of great skill and resource, and not the least of his 
achievements was the designing of a system of sluicing by 
which the docks on the Liverpool side of the river were pro- 
vided with deep sills and approaches—an advantage which up 
to his time it was not considered practicable to secure. Mr. 
Lyster, who on retiring a few years ago was succeeded by 
his son, became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers 
in 1858, and of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1886. 
In the House of Lords on Thursday last, Lord Harris moved 
the second reading of the Oysters Bill, which provides that it 
shall be the duty of every county and borough council to ascer- 
