234 
NATURE 
[NovEMBER 23, 1916 
undertaking on behalf of the general welfare of the 
men of his Majesty’s Forces received Royal approba- 
tion on Friday, November 17, when H.R.H. Prin- 
cess Christian opened a microscopical demonstration 
and conversazione at the Y.M.C.A. headquarters. in 
Tottenham Court Road. Fellows and members of 
the Royal Microscopical Society, the Quekett Micro- 
scopical Club, and the Photomicrographic Society were 
present with eighty-six microscopes, and the large 
reading-room, lounge, and drawing-room were filled 
during the evening with a constant stream of men 
desirous of viewing interesting objects: displayed. In 
addition, there was a series of lectures and kinemato- 
graph displays of living micro-organisms, Mr. F. 
Martin Duncan lecturing on ‘‘Some of Nature’s Fly- 
traps,” and Dr. G. H. Rodman giving a_ talk on 
“What the Microscope Reveals in a Few Objects of 
Everyday Occurrence.” In introducing her Royal 
Highness, Col. Sir T. Sturmy Cave said the experi- 
ment of microscopical exhibitions was originated by 
Mr. J. W. Ogilvy, one of the Y.M.C.A. honorary 
secretaries, and the experiment had been a decided 
success. Princess Christian then declared the proceed- 
ings opened, expressing therein hope that they would 
‘be very successful. She afterwards made a tour of 
the various exhibits, spending more than half an hour 
among the microscopes, and showed particular interest 
in the apparatus demonstrating the process of photo- 
graphing microscopic objects. It is interesting to note 
that a large number of exhibitions have already been 
given at the Y.M.C.A. huts in the Home Counties 
area, and even as far as Salisbury Plain. Great in- 
terest is invariably evinced in these as a variation 
from musical entertainments or kinema shows. The 
demonstrations deal with germ enemies to be guarded 
against, and, at the special request of a number of 
soldiers, special attention has been given to the ques- 
tion of venereal diseases. 
A LarGE and enthusiastic meeting was held on 
November g in the University of Sheffield to discuss 
the formation of a Society of Glass Technology: The 
widespread interest in the scheme was demonstrated 
by the presence of representatives of cities as far apart 
as London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff, whilst every glass- 
manufacturing district was well represented. Mr. 
W. F. J. Wood, of Messrs. Wood Bros., Ltd., 
Barnsley, was elected to the chair, and the meeting 
opened with a cordial welcome from the Vice-Chan- 
cellor of the University, Dr. H. A. L. Fisher, who 
remarked that Sheffield had cause for legitimate pride 
in the knowledge that its University had been 
proposed as the headquarters of a_ society 
representing such an important industry. He empha- 
sised the fact that this industry, among others, had 
suffered in the past owing to its detachment, wholly or 
partially, from its scientific aspects. The formation of 
the Department of Glass Technology in the University 
was serving to remedy this state of affairs, and the 
inauguration of this society was a distinct step in the 
same direction. Dr. W. E. S. Turner outlined the 
steps that had led up to the formation of the society, 
and spoke of the remarkable response from those in- 
terested in glass. Expressions of warm approval and 
promises of support had been received from all. over 
the country. Dr, Turner pointed out that there was 
no intention of making the society a local institution, 
but that it was in every way a national one. The 
report of the Provisional Committee was adopted, and 
a formal resolution giving actual being to the society 
was passed unanimously. The following officers were 
then elected :—President, Mr. W. F. J. Wood; Vice- 
Presidents, Mr. S. B. Bagley, Mr. F. J. Cheshire, 
Sir William Crookes, Mr. A, S. Esslemont, Prof. H. 
Jackson, Mr. S. N. Jenkinson, Mr. H. J. Powell, Dr. 
NO. 2456, VoL. 98] 
W. Rosenhain, F.R.S., Mr. H. J. Stobart, Dr. M. W. 
Travers, F.R.S., Mr. Duncan. Webb, 
H. S. Williams-Thomas; Council, Mr. J. E. 
Barker, Mr. W. R. Barker, Dr. P. G. H. Bos- 
well, Mr. F. W. Branson, Mr. W. Butler, Mr. F. G.. 
Clark, Mr. J. Connolly, Mr. J. B. Coppock, Mr. J. H- 
Davidson, Prof. W. G. F. Fearnsides, Mr. J. James 
Hirst, Mr. F. Swann, Mr. F. P. Wainwright, Mr. 
A. D. Young; Treasurer, Mr. F, Sweeting; Secre- 
tary, Dr. W. E. S. Turner; Assistant Secretary, Mr. 
C. J. Peddle. It is hoped that the society will receive 
the support of all those interested in glass, either 
directly or indirectly. Information upon any points 
will be gladly supplied by Dr. W. E. S. Turner, the 
University, Sheffield, who will welcome inquiries and 
suggestions. ; 
Tue tendency to ascribe mechanistic principles to 
animate nature on the evidence of their applicability 
to inanimate nature, or to postulate a dualism which 
marks off the animate and the inanimate as lying in 
two separate realms, is subjected to a searching criti- 
cism on scientific grounds by L. M. Passano in an 
article entitled “‘ Being and Becoming" (Mind, N.S., 
No. 100). He develops a scheme whereby he brings 
into relationship an atom and an act of will. He 
contends that the atom implies energy, and that mass 
is energy or a store of energy due to motion. Energy 
is life, and to live is to liberate stored-up energy, the 
liberation of energy being a subjective act. All things 
are living, the lowest form of life being gravitation. _ 
The descending scale of liberation of energy from man 
to the lower animals, to plants, to radio-active sub- 
stances, to chemically active substances, to inert sub- 
stances, the last possessing at least the energy of 
gravitation, is nowhere delimited. The materialism 
of W. K. Clifford depends upon his being unaware of 
radio-active substances, which activity and the facts of 
chemical affinity render, according to the writer, this 
point of view untenable. The paper is one involving 
the fundamental principles of several sciences, and will 
be interesting to many thinkers. 
TueE Pioneer Mail of September 2 gives an account 
of the Calcutta Health Officer’s proposals for the 
future. We are strongly of the opinion of those who 
hold that before antimalaria measures are carried out 
we. should determine exactly the malarial or endemic 
index of the district : (a) the anopheline carrier, (b) its 
distribution as shown by a spot map of the occurrence of 
larvae. It would then be known what there is to under- 
take, viz. the eradication of malaria-carrying anophelines. 
It is difficult to agree with those who prefer to proceed 
against al] mosquitoes. 
object this method might be permissible, but in Cal- 
cutta the proposed outlay for antimalaria measures for 
1915-16 is only about five hundred pounds. It is 
evident that a small sum like this must be spent in a 
and Mr. _ 
If time and money were no. 
rational way, and not in endeavouring to destroy © 
mosquitoes in ‘‘the many scores of miles’’ of breed- 
ing-places in Calcutta. It appears that it was only 
last year that it was proposed to obtain some of the | 
necessary information to which we have alluded above. 
With the money available it would seem most practical 
to treat one area only in which the conditions are 
fully known and suitable. If the results are success- 
ful we believe that the path of the sanitary officer 
would be a happier one in the future.. . So far 
Calcutta has not distinguished itself in this matter. 
Once more the formation of a Red Cross Museum 
is being seriously discussed. The need for such an 
institution, and the scope of its activities, are briefly 
and clearly set forth in the Musewms Journal for 
November. Such a museum, of course, would appeal 
only to the expert. But it would provide him with a 
