January II, 1917] 
NATURE 373 
was given in a lecture by Prof. Carl Voegtlin to 
the Washington Academy of Sciences, and pub- 
lishedin the Journal of the Academy for October 4. 
After directing attention to such diseases as 
scurvy and beri-beri, due to deficiency in certain 
constituents of food, Prof. Voegtlin discussed the 
chemical nature of “vitamines.”” They are some- 
what readily destroyed by temperatures above 
100° C., especially in alkaline reaction. The acidity 
of lime-juice thus preserves the anti-scorbutic pro- 
perties of the fresh fruit. They are removed from 
solution by adsorption on the surfaces of various 
inert powders, such as kaolin, charcoal, and 
mastic, a property which will probably be of value 
in obtaining them in a concentrated form. The 
lecturer makes a slip, however, when he states 
that it is necessary that a substance should be in 
the colloidal state in order that it may be adsorbed. 
It is merely necessary that its deposition shall- 
reduce the surface energy of the adsorbent; amyl 
alcohol, for example, is largely adsorbed by 
powders. According to McCollum there are two 
kinds of accessory factors which it is necessary 
to add to polished rice in order to make it effective 
for growth, neither being sufficient alone. One 
of these is contained in butter, the other in wheat 
germ; this latter appears to be insoluble in fat, 
although soluble in alcohol and in water. 
Vitamines are not manufactured by the animal 
organism, but they do not readily disappear 
from it when once supplied. It seems that they 
do not suffer loss by chemical change. This fact 
suggests that their action is of a catalytic nature, 
somewhat like that of traces of zinc in the growth 
of Aspergillus, shown by Raulin. Or they may 
be related to the hormones of internal secretion. 
The remainder of the address is devoted to the 
consideration of the relative content of various 
foodstuffs in these substances. It.is pointed out 
that ordinary mixed diets contain a liberal supply, 
but that tinned foods may be deficient. An ex- 
clusive diet of highly prepared cereals, such as 
polished rice, is dangerous. Owing to the value of 
fresh vegetables in this respect, we may note the 
importance of not restricting the import of such 
fruit as oranges, which are apt to be the only 
vegetable consumed in the poorer districts of 
London. t 
It appears that, although phosphorus is not 
known to be a constituent of vitamines, yet a fairly 
accurate index of the vitamine content of cereals 
may be given by their phosphorus content. With 
regard to bread, attention is directed to the use 
of sodium bicarbonate in its manufacture. This 
is converted on baking into the carbonate, and the 
resulting alkalinity tends to destroy the vitamines. 
If acid substances, such as_ butter-milk or 
cream of tartar, are also added, the effect is 
obviated. 
Owing to the small quantities of these essential 
factors which are present in foods, the difficulty 
of investigation is great. But the problem is 
being attacked by many workers and valuable 
results are being obtained. 
W. M. Baytiss. 
NO. 2463, VOL. 98] 
STR EY BI PREG R, Beno. 
gy TER a period of twilight of seven or eight 
years and a few days’ illness, Emeritus 
Prof. Sir E. B. Tylor peacefully passed away 
on the night of January 2, and with his death 
closes a memorable chapter in the history of 
anthropology in England. 
Edward Burnett Tylor was born at Camberwell 
on October 2, 1832, and was educated at Grove 
House School, Tottenham, belonging to the 
Society of Friends. At an early age he entered 
his father’s business, but his health soon broke 
down, and he travelled abroad for several years. 
In 1856 he visited Mexico in company with the 
ethnologist, Henry Christy, who doubtless stimu- 
lated his interest in ethnology. The observations 
made during this tour were published in his first 
book, “Anahuac; or, Mexico and the Mexicans ” 
(1861). Thenceforth he led the strenuous, unevent- 
ful life of a student. In 1858 he married Miss 
Anna Fox, of Wellington, with which town he 
was closely associated until the day of his death. 
Tylor never had a university training, but 
several universities honoured themselves by con- 
ferring on him an honorary degree. For many 
years he was keeper of the University Museum 
at Oxford, and he took great delight in and did 
much to improve the Pitt Rivers Museum. He 
was reader in anthropology in the University of 
Oxford from 1884 to 1895, when a professorship 
of anthropology was instituted for him; he became 
emeritus professor at the close of 1909. The 
Royal Society elected him to a fellowship in 1871. 
He had the distinction of being invited to be the 
first lecturer under the Gifford Trust at Aberdeen, 
but his lectures, given in 1889-91, have, unfor- 
tunately, never been published. The honour of 
knighthood was conferred on him in 1912. Many 
other distinctions by learned societies marked the 
high appreciation in which he was universally held. 
Tylor was a tall man of imposing appearance, and 
his friendly, modest courtesy will never be for- 
gotten by those who had the privilege of knowing 
him. ; 
The publication of his masterly work, “Re- 
searches into the Early History of Mankind 
and the Development of Civilization” (1865), 
at once brought Tylor to the forefront as 
an ethnologist. In some _ respects it was 
pioneer work, as in it he assembled multi- 
tudinous facts culled from a wide range of 
reading, and so grouped them as to bring out new 
conclusions. His reputation as a thinker and as 
an exponent of “‘ ye beastlie devices of ye heathen ” 
was further enhanced by the publication in 1871 
of ‘Primitive Culture: Researches into the De- 
velopment of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, 
Language, Art, and Custom” (2 vols.). His 
great erudition was presented with such a charm- 
ing literary style and flashes of quiet humour that 
the book was read with delight by people of very 
varied interests. It speedily became a “classic,” 
and such it will always remain. As Andrew Lang 
said in the “Anthropological Essays presented 
