NATURE 
343 


SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1923. 

CONTENTS. 
Preservation and Restoration . : : : ‘ 
Physiology in Medicine. By Prof. E. H. Starling, 
F.R. : ; 
Normal and Abnormal Psychology . . . ‘ 
Carotin-like Colours in Plants and Animal Tissues . 
Paradoxical Science : 3 F ° ° - 
Our Bookshelf ‘ : . E . . . 
Letters to the Editor :— 
The Optical Spectrum of Hafnium.—H. M. Hansen 
and S. Werner - 2 : ' - é 
Echinoderm Larve and their Bearing on Classifica- 
tion. — Dr. Th. Mortensen; Prof. E. 
MacBride, F.R.S. . ' F 3 Bis % 
Medical Education.—Sir G. Archdall Reid, K.B.E. 
A_ Relativity - predicted Mechanical Effect in the 
Electromagnetic Field.—Prof. Alex. M‘Aulay . 
The Measurement of the Rates of Oxidation and 
Reduction of Hemoglobin.—Dr. H. Hartridge 
and F. J. W. Roughton 5 : 4 
Stages of Golgi Bodies in Protozoa. (Wih diagram.) 
—Miss S. D. King and Prof. J. Bronté 
Gatenby : 4 E d - H : 
Selective Interruption of Molecular Oscillation.— 
R. WE. Atkinson . ; . : ‘ 
A Biochemical Discovery of the Ancient Babylonians. 
Leslie J. Harris P F : 2 
Use of Yeast Extracts in Diabetes.—L. B. Winter 
and W. Smith . 3 E F ~ : 
Meteorological Nomenclature and Physical Measure- 
ments.—Dr. Hugh Robert Mill : 5 ; 
The Origin or Basis of Wireless Communication. 
By Sir Oliver Lodge, F.R.S. ‘ 3 
Man and the Ice Age. (With diagram.) 
W. J. Sollas, F.R.S. . 4 . é 
Obituary :— 
Prof. Paul Jacobson . ° . > 
Prof. W.N. Parker. By J. H. L. 
Mr. F. L Lloyd . ; ‘ 
Current Topics and Events . ‘ : 
Our Astronomical Column ‘ : é 
Research Items : - . . 
The British Science Guild F . / 
Research in the Scheme of Higher Education. 
Dr. Herbert H. Hodgson. E 2 “ 
Physics in Industry at the Wembley Laboratories 
University and Educational Intelligence . 
Societies and Academies . 7 3 is ‘ 
Official Publications Received . F a . 
Diary of Societies . = > F : ° 
By : Prof, 
By 
Wee wi e 

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Preservation and Restoration. 
NE of the most important services which science 
can render to mankind is in the discovery of 
the precise origin of corrosion and decay brought about 
by natural causes and of methods of counteracting 
the destructive agencies. It becomes increasingly im- 
portant to man to preserve, during such times as he 
may desire, the material fruits of his labour in their 
original form. Foodstuffs must be preserved during 
periods of plenty and during transportation to lands 
where they are scarce ; structures of wood, metal and 
stone must be safeguarded from the destruction caused 
by living organisms, water, frost, and the atmosphere ; 
fabrics must be protected from the deterioration 
brought about by light and bacteria. The annual 
monetary loss due to our lack of knowledge of the 
mechanism and counteraction of the phenomena in- 
volved is enormous and, in fact, incalculable. 
For evidence of our ignorance in such matters it is 
only necessary to look at the stonework of almost any 
ancient building ; a cursory examination of some of 
our modern buildings will indeed suffice. Is it im- 
possible completely to protect and preserve stone from 
decay and destruction ? Is the vast annual sum spent 
in protective paints for iron and steel structures really 
essential expenditure ? Such questions as these are at 
present unanswerable, but they are unlikely to remain 
so- if adequate scientific research be directed to the 
problems so obvious to every one. Brearley’s dis- 
covery of stainless steel, important as it is, is but a 
minor success in such a wide field, for the use of this 
material is greatly restricted by its price. Neverthe- 
less, the discovery encourages the belief that, so far as 
metals are concerned, the broader problems are not 
insoluble. 
Individually, the problems of corrosion and decay are 
not very attractive to the independent research worker 
of the present day ; the lure of more recondite fields 
of research is generally too powerful. But viewed col- 
lectively these problems are so important economic- 
ally, and so far-reaching, as to call for co-ordinated 
investigation on a wide scale. In such investigations 
Government can and should play a valuable part as 
an organising and directing agency, and it is satis- 
factory to note the steps already taken in this country 
to initiate and to subsidise the necessary research, 
Perusal of the last Report of the Advisory Council for 
Scientific and Industrial Research (see NATURE, Feb- 
ruary 3, p. 165) shows that in addition to the assistance 
given to two professional bodies in aid of researches on 
special types of corrosion, the Department is carrying 
out several kindred inquiries under its own direction. 
Grants have been made to the Institute of Metals for 
