September i, 1910] 



NATURE 



269 



But all the world over the old dies hard, and the new 

 has to strui^gle into birth so slowly that it is adult 

 bv the time it comes out, and the pioneers have to 

 rough it. Logic will be the last science to submit 

 to the swav of Darwinism, but there is no doubt that 

 in the end it, too, will yield to the pragmatist follow'ers 

 of William James. 



In addition to writintj a large number of articles 

 and reviews which have never been republished, 

 James was the author of the following substantive 

 works: — "The Principles of Psvchologv " (i8go), the 

 "Text-book of Psychology" (1892), '■ The Will to 

 Believe" (1896), the Ingersoll lecture on "Human 

 Immortality" (1898), "Talks to Teachers" (1899), 

 probably the easiest and most delightful introduction 

 to psychology e.xtant, the "Varieties of Religious Ex- 

 perience" (1902), "Pragmatism" (1907). " .V Plural- 

 istic Universe" (1909), and "The Meaning of Truth" 

 (1909). 



DR. LOUIS OLIVIER. 

 T^R. LOUIS OLIVIER, whose death we announced 

 ■*--' last week, was one of the best-known men of 

 science in France, and had many friends also in Great 

 Britain. He was only fifty-six years of age, and that 

 the scientific world should have been deprived of his 

 influence and activities when years of further work 

 were anticipated has caused widespread regret. 



For most of the following particulars of his career 

 we are indebted to M. Louis Brunei. Louis Olivier 

 was born at Elbeuf on June 29, 1854. He studied at 

 the Museum of the Sorbonne, and obtained the degree 

 of doctor of science in 1881, with a thesis entitled 

 "L'appareil tegumentaire des racines," which was 

 awarded the Bordin prize of the Paris Academv of 

 Sciences. Entering Pasteur's laboratorv, he carried 

 on bacteriological work, which led to some valuable 

 results, such as the reduction of sulphates by micro- 

 organisms^ and, in collaboration with ^L Ch. Richet, 

 the existence of various bacteria in the Ivmpth and 

 blood of healthy fishes. In 1888 he went to Havre as 

 director of the municipal laboratory there, and to 

 form a course in bacteriology for medical men. 



But the work for which Dr. Olivier deserves the 

 lasting gratitude of the scientific world was the foun- 

 dation of the Rcvuc generale dcs Sciences piires et 

 appliqiices in 1890. \\'hen making arrangements for 

 the establishment of that journal. Dr. Olivier was 

 kind enough to state that he desired it to have much 

 the same scope and character as N.ature. Possessed 

 of vast knowledge of men and matters in all depart- 

 ments of science, he was able to exercise sound judg- 

 ment upon the numerous contributions submitted to 

 him, and was successful in securing authoritative 

 collaborators, not onlv in France, but also in other 

 countries, to deal with subjects of wide interest and 

 prime importance. During numerous visits to Eng- 

 land, he obtained the active support of many men of 

 science here, and they mourn his loss as that of a 

 friend as well as of an editor. 



At the outset, the Revue gdn^rale des Sciences was 

 recognised as a substantial addition to the periodical 

 literature of science. The outlook was wide, the con- 

 tributors men of distinguished eminence and sound 

 knowledge, and the subjects important ; and the 

 journal has maintained this character throughout its 

 existence. As an example of the breadth of view, we 

 may mention th.at .arrangements were made bv Dr. 

 Olivier for special reports to be supplied to his journal 

 of the meetings of the Roval Societv of London and 

 of other leading- scientific societies in Europe. So far 

 as we are aware, no other journal abroad gives such 

 attention to the progress of science in Great Britain 

 ND. 2 131, VOL. 84] 



as is still devoted to it by the Revue generale dcs 

 Sciences. 



In 1897 Dr. Olivier established a series of cruises 

 which have enabled many of his countrvmen to visit 

 various places, with guides well acquainted with the 

 aspects of scientific interest presented bv them. Among 

 the countries Xo which he thus introduced many 

 travellers are Spitsbergen, the Canary Islands, Scot- 

 land, Egypt, and the Caucasus. 



Though Dr. Olivier was not a member of the Paris 

 .\cademy of Sciences, Prof. Bouchard, who presided at 

 the meeting of the academy on August 16, expressed 

 sorrow at his death, and this testimony to the esteem 

 in which he was held was put on record in the 

 Comptes rendus. This exceptional mark of honour 

 shows the high regard in which Dr. Olivier was held 

 in France, and we are sure that in our own countrx' 

 there is real regret that one whose life has been of 

 such great service should have passed into silence 

 while actively engaged in his work for the extension 

 of scientific knowledge. 



NOTES. 



In accordance with previous announcements, arrange- 

 ments have been made to hold the autumn meeting of the 

 Iron and Steel Institute at Buxton, on Monday to Fridav, 

 September 26-30. The following are among the subjects 

 of papers to be brought before the meeting : — Electric 

 steel refining, D. F. Campbell ; manganese in cast iron 

 and the volume changes during cooling, H. I. Coe ; 

 sulphurous acid as a metallographic etching medium, E. 

 Colver-Glauert and S. Hilpert ; the theory of hardening 

 carbon steels, C. A. Edwards ; the influence of silicon on 

 pure cast iron, .A. Hague and T. Turner ; the preparation 

 of magnetic oxides of iron from aqueous solutions, 

 S. Hilpert; the utilisation of electric power in the iron 

 and steel industry, J. Elink .Schimrman ; some experiments 

 on fatigue of metals, J. H. Smith. 



At the autumn meeting of the Institute of Metals, 

 which is to take place in Glasgow on September 21-23, 

 the following papers will probably be read : — The heat 

 treatment of brass : experiments on 70 : 30 alloy, 

 Messrs. G. D. Bengough and O. F. Hudson ; some 

 common defects occurring in alloys. Dr. C. H. Desch ; 

 shrinkage of the antimony-lead alloys, and of the 

 aluminium-zinc alloys, during and after solidification, 

 Mr. D. Ewen ; the effect of silver, bismuth, and aluminium 

 upon the mechanical properties of " tough-pitch " copper 

 containing arsenic, Mr. F. Johnson ; metallography as 

 an aid to the brass founder, Mr. H. S. Primrose; 

 magnetic alloys formed from non-magnetic materials, 

 Mr. A. D. Ross. 



A HITHERTO unknown region in New Guinea, near the 

 central mountain range in Netherlands territory and west 

 of the Fly River, has been visited by a Dutch explorer. 

 Dr. H. A. Lorentz, who has published an account of the 

 inhabitants. These, unlike the people found further west 

 by the English expedition under Captain Rawling, are not 

 pigmies, and most of Dr. Lorentz 's description shows that 

 they are not very far removed from the typical dwellers in 

 the Flv River region. They wore no clothes, and lived in 

 small huts about ten feet from the ground, as do some of 

 the people ,of the Fly delta. .As usual among the western 

 Papuans, thev used the bow and arrow, and had stone axes, 

 the common weapon of all Papuans, until the advent of the 

 white man. Mutilation was practised. The women cut off 

 the middle finger of the left hand, the men removed the 

 upper portion of one ear. This tribe was found to smoke 

 and grow tobacco, which is not used on the coast of 



