July 27, 1911] 



NATURE 



115 



to the young institution. Thus the Scottish 

 youth were no longer compelled to seek higher in- 

 struction out of their own country. 



A 1 the celebration in September will assemble 

 noblemen, one of whom, the Marquis of Ailsa, is the 

 lineal descendant of Bishop Kennedy (grandson of 

 Robert III.), the founder of St. Salvator's College, 

 whose elaborately carved tomb is one of the sights 

 of the college chapel ; delegates from the universities 

 of Britain, and all her Colonies and Dependencies; 

 from America, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, 

 France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Japan, 

 Norway, Portugal, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Switzer- 

 land, Spain, and Turkey. Besides others distinguished 

 in science and literature, representatives of the various 

 learned societies in Great Britain and her Colonies, of 

 almost all the foreign countries mentioned, official 

 persons connected with all the churches in Britain, 

 officials of the College of Justice, naval and military 

 authorities, parliamentary leaders and members, 

 sheriffs and heads of various departments, will grace 

 the ceremony, together with former teachers, 

 graduates, and students of the university, and the 

 presi nt staff both of St. Andrews and Dundee. 



The programme of the proceedings, as at present 

 arranged, will comprise a reception by the Chancellor 

 of the University, Lord Balfour of Burleigh, in the 

 temporary hall, St. Andrews, a students' torch- 

 light procession, and a students' symposium on the 

 evening of Tuesday, September 12. On Wednesday, 

 September 13, a procession will be formed in the 

 college quadrangle, and will proceed to the Church 

 of the Holy Trinity, where a religious service will 

 be held. Then, after an interval, the presentation of 

 addresses will be made in the temporary hall, ami 

 thereafter an address will be given by the Chancellor. 

 In the evening historical tableaux in the Great Hall, 

 an illumination of the city, and a procession will take 

 place. Lastly, a second students' symposium will 

 conclude the proceedings of the day. On Thursday, 

 September 14, a graduation ceremonial will be held in 

 the Temporary Hall, at which a large number of dis- 

 tinguished honorary graduates in law (LL.D.) and 

 divinity (D.D.) will be capped. Thereafter the rector, 

 Lord Rosebery, who represents the students, and who 

 will be escorted by a guard of honour formed of the 

 Officers Training Corps of the university, will be 

 installed, and will deliver his address. In the after- 

 noon garden-parties will be held at Mount Melville, at 

 St. Leonard's School for Girls, and probably also at 

 the Gattv Marine Laboratory. In the evening a ban- 

 quet will take place in the Bell Pettigrew Museum, 

 which will likewise be declared open. Contem- 

 poraneous receptions by the ladies of the university 

 will further occur, both in St. Andrews and in Dundee 

 the same evening, so as to include all guests and 

 hosts, and especially ladies and students. Friday, 

 September 15, will be mainly devoted to Dundee, 

 commencing with a reception and addresses at Llniver- 

 sity College, followed by a reception by the Corpora- 

 tion of Dundee, and a luncheon in the Art Galleries of 

 the Albert Institute. Thereafter, excursions to Glamis 

 Castle, Rossie Priory, and a sail to Perth, as well as 

 visit- to places of interest in Dundee, will occupy 

 the afternoon. The dav will be concluded by a 

 graduates' and students' dinner in the Bell Pettigrew 

 Museum, in St. Andrews, and a students' ball in the 

 Temporary Hall. 



The fine old ruins, so full of stirring historical asso- 

 ciations, in St. Andrews, its old Tower of St. Regulus, 

 usually called tli' 1 Square Tower, one of the oldest 

 buildings in the land, the home of Sir David Brewster, 

 the most renowned principal of the university, the 



NO. 2178, VOL. 87] 



earliest Marine Laboratory in Britain, the fine 

 Chemical Research Laboratory, the extensive stretch 

 of sand — east and west — with the fringe of rocks, 

 so full of interest to the geologist as well as to the 

 zoologist, the zoological and botanical riches of the 

 well-known bay, and the prominent part it has 

 taken in initiating scientific fisheries' research. — 

 all combine to render the old cathedral city, 

 where many Scotch parliaments were held, one of 

 great interest. The unique silver maces, and the 

 archery medals won by the young Scotch nobles who 

 attended the university in the olden time, and many 

 of whom afterwards became famous in the history of 

 the country, are other features (not to allude to the 

 splendid golf links) of interest to the distinguished 

 visitors to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of 

 the university in September. 



W. C. M. 



NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE 

 PREVENTION OF CONSUMPTION. 



Conference on Tuberculosis. 



'THE conference on tuberculosis, held on July 19-21, 

 J- organised in connection with the exhibition sent 

 round the country by the National Association for the 

 Prevention of Consumption, stationed at the Caxton 

 Hall, Westminster, was as successful as those held 

 during the past couple of years at Edinburgh, Cam- 

 bridge, Oxford, and other centres throughout the 

 country. Indeed, in certain respects the conference, 

 recently brought to a conclusion, was more interesting 

 and attracted greater attention than any one of its 

 predecessors. The announced object of the confer- 

 ence was to discuss Mr. Lloyd George's Insurance Bill, 

 or rather those sections and clauses of the Bill dealing 

 with the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis; 

 and at the opening meeting the members had the 

 advantage of listening to an able address given by 

 the President of the Local Government Board, who, 

 as he himself put it, has, amongst his numerous and 

 multifarious interests, specialised somewhat in tuber- 

 culosis and infant mortality. 



Mr. Burns set himself to describe what has been 

 done to bring down the mortality from tuberculosis 

 during the last few years. As is usual with him, he 

 illustrated his points by telling examples, of which 

 two may be taken as likely to impress those interested 

 in this subject even to the slightest extent. The first 

 of these he drew from military life. A little more 

 than thirty years ago the Guards were a body of eight 

 thousand men — none finer or so fine in the world, 

 maintained Mr. Burns — healthy, picked men, of fine 

 physique, yet the death-rate from tuberculosis was a 

 fraction above twenty. To-day what do we find? A 

 little common-sense sanitation, better ventilation, and 

 greater sobriety amongst the men together have 

 brought down the death-rate from tuberculosis to 3'i. 

 As Surgeon-General Evatt insists : what has been 

 done in the barracks it should be possible to do in 

 civil life. Not so quickly, perhaps, but certainly in 

 the long run. 



Coming down to later times, Mr. Burns points cut 

 that to-day in London only two persons succumb to 

 tuberculosis where twenty years ago three lives con- 

 stituted the toll to this disease. Ag-ain, for every two 

 lives so lost in London, Berlin loses three and Paris 

 five. This is a serious matter for our French friends, 

 and "gives one furiously to think." How can this 

 be accounted for? Certainly not by a single factor; 

 but Mr. Burns makes a suggestion and gives certain 

 figures that are well worthy of consideration. 



