345 
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NATURE 
[May 27, 1915 

which we may infer that the Hindus were aware 
not only of the therapeutic virtues of mercurials, 
but had recognised their remarkable antiseptic 
and preservative properties. In fact, according 
to Dr. Ray, the history of Hindu chemistry is em- 
phatically the history of the progress of chemical 
operations grouped round the preparations of 
mercury. So much is this the case that in ascer- 
taining the age of a medical work or of a chemical 
Tantra it may be laid down as a fairly safe guide 
whether any mention of the use of mercury occurs 
in it, and, if so, in what particular form. 
Dr. Ray gives a number of instances in which 
discoveries usually considered of Western origin 
are to be found noted in old Hindu treatises, such 
as those of Vrinda and Chakrapani. The Tantra, 
the “Rasarnava” (about 1200 a.D.), is a reposi- 
tory of chemical lore, with elaborate directions 
and details of the construction of apparatus, fur- 
naces, hearths, etc., required for distillation, sub- 
limation, calcination, extraction of metals, etc., 
and shows remarkable powers of keen and accu- 
rate observation, The necessity for experiments 
is strictly enjoined in most of these old works, 
and the value of the Baconian method and of the 
precepts of the ‘“‘experimentarian philosophers ” of 
the Royal Society of Charles II. was long ago 
recognised and appreciated by their Indian prede- 
cessors. Even the influence of the experimental 
method on teaching was not lost sight of. ‘They 
alone,” says Dhundhukanatha, ‘are to be re- 
garded as real teachers who can show by experi- 
ments what they teach. They are the deserving 
pupils who, having learned the experiments from 
their teachers, can actually perform them. The 
rest, both the teachers and pupils, are merely 
stage actors.’ 
Verily one generation passeth away and another 
generation cometh, and there is no new thing 
under the sun. siya 

THE SUPPLY OF OPTICAL GLASS AND 
INSTRUMENTS. 
PTICAL matters, and technical education 
generally, continue to claim their share of 
public attention. Following upon the article 
which appeared in our issue of May 6 (p. 266) 
on the supply of optical glass, we had the im- 
portant debate, published verbatim in our last 
issue, on the proposed Advisory Council on In- 
dustrial Research which arose on the education 
estimates. More recently, on the motion for the 
Whitsuntide adjournment on May 19, an im- 
portant speech, which was entirely devoted to 
optical matters, was made by Sir Philip Magnus. 
The speech, so far as it related to the supply of 
optical glass, necessarily traversed the ground 
covered by our article of May 6, but added speci- 
fic instances of the German “wire entanglements ”’ 
woven round the optical trade. 
The speech, however, went further, and dealt 
with the supply of optical instruments, treating in 
detail the economic and educational aspects of the 
question. On the economic side it was laid down 
NO. 2378, VOL. 95| 

as an axiom “that what is essential to the safety 
of the realm must be produced within the Empire.” 
The questions of high tariff and of a bonus on pro- 
duction were referred to, but the suggestion most 
favoured advocated that it be an enforced con- 
dition of all Government contracts that every part 
of the optical instruments contracted for should 
be made in this country. With the Government 
trade thus secured, it was argued that German 
attempts to capture the whole industry must fail. 
On the educational side, the country’s require- 
ments, which are well known to our readers, 
were summarised, but perhaps too little was 
made of the necessity, which is strongly sup-' 
ported by leading experts, for the provision of, at 
least, one place where the whole range, from 
the lowest to the highest, of teaching in 
applied optics shall be available. The final 
suggestion made was “that a small com- 
mittee should be appointed to _ co-ordinate: 
the work of” the National Physical Laboratory, 
the Imperial College of Science and Tech- 
nology, and the Technical Optics Depart- 
ment of the Northampton Polytechnic Institute. 
Sir Philip Magnus was followed by two other 
speakers, but the debate was interrupted by the 
Prime Minister’s important statement regarding 
a Coalition Government. 
Later on, Dr. Addison replied sympathetically 
on behalf of the President of the Board of Trade, 
and assured the House that the “subject was 
being closely attended to, and that the Govern- 
ment hoped at a very early date to have a com- 
prehensive scheme to deal with this somewhat 
complicated and technical question.” 

NOTES. 
We regret to announce the death, on May 23, at 
eighty-one years of age, of Dr. Hugo Miiller, F.R.S., 
past-president of the Chemical Scciety. 
Tue death is announced, in his seventy-first year, of 
Joseph J. Hardy, who had held the chair of 
mathematics and astronomy at Lafayette College, 
Pennsylvania, since 1891. He was the author of 
“Analytic Geometry, Infinitesimals and Limits.” 
Tue Paris correspondent of the Times announces 
the death of M. Pierre Martin, the inventor of the 
Martin process of steel manufacture. It was only 
last week that we announced that the Iron and Steel 
Institute had just conferred on M. Martin the 
Bessemer gold medal for 1915. 
Tue deaths are announced in Science of Prof. J. W. 
Seaver, for twenty-five years director of the Yale 
gymnasium, and professor of hygiene in the Univer- 
sity, on May 5, at the age of sixty years, and of Mr. 
W. H. Reed, curator of the museum and instructor of 
geology in the University of Wyoming, noted for his 
collections of vertebrate fossils, who died at the age 
of sixty-seven years on April 24. 
Tue Albert medal of the Royal Society of Arts for 
the current year has been awarded to Sir J. J. Thom- 
son, for his researches in physics and chemistry, and 

