1 66 



NATURE 



[April 17. 1913 



The president's address, read in his absence by 

 Dr. A. W. Ward, of Peterhouse, contained refer- 

 ences to the importance of recent discoveries re- 

 garding the early Mediterranean civilisations, and 

 laid stress on the value of modern critical ethno- 

 logy for the correct understanding of the founda- 

 tions of present-day movements in Europe; while 

 Mr. D. G. Hogarth's paper on Hittites and the 

 Hittite civilisation showed that a beginning has 

 been made in attacking an outstanding problem 

 bearing on the same subject. Prof. E. Bernheim 

 spoke of history as a record of the variation of 

 intellectual viewpoint at different epochs of 

 time. Prof, von Gierke dealt with the evolution of 

 the idea of the right of a numerical majority to 

 control the government of a country. Prof. 

 Pirenne gave a suggestive account of the stages 

 in the growth of capitalism from the twelfth to 

 the nineteenth centuries, and described the change 

 from mere subsistence industry and husbandry 

 to the creation of capitalism as an engine by which 

 the advancing intelligence can obtain an increase 

 in knowledge, in material resources, and in control 

 over the forces of nature. 



In the subsection devoted to the exact sciences, 

 natural history, and medicine, papers were read 

 by Sir Clifford Allbutt on Palissy, Bacon and the 

 revival of natural science ; by Prof. Loria on 

 mathematics in Great Britain ; by Prof. Silvanus 

 Thompson on the history of the compass card ; 

 by Prof. H. H. Turner on Aristarchus of Samos, 

 and by Mr. Rouse Ball on Newton's Principia 

 and also on magic ; Dr. Norman Moore gave an 

 account of the Royal College of Physicians, Prof. 

 L. C. Miall illustrated seventeenth-century re- 

 search by the life of Peiresc, and Mr. W. C. D. 

 Whetham read a paper on the historical method in 

 natural science. 



PUBLIC VETERINARY SERVICES. 

 A DEPARTMENTAL Committee on the Public 

 *»■ Veterinary Services was appointed last 

 August by Mr. Runciman to inquire into the re- 

 quirements of the public services with regard to 

 the employment of officers possessing veterinary 

 qualifications, and to consider whether any further 

 measures can with advantage be adopted for the 

 selection and training of students with a view to 

 such employment. The committee, the report of 

 which has recently been published (Cd. 6575), con- 

 sisted of Sir A. Hopkinson (chairman), Sir T. H. 

 Elliott, Sir T. W. Holderness, Mr. H. I. Read, 

 and Major G. F. MacMunn. In October S"ir T. W. 

 Holderness resigned, and Mr. F. C. Drake suc- 

 ceeded him. 



In all twenty-one witnesses were examined, to- 

 gether with a number of written statements of 

 representatives of self-governing Dominions and 

 universities who for various reasons were unable 

 to attend in person. Evidence was given on be- 

 half of the Departments emploving veterinary 

 officers, viz., the Colonial Office, India Office, 

 War Office, and the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries ; also on behalf of the five veterinary col- 

 leges, the examining and diploma-granting bodv 

 NO. 2268, VOL. 91] 



(the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), and 

 various British universities. 



After considering the present system of 

 veterinary education, the committee is of opinion 

 that the standard appears sufficient for the pur- 

 poses of private practice, but not for the public 

 services, for research and administrative work. 

 The army veterinary department has no difficulty 

 in finding suitable candidates, and, moreover, the 

 first two years of the young officer's service are 

 devoted to the improvement of his education, and 

 to training him for his future work. 



The demand for the other public services ol 

 veterinary officers has increased, and will almost 

 certainly increase still further. Already great 

 difficulty has been encountered in procuring suit- 

 ably trained men for the posts, alike at home, in 

 the Colonies, and in India. The most important 

 steps to be taken to improve the quality and 

 quantity of candidates are (1) to encourage a 

 laiger number of young men who have continued 

 their general and scientific education beyond 

 secondary-school age to enter the veterinary pro- 

 fession ; (2) to provide for men who have qualified 

 as veterinarv surgeons increased facilities to ex- 

 tend their knowledge, more especially in the direc- 

 tion of specialisation in one branch of veterinary 

 science ; and (3) to improve the system of notifying 

 vacancies. 



With these objects in view the committee re- 

 commends that : Students possessing a suitable 

 science degree should be exempted from one of 

 the four years at present required for veterinary 

 qualifications; that twelve scholarships should be 

 offered each year of the annual value of 80Z. each, 

 tenable at a veterinary college for three years, 

 with a view to encourage a number of men who 

 have received a good scientific education to enter 

 the veterinary profession ; scholarships of an 

 annual value of not less than 100I. and not ex- 

 ceeding 150/. should be offered each year to enable 

 qualified veterinary surgeons to undertake ad- 

 vanced study and laboratory work at suitable 

 institutions at home or abroad, where special 

 facilities for such studies exist. The committee 

 further recommends that increased State aid 

 should be given to institutions devoted to veteri- 

 nary education, the efficiency of which is of great 

 importance to the State. It is of opinion that the 

 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons " is per- 

 forming a work of great national importance, and 

 that its efforts to maintain a high standard of 

 veterinary education in this country are worthy of 

 every encouragement." 



NOTES. 

 The International Congress of Zoology at Monaco 

 and that of Geography at Rome are over, but another 

 interesting meeting of representatives of the nations 

 took place on April 5, at the Zoological Station, 

 Naples. The occasion was the unveiling of a memo- 

 rial tablet to the illustrious founder of the station, 

 Prof. Anton Dohrn. The tablet, in bronze, which has 

 been fixed above tin- fountain on the north side of the 



