NATURE 



[July 17, 1913 



summary in his presidential address to the Chemical 

 Society, whilst new light has been thrown on it 

 by the recent work of Prof. Armstrong and Mr. E. E. 

 Walker. Although of a far more speculative char- 

 acter, the discussion on radio-active elements and the 

 periodic law, which Prof. Soddy is to open, should 

 attract a large audience. For the benefit of its bio- 

 logical followers, the section will cooperate with the 

 Physiological and Agricultural Sections for a discus- 

 sion of some of the elusive processes included in the 

 title fermentation. 



Section D (Zoology). — The programme of the pro- 

 ceedings of Section D contains many items of con- 

 siderable interest. In addition to delivering his presi- 

 dential address, Dr. Gadow will open a discussion on 

 convergence in the mammalia; Prof. J. Versluys 

 (Giessen) and Dr. Chalmers Mitchell will also take 

 part, and the palaeontological side will be represented. 

 Thcrr are several entymological papers which will 

 form an introduction to a discussion on mimicry, to 

 be opened by Prof. E. B. Poulton. 



There will be a joint session with the Physiological 

 and Botanical Sections for a paper and demonstration 

 bv Prof. Benjamin Moore on the synthesis of organic 

 matter by inorganic colloids in the presence of sun- 

 light, considered in relation to the origin of life. A 

 novel feature will be a demonstration in the Cinema 

 Theatre bv Prof. H. Brans (Heidelberg), " Mikro- 

 kino Aufnahmen von lebenden Kulturen embryonaler 

 Herzen." These films have previously been shown in 

 Berlin and Vienna, but not in this country. The 

 same author is communicating a paper on the homo- 

 logy of the gills in the light of experimental inves- 

 tigation. Another paper by a distinguished foreign 

 visitor is one on the carapace of the Chelonia, by 

 Prof. J. Versluys. 



The afternoon lecture will be given by Prof. E. A. 

 Minchin, who will deal with " Some Aspects of the 

 Sleeping Sickness Problem." An excursion will be 

 made to Burbage, on the invitation of Major C. C. 

 Hurst, to view a number of extremely interesting 

 experiments in inheritance, but the number of mem- 

 bers whom it is possible to accommodate must neces- 

 sarily be strictly limited. 



Section F (Economic Science and Statistics). — 

 After the presidential address by the Rev. P. Wick- 

 steed, the discussion will be concentrated on certain 

 subjects. One of these will be "The Cost of Living," 

 which will be introduced by papers from Prof. Irving 

 Fisher, of Yale, Prof. Bowley, Mrs. F. Wood, and 

 Mr. Cuthbertson. The attitude of trade unions to 

 profit-sharing and co-partnership will be dealt with 

 by Dr. C. Carpenter and Mr. B. C. Kershaw. There 

 will be an important discussion on inland waterways. 

 Papers will be read bv Lord Shuttleworth, Sir J. P. 

 Griffith, Mr. W. M. Acworth, and Mr. R. B. Dun- 

 woody ; amongst the speakers will be Mr. Neville 

 Chamberlain, Mr. Frank Impey, Mr. J. A. Sauer, Mr. 

 Fred Morton, and Sir J. Brunner. Other papers of a 

 more miscellaneous character will be read by Prof. 

 Chapman, progressive taxation; Prof. Muirhead, the 

 economic order; Mr. A. J. Kenny, on mathematical 

 methods ; Prof. Oldham, study of business organisa- 

 tion ; Prof. Kirkaldy, the Panama Canal; Mr. C. R. 

 Enoch, human geography and industry planning; Mr. 

 F. Tillvard, towns in the nineteenth century. 



Section H (Anthropology). — In this section the pro- 

 gramme will, as usual, cover a wide field. It includes 

 a number of communications of considerable interest 

 and importance, especially in connection with the 

 study of religion. Dr. W. H. R. Rivers will read 

 a paper entitled "Sun-cult and Megaliths in Oceania," 

 Dr. G. Landtman will give an account of the ideas 

 of the Kiwai Papuans regarding the soul, and Mr. 

 J. H. PoweJI will describe, with lantern illustrations, 



NO. 228l, VOL. 91] 



the ceremony of hook-swinging in India, while Mr. 

 W. J. Perry will present to the section the results 

 of an examination of the custom of orientation in 

 Indonesia. Major Tremearne will deal, in two 

 separate papers, with the Bori ceremony of the Hausas 

 of Tunis and the magic of the Nigerian Hausas. 

 Semitic medical magic and folklore, as exemplified 

 in a number of unpublished formulas from the inscrip- 

 tions, will form the subject-matter of a communication 

 from Mr. R. Campbell Thompson, who will also 

 submit for the consideration of the section his sug- 

 gested decipherment of the Hittite inscriptions. 

 Egyptian archaeology will be represented by papers 

 from Prof. Flinders Petrie and others. Prof. Petrie 

 also proposes to describe the results of an anthropo- 

 metric examination of the skeletal remains found in 

 his excavations during the past season. Among the 

 remaining archaeological communications may be 

 mentioned Dr. Capitan's description of recent dis- 

 coveries of paintings in the Palaeolithic caves, of 

 France, and papers by Dr. Ashby on Italian 

 archaeology. 



An interesting topic which has not been under 

 discussion in the section for some considerable time 

 will be touched upon in papers by Mr. T. W. Thomp- 

 son, on gipsy tabus and funeral rites, and by Dr. 

 Rivers and the Rev. G. Hall, on gipsy pedigrees. 



Finally, mention must be made of a paper by Prof. 

 Fleure and Mr. T. C. James on the ethnology of 

 Wales, which is of a special importance not only on 

 account of its conclusions, but as an example of a 

 statistical method. 



Section I (Physiology). — The main feature of in- 

 terest in the Section of Physiology is that, for the 

 first time, there will be a subsection of psychology in 

 connection with the above section. This subsection 

 ought to be very attractive, as a large number of 

 papers have been promised. One meeting will be 

 devoted to a joint sitting of the whole section to hear 

 papers of interest to both physiologists and psycho- 

 logists. During the rest of the meeting, however, 

 the subsection will meet independently. 



A discussion on the physiology of reproduction will 

 be held jointly with the Section of Agriculture on 

 Monday, September 15, and Dr. F. H. A. Marshall 

 will open this discussion. 



The address of the president of the section will 

 open the meeting, and the reports of research com- 

 mittees will, as usual, be taken early in the meeting. 

 The report of the committee on anaesthetics should 

 lead to some discussion, as Sir Frederic Hewitt wishes 

 to raise the subject of legislative restriction of the 

 employment of anaesthetics. Another subject of in- 

 terest will be a paper which Prof. B. Moore is giving 

 before a joint meeting of zoologists, botanists, and 

 physiologists, on the synthesis of organic matter by 

 inorganic colloids in presence of sunlight, in relation 

 to the origin of life. 



Section L (Educational Science). — The sectional 

 programme is unusually full and interesting. After 

 the presidential address a joint meeting with Section H 

 will discuss "The Educational. Use of Museums," in 

 which Dr. Hoyle, of the National Museum of Wales, 

 Mr. Chubb, of the Liverpool Museum, Sir Richard 

 Temple, Prof. Newberry, Dr. Harrison, and others 

 will take part. On the following day a question of 

 national importance is down, viz. "The Function of 

 the Modern University in the State." As the academic 

 heads of several of the universities concerned have 

 promised to speak, the meeting should be a large 

 one. Amongst others. Sir Alfred Hopkinson, Sir 

 Harrv Reichel, Dr. Hadow, Dr. Alex. Hill, Dr. 

 H. A. L. Fisher. Miss Tuke. Sir James Yoxall, Mr. 

 Alfred Moseley, Sir George Kenrick, and Miss Bur- 

 stall are expected to take part. The president of the 



