MO 



NATURE 



[October 3, 1912 



discharge the si/:c of the precipitating chamber may be 

 materially reduced. The ionic currents due to 

 secondary ionisation appear to play a more important 

 part in the process than has been supposed. 



In an interesting note in the Gazoetta chiinica 

 italiana (vol. .xlii., ii., 85) by F. Calzolari, the relation- 

 ship between solubility and electro-affinity is discussed 

 with especial reference to the chlorates and per- 

 chlorates of the alkali-metals, potassium, rubidium, 

 and caesium. According to the electrochemical theory 

 of Abegg and Bodlander, the solubility should 

 diminish, in the case of these salts, as the atomic 

 weight of the metal increases, so that the solubility 

 of the rubidium salts should be intermediate between 

 the solubilities of those of potassium and caesium ; 

 actually, however, it was found that at 20°' the solu- 

 bility of the caesium salts is intermediate between those 

 of the potassium and rubidium compounds, whilst, 

 owing to the crossing of the solubility curves at higher 

 temperatures, the order of the arrangement is entirely 

 different at different temperatures. The case is 

 apparently similar with the nitrates. The solubility of 

 these salts, which has been cited in favour of the theory 

 of electro-affinity, is in reality not in accord with it. 



The Biochemical Journal, vol. vi., part 3, contains 

 an important paper by Messrs. E. S. Edie, W. H. 

 Evans, B. Moore, G. C. E. Simpson, and A. Webster 

 from the laboratories of biochemistry and tropical 

 medicine of tlie University of Liverpool, on the ques- 

 tion of the cause and curative treatment of beri-beri 

 and polyneuritis. ."^n alcoholic extract of ordinary 

 yeast, after removal of the alcohol at a low tempera- 

 ture, is e.xtremely active in curing the convulsions and 

 lameness of birds suffering from polyneuritis. An 

 organic base, to which the name tonilin has been 

 given, has been isolated from this extract; its nitrate 

 has apparently the composition, C.Hj^O^N.HNO^, 

 forms feathery crystals, and is not precipitated by 

 basic lead acetate, although thrown down by phospho- 

 tungstic acid. The alcoholic yeast extract loses its 

 activity on warming, and the active substance is 

 apparently easily destroyed by heat. Experiments are 

 in progress to ascertain whether birds can fully main- 

 tain their weight and activity on a diet of polished 

 rice, which ordinarily produces neuritis, when taken in 

 conjunction with small doses of torulin ; or whether 

 it will only prevent the onset of convulsions or nervous 

 changes without being able to maintain full nutrition. 



The Builder for September 27 gives some interesting 

 particulars of ancient iron beams in India. At the 

 Black Padoga of Orissa, Kanarak, there are some 

 very large forged iron beams ; the two largest mem- 

 bers, as described by Mr. H. G. Graves, of Calcutta, 

 are 35 ft. long by 8 in. square, and 25-5 ft. long by 

 II in. square. The broken end of one of them indi- 

 cates that the method of construction was by the 

 welding up of billets. The age of the temple has been 

 placed by some as early as the ninth, and by others 

 as late as the thirteenth, century. Examination indi- 

 cates that the small blooms were of 3 to 4 lb. in 

 w'eight ; in some places the blooms appear to have 

 been welded together in strings to form short bars, 

 which in turn were welded into place. No special 

 NO. 2240, VOL. 90] 



care seems to have been taken to make the blooms 

 break joint. The beams are nearly all of uniform 

 size, and square in section from end to end. The 

 designers do not appear to have understood the advan- 

 tage of making the depth of the beam greater than 

 the width. The beams could have been of but little 

 structural value, although they constitute interesting 

 examples of smiths' work. 



Commenting on Sir W. H. White's address at the 

 recent International Mathematical Congress, Engineer- 

 ing for September 27 states that it is not a little 

 remarkable how little information mathematics is able 

 to give us as to the strength of any engineering 

 structure. In many cases, the service which mathe- 

 matics renders is to furnish laws of comparison by 

 which, without knowing the actual limits of the 

 stresses, we can conclude that a structure which has 

 successfully met certain conditions may be used as a 

 basis for designing another similar structure, larger 

 or smaller, to meet similar conditions. Perhaps the 

 greatest service that mathematics can render to the 

 engineer is in directing the course of a series of 

 experiments and in analysing the results observed. 

 There is unquestionably an immense mass of data 

 uselessly pigeon-holed in the archives of manufactur- 

 ing firms simply and solely because their technical 

 staff are insufficiently equipped with mathematical 

 knowledge to analyse these records effectively, and 

 the art of the engineer and the profits of the manu- 

 facturer suffer in consequence. 



Messrs. John Bartholomew and Co., of the 

 Geographical Institute, Edinburgh, have published 

 two additional sheets to their "half-inch to mile" 

 map of Scotland. One sheet deals with Berwick and 

 Haddington, the other wdth Inverness and Spey. The 

 familiar greens and browns associated with this ex- 

 cellent series of reduced survey maps serve admirably 

 to bring out the build of the country depicted, and the 

 points of the compass arranged to show the magnetic 

 variation, with the annual decrease of the variation 

 indicated, is a commendable feature which will be of 

 great assistance to tourists using the map with a 

 compass. The price of the sheet on paper is is. 6d., 

 and on cloth 2S. 



Several additions have recently been made to the 

 "Home University Library of Modern Knowlege " 

 and to "The People's Books." Messrs. Williams and 

 Norgate have added to the former series, among other 

 volumes, the following books: "The Human Body," 

 by Prof. -Arthur Keith, "Electricity," by Prof. 

 Gisbert Kapp, and "The Making of the Earth," 

 by Prof. J. W. Gregory, F.R.S. To "The 

 People's Books " Messrs. T. C. and E. C. Jack have 

 added, with others, the following volumes: "The 

 Evolution of Living Organisms," by Mr. E. S. Good- 

 rich, F.R.S. ; "Embryology," by Dr. Gerald Leigh- 

 ton; "Practical .Astronomy," by Mr. Hector Mac- 

 pherson, Jun. ; and ".Aviation," by Mr. S. F. Walker. 

 It may be hoped that the recent rapid growth of 

 scientific literature for the general reader is an indica- 

 tion of a fuller understanding of the important part 

 which science must take in the work and development 

 of modern States. 



