January 23, 1913] 



NATURE 



583 



beyond the limits of the meeting and of the associa- 

 tion. The Mathematical Association met in the same 

 building, and it was unfortunate that arrangements 

 were not made so that the two presidential addresses 

 at least could be attended by members of both asso- 

 ciations. Good service has been done by the Teachers' 

 Guild, on the initiative of which thirteen associations 

 met by agreement in the University of London and had 

 a kind of British Association week of meetings. At 

 one of the guild meetings Miss Sheavyn directed atten- 

 tion to the mode of entry into the higher grades of 

 the Civil Service. Of the first hundred in the last 

 competition fifty-nine scored chiefly in classics, twenty- 

 • nine in mathematics, and twelve in other subjects. 

 (One gathers that science is not wanted or that pro- 

 ficiency in science is not esteemed as evidence of 

 mental culture.) Miss Sheavyn regretted that in tech- 

 nical posts requiring qualifications in science, e.g. 

 posts at the British Muse'im, the question of opening 

 them to suitable women should not be considered, 

 notwithstanding the difficulty experienced at times in 

 getting .applicants. 



Miss L. M. Drummond, in her presidential address 

 to the .\ssistant-mistresses in Public Secondary 

 Schools, discussed "the scientific study of living things 

 as an element in education." She said that thev were 

 urged by social reformers to teach girls certain definite 

 biological facts, notably those of human physiology 

 and reproduction ; but there was too little appeal for 

 real training in biological thought. In this age 

 people did not set as high a value as thev should on 

 the energising power of ideas. Some knowledge of 

 a living body was valuable, but she did not think it 

 followed that a course of human physiology should 

 always be introduced. If the school course included 

 animal anatomy, more definite physiological teaching 

 would find a natural place, and on such a foundation 

 she would base teaching in hygiene. Training in 

 scientific biology was a real and helpful preparation 

 for entering sympathetically into the thought-life of 

 the time. 



.\ somewhat different line of argument was taken 

 bv Prof. Starling at the L.C.C. Conference. We hope 

 to refer to this in a future article, to which also we 

 postpone consideration of the discussion at the Asso- 

 ciation of Teachers in Domestic Subjects. 



G. F. Dan'iell. 



PRIZES PROPOSED BY THE PARIS 

 ACADEMY OF SCIENCES FOR 1914. 

 /'^EOMETRY. — The Francoeur prize (looo francs), 

 ^-'^ for discoveries or works useful to the progress 

 of pure and applied mathematics ; grand prize of the 

 mathematical sciences (3000 francs), for an improve- 

 ment in the theory of functions of one variable which 

 are susceptible of representations by trigonometrical 

 series of several arguments, linear functions of this 

 variable ; Poncelet prize (2000 francs), for work in pure 

 mathematics. 



Mechanics. — Montyon prize (700 francs), for the 

 invention or improvement of instruments useful to 

 the progress of agriculture, the mechanical arts, or 

 sciences; Henri de Garville prize (1500 francs), for 

 original work in mechanics; Fourneyron prize (1000 

 francs), for a theoretical and experimental study of the 

 question of combustion of explosion turbines. 



Navigation. — The extraordinary prize of 6000 

 francs, as a recompense for work increasing the 

 efficiency of the French naval forces ; Phimey prize 

 (4000 francs), for improvements or inventions con- 

 tributing to the progress of steam navigation. 



Astronomy. — The Lalande prize (540 francs), for the 

 most interesting observation, memoir or work useful 



NO. 22.';6. VOL. oal 



to the progress of astronomy ; tlie Valz prize (4O0 

 francs), for the n^ost interesting astronomical observa- 

 tion during the year; the Janssen prize (a gold medal), 

 for a disciwery or work representing an important 

 advance in physical astronomy ; the Damoiseau prize 

 (2000 francs), for an improvement in Le Verrier's 

 tables of Jupiter. 



Geography. — The Tchihatchef prize {3000 francs), 

 for the encouragement of naturalists of any nationality 

 who have made explorations in the lesser-known parts 

 of .'\sia ; the Gay prize (1500 francs), for a study of 

 the distribution of hydraulic forces in a mountainous 

 region, with a description of the methods and instru- 

 ments employed in this research ; the Binoux prize 

 (2000 francs), for work on geography; the Delalande- 

 Gu^rineau prize (1000 francs). 



Phvsics. — The Hubert prize (1000 francs), for a 

 treatise or discovery extending the practical use of 

 electricity ; the Hughes prize (2500 francs), for work 

 contributing to the progress of physics ; the Victor 

 Raulin prize (1500 francs), for facilitating the publica- 

 tion of works relating to meteorology and physics of 

 the clobe ; the La Caze prize (10,000 francs), to the 

 author of works or memoirs contributing to the pro- 

 gress of physics. 



Chemistry. — The Jeckcr prize (10,000 francs), foi 

 work in organic chemistry; the Cahours prize (3000 

 francs), for the encouragement of young workers in 

 chemistrv ; the Montyon prize (unhealthy trades, a 

 prize of 2500 francs and a mention of 1500 francs), 

 for work rendering an art or trade less unhealthy ; 

 the L. La Caze prize (10,000 francs), for work in the 

 field of chemistry. 



Mineralogy and Geology. — The Fontannes prize 

 (2000 francs), for a palseontological publication. 



Botany. — The Desmazi^res prize (1600 francs), for 

 a work on Cryptogams; the Montagne prize (1500 

 francs), for researches on the anatomy, physiology, 

 development, and description of the lower Crypto- 

 gams; the De Coincy prize (900 francs), for a work on 

 Phanerogams. 



.4natomy and Zoology. — The Savigny prize (1500 

 francs), for the assistance of young travelling 

 zoologists, not receiving Government aid, who occupy 

 themselves with the invertebrates of Egypt and Syria ; 

 the Thore prize (200 francs), for the best work on 

 the habits and anatomy of a species of European 

 insect; the Cuvier prize (1500 francs), for a work 

 on zoological paleontology, comparative anatomy, or 

 zoology. 



Medicine and Surgery. — The Montyon prize (2500 

 francs, mentions of 1500 francs); the Barbier prize 

 C2noo francs), for a valuable discovery in surgical, 

 medical, or pharmaceutical science, or in botany 

 having relation to medicine; the Brc^ant prize (100,000 

 francs), for a means of curinrr .'\siatic cholera; the 

 Godard prize (1000 francs), for a memoir on the 

 anatomy, phvsiology. and pathology of the genito- 

 urin.arv organs; the Baron Larrey prize (750 francs), 

 to a naval or armv surgeon or doctor, for a work 

 dealinn- with military medicine, surs'erv, or hygiene; 

 the Bellion prize (1400 francs); the M^ge prize (10,000 

 francs). 



Phvsiolof:v. — The Montyon prize (7C0 francs), for 

 work in exnerimental physiology ; the Philipeaux prize 

 fqoo francs), for the same ; the Lallemand prize (t8oo 

 francs), for work relative to the nervous system; the 

 Pourat prize (1000 francs), for a memoir on the origin 

 of the anti-ferments; the L. La Caze prize f 10.000 

 francs), for a work on phvsiology; the Martin- 

 Damourette prize (1400 francs), for a work on thura- 

 neutic physioloey. 



Statistics. — The Montvon prize (1000 franrs, two 

 mentions of 500 francs'). 



