August 2, 1906] 



NATURE 



319 



In the meantime, Perkin not only manufactured 

 mauve, but was steadily working at the artificial pro- 

 ducts of alizarine, which he was able to obtain in 

 1X68, and immediately produced it on the larjje scale. 

 In 1873, recognising that a very largely increased 

 manufacturing scale was necessary for the highest 

 degree of success (a principle since so thoroughly 

 carried out by the large German firms), Perkin de- 

 cided to retire from business, and his works were 

 sold. After some vicissitudes the business was trans- 

 ferred to Silvertown, where the British Alizarine 

 Company carries on a large and successful manu- 

 facture of alizarine dyes. 



From the beginning the development of the industry 

 steadily conlinued, both in England and on the 

 Continent. In 1859 Griess, a chemist employed at 

 .Mlsopp's Brewery, discovered the first azo dye, which 

 was manufactured in 1863 by Simpson, Maule, and 

 Nicholson. This was the starting point of one of the 

 most imporlant branches of the colour industry, and 

 was rapidly followed by many brilliant discoveries by 



I lofmann, Nicholson, Caro, Martius, and Wilt in 

 ICiigland, Girard and De Laire and Poirrier in France, 



and Baeyer, Bottiger, Duisberg', and many others in 



Germany. 



The outcome of this has been that the colour 

 industrv has progressed to one of enormous import- 

 ance. The combination of scientific research and 

 business skill so strikingly exampled by Perkin and 

 Nicholson has been applied in Germany W'ith marvel- 

 lous success, and has resulted in the development of 

 several great firms, each employing several thousands 

 of workmen and hundreds of chemists and engineers. 



The example set by Englishmen has not been 

 followed to the same extent in this countrv, and the 

 industry, affected by the fall of one or two historic 

 houses, has progressed but slowly. 



In failing to synthesise what is perhaps the 

 most important aid known to medicine, Perkin gave 

 lo medicine its most potent drugs ; for the separation 

 of hundreds of products from coal-tar has enabled 

 ■ hemists to prepare phenacetin, antipyrin, antifebrin 



I I he latter actually produced on the large scale as a 

 bve-product by Perkin), and many others. Extensive 

 manufactories of saccharin, photographic developers, 

 and pharmaceutical products have been erected, and, 

 indeed, it is difficult to say where the far-reaching 

 inlluence of Perkin's discovery mav end. 



One thing is sure, it is not to be measured 

 by mere statistics; in the words of Hofmann, 

 " the moral of Mauve. ... is transparent enough. 

 Whenever one of your chemical friends, full of 

 enthusiasm, exhibits and explains to you his 

 newly-discovered compound, you will not cool his 

 noble ardour by asking him that most terrible of all 

 questions, 'What is its use? Will your compound 

 bleach or dye? Will it shave? May it be used as a 

 substitute for leather? ' Let him quietly go on with 

 his work. The dye, the leather, will make their 

 appearance in due time. Let him, I repeat, perform 

 /i/.? task. Let him indulge in the pursuit of truth. — 

 of truth pure and simple, — of truth not for the sake 

 of Mauve, — let him pursue truth for the sake of 

 truth ! " 



It was a peculiarly happy circumstance that the 

 meeting to honour Sir William Henry Perkin should 

 have been held in the Royal Institution. Tlie most 

 elementary constituent of coal-tar, viz. benzene, was 

 discovered here by Faraday in 1825. and this was 

 followed by Perkin's ow-n discovery of mauve in his 

 home laboratory. " Let me tell vou then," said 

 Hofmann in the lecture room in i,%2, " that Mauve 

 and Magenta are essentially Royal Institution colours : 

 NO. 19 I 8, VOL. 74] 



the foundation of this new industry was laid in 

 Albemarle Street." 



The whole of the chemical world was represented 

 at the meeting on July 26, which was presided over 

 by Prof. R. Meldola, F. R.S. It is only necessary to 

 mention such names as Emil F'ischer, H. Caro, Albin 

 Haller, P. Friedlander, C. Duisberg, G. Schultz, A. 

 Bernthsen, C. Liebermann, R. Mohlau, in order to 

 indicate that the very foremost of foreign chemists 

 were present, and all the representative English men 

 of science and technology were to be seen at this 

 historic gathering. The presentation of the Hofmann 

 and Lavoisier gold medals, the foreign university 

 degrees, and the great number of congratulatory 

 addresses gave ample proof, were it needed, of the 

 admiration with which all chemists regard the founder 

 of this great industry. 



At the dinner in the Whitehall Rooms in the even- 

 ing (Prof. Meldola in the chair), tributes were paid by 

 an even wider circle of appreciative admirers. Mr. 

 Haldane, His Majesty's Secretary of State for War 

 (who proposed the toast of the evening), the Earl of 

 Halsbury, Lord Alverstone. Sir William Broadbent, 

 Sir Henry Roscoe, Profs. E. Fischer and A. Haller, 

 Sir Robert Pullar, and the chairman pointed out the 

 benefits accruing, not merely to the colour industry, 

 the dyeing trade, the medical profession, and science 

 at large, but also to the whole world. 



On the following day Sir William and Lady Perkin 

 entertained a large number of guests at The Chest- 

 nuts, Sudburv, near Harrow. The old Greenford 

 works and Sir William's private laboratory were 

 visited, whilst in the beautiful garden one saw the 

 madder plants which came from the late Dr. 

 ■Schunck's garden in Manchester. 



Sir William and Lady Perkin's reception in the 

 Hall of the Leathersellers' Company concluded the 

 festivities, which will never be forgotten by those who 

 were privileged to take part in them. 



J. C. Cain. 



THE SPORADIC PUBLICATION OF 

 SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. 

 T N these latter davs the development of science has 

 * led to an inverted fulfilment of the old prophecy, 

 " Men shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be 

 increased." Nowadavs men have to run to and fro 

 because knowledge is increased. A very considerable 

 portion of the time of a man of science is taken up 

 in " running to and fro " seeking for the papers 

 which he wishes, which, indeed, he is bound to con- 

 sult. There are various ways in which much of the 

 time thus spent might be saved, and some of these 

 ways are being more or less successfully made use of. 

 One cause, however, of this " running to and fro " 

 deserves special attention, because it seems really un- 

 necessary, and the time spent through its continuance 

 may be said to be time wholly wasted. 



It has been my lot to receive almost at the same 

 time a number of the Journal of the Marine Bio- 

 logical .Association, a volume of the Scientific Memoirs 

 of the Officers of the Medical and Sanitary Depart- 

 ments of the Government of India, a volume of the 

 Thompson-Yates and Johnston Laboratories Reports, 

 and the annual Report of the Medical Officer of 

 Health to the Local Government Board. 



All these contained papers of great scientific value, 

 and I feel sure that many besides mvself are con- 

 tinuallv having brought before them similar instances 

 of the abundance of what I venture to call the sporadic 

 publication of scientific papers. This has been very 

 strikingly brought home to those who have had to- 



