258 



NA TURE 



[July 13, 1905 



It will be noticed that the scheme 1 have outlined is 

 closely analogous to the system already general in con- 

 nection with medical training, where the lecturing and 

 professorial staff on the technical side consists almost 

 entirely of old students (occasionally from other colleges) 

 who are beginning to make their way professionally, or 

 who. by the time they have become professors, have 

 actually made their way to the highest ranks of their 

 profession. 



HARVEY AND THE PROGRESS OF 

 MEDICAL SCIENCE.^ 



A- 



FTER some introductory remarks, Dr. Roberts re- 

 ferred to Harvey's work, and especially to His great 

 discovery of w-hat is commonly spoken of as the " circu- 

 lation of the blood," though his published -treatise is really 

 on the "movements of the heart and of the blood." 

 He re-affirmed their implicit belief in the absolute priority 

 of Harvey's claim to this discovery, and spoke of its 

 magnitude and far-reaching effects, which had been de- 

 scribed in various and glowing terms, in no way e.x- 

 aggerated. \or must they forget the formidable difficulties 

 under which Harvey carried out his investigations ; the 

 profound errors which he had to combat and overthrow, 

 and the confusion he had to clear away ; his indomitable 

 perseverance ; and the masterly yet courteous manner in 

 which he disputed and ultimately overcame the objections 

 which had been raised against his views. 



The orator then gave an outline of Harvey's career, 

 dealing more especially with his association with the 

 College of Physicians, where he held the position of 

 Lumleian Lecturer from 1615 to 1656, in the very first 

 course of lectures presenting a detailed exposition of his 

 views concerning the circulation of the blood, which con- 

 tinued to form one of his subjects for several years. In 

 the deed by which Harvey conveyed to the college his 

 estate, he laid down three definite and distinct injunctions 

 or instructions as to the subject-matter of the oration, 

 which it was their duty to follow. The first injunction 

 is that " there shall be a commemoration of all the bene- 

 factors of the said College by name and what in particular 

 they have done for the benefit of the said College, with 

 an exhortation to others to imitate these benefactors and 

 to contribute their endeavours for the advancement of the 

 society according to the example of those benefactors." 



Dealing with this injunction, Dr. Roberts first mentioned 

 individually Harvey himself ; Thomas Linacre, the prac- 

 tical founder of the College of Physicians; and John Caius. 

 He then considered generally as benefactors those who 

 had held high office, alluding specially to that of Presi- 

 dent : those who had founded lectureships, or had given 

 endowments for prizes, medals, or scholarships ; those who 

 had contributed to the library or to the general funds ; 

 and those who by their professional or scientific attain- 

 ments and achievements, as well as by their high personal 

 character, general culture and scholarship, and intellectual 

 and moral qualities have shed unfading renown and lustre 

 upon the College of Physicians. 



In discussing the second injunction, namely, to " exhort 

 the Fellows and Members of this College to search and 

 study out the secrets of nature by way of experiment," the 

 orator made a passing allusion in favour of vivisection, 

 claiming for this method of investigation the cordial sup- 

 port of the medical faculty as a whole, with comparatively 

 few- exceptions. After referring to what the College had 

 done as a body in advancing scientific research, he enlarged 

 upon the great activity and promising aspects of modern 

 research, more particularly in relation to subjects con- 

 nected with the medical profession, and e.xpressed his 

 belief that Harvey would be amazed and fully satisfied 

 were he to come on the scene at the present time, and 

 realise the extent and thoroughness with which his exhort- 

 ation is being carried into "effect in all directions. Dr. 

 Roberts then gave an abstract of what he had prepared 

 for the oration with reference to the progress of know- 



deliv.-red at ihe Royal College of 



1 .'Vbsi 

 Physicij 



of the Harveian 

 n June 21 by Dr. Frederick f. Rob 



ledge and practice in connection with the circulatory system 

 since Harvey's time, and the methods by which it had" been 

 brought about. He also directed attention to some of the 

 more prominent examples of the beneficial results on an 

 extensive scale of scientific and practical research, and 

 alluded specially, as being closely connected with the 

 circulatory system, to the " brilliant victories " which had 

 been achieved against malaria in various parts of the 

 world, many of them forming an integral part of this vast 

 Empire. While paying a tribute of respect and admiration 

 to all those who at the risk of life and health have gone 

 forth to dangerous climates to study and fight against this 

 and other tropical diseases. Dr. Roberts mentioned specially 

 Dr. J. E. Dutton, the latest "martyr of science," as he 

 had been aptly called, w-hose lamented death recently 

 occurred on the Congo, where he had gone to study sleep- 

 ing sickness on behalf of the Liverpool School of Tropical 

 Medicine. He expressed on behalf of the college their 

 deep sense of the great services which Dr. Dutton had 

 rendered to the medical profession and to humanity, their 

 profound regret at the premature cutting off of such a 

 valuable life and promising career, and their heartfelt 

 sympathy with his bereaved family and friends. 



The orator concluded as follows : — The last and most 

 agreeable duty laid upon me by Harvey's direction is to 

 " exhort the Fellows and Members, for the honour of the 

 profession, to continue in mutual love and affection among 

 themselves, without which neither the dignity of the 

 College can be maintained, nor yet particular men receive 

 that benefit by their admission into the College which they 

 might expect, ever remembering that concordia res parvae 

 crescunt, discordia magnae dilabuntur." With regard to 

 the future position and reputation of this college in relation 

 to scientific research and the progress of medicine, there 

 can be no doubt or misgiving when we see amongst our 

 younger fellows and members so many who are endowed 

 with great abilities, who are full of energy, intellectual 

 vigour, and enthusiasm in their work, and whose achieve- 

 ments have already brought them into conspicuous promin- 

 ence and, in some cases, into the foremost ranks of our 

 profession. May we not confidently hope that they will 

 also ever keep in mind Harvey's last exhortation, and 

 unflinchingly strive to maintain the high standard of 

 character and conduct which he has placed before them? 

 But should they at any time feel the need of an example, 

 a stimulus, or an inspiration, let them steadily fix their 

 attention and thoughts upon the personality, the life, and 

 the work of our " immortal and beloved Harvey," whom 

 it is our privilege and pride and happiness to commemorate 

 on this anniversary. 



NO. 1863, VOL. 72] 



HIGH TEMPERATURE RESEARCH ON THE 

 FELSPARS. 



A N elaborate investigation of the melting points of the 

 ■"- felspars, devised and carried out by Messrs. Day 

 and Allen in the physical laboratory of the United States 

 Geological Survey, is described in a memoir just received.' 

 The geological importance of laboratory research at high 

 temperatures was strongly urged by the late Clarence King 

 and Dr. Becker, and the well known work of Dr. Carl 

 Barus has already furnished petrologists with a number of 

 valuable data. The laboratory, discontinued in 1892 for 

 want of funds, has been re-established by the exertions 

 of Dr. Becker, and the piece of work before us has been 

 in part subsidised by the trustees of the Carnegie 

 Institution. 



The authors describe in detail, for the benefit of other 

 experimenters, the thermoelectric method by which they 

 have been enabled to measure high temperatures with an 

 error of not more than one degree. It was also found 

 necessary to adopt some method of determining the instant 

 of melting (where such exists) independently of the 

 personal judgment of the operator. It appears that in 



1 "The Isomorphism and Thermal Properties of the Felspars." Part i. 

 Thermal Study By Arthur I.. Day and E. T. Allen. Part il. Optical 

 Study. By J. P. Iddings. Wiih an introduction by George F. Becker. 

 Pp. 95 ; x.\vi plates. (Washington, rgo,.) 



