5-' I 



.V \TURE 



\ ( )CTOBER I.|, 1922 



binarj " and ' binomial." Zoologists who may 



li.n e opinions his proposal, which thei de ire to 



laybefoi : th Commission, are m\ ited to< ommunii ate 

 them in 1 to an} membet ol it, so thai they 



maj reai h the Secretarj .11 Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 

 before Septembei 1. [923. I he} would do well first 



t isul1 Opinions Nos [3, 20, 21, 23, and 24 issued 



Co n 



I 'hosi who are Eamiliar with the history of the 

 elements will know, and those who are no1 Eamiliar 

 ■ .in easilj infoi m i hem iel\ es oi the Eai t, thai I .1 



1 1 included among the elements both light and 



heat, which he classified along with oxygen, nitrogen, 

 and hydrogen. A more detailed study of his " Traits' 

 rl.'tn.'iit.mv de chimie " will show thai before dis- 

 cussing the compounds of oxygen, nitrogen, etc . 

 with ol hei 1 lements, he de-* oted .1 bi iel 1 hapter to 

 observations on the compounds of lighl and heal 

 with different substances. The rapid development 

 of chemistry soon led to the abandonment ol these 

 imponderabl : 1 lemenl i, whi< h came to be regarded 

 as differenl manifestations of energy. It is, there 

 fore, of interest to read in tin ' Journal 



ol Augusl 1 • .1 lettei in whii h Mr 1 arol \ 1 ofman 

 Nicoresti, B. 6s, Sc. el Lettr., announces, .1 • a final 

 conclusion of his investigation oi gaseous volume 

 and pressure, " thai heal and lighl are both material 

 subst.un es, thatthej entei into chemical combination 

 with other elements, and thai they are thrown out bj 

 chemii < " It is perhaps a complimeni to 



I avoisiei thai ever^his untenable hypotheses should 

 thus undergo resurrection ; but that they should be 

 pu1 Eoi ward as oi iginal 1 an onlj be taken as a sign 

 of impei Eei 1 1 hemii al education. In our other respei 1 

 Mr. Nicoresti's growth as a student of chemistrj 

 appears to have beer am ited a1 a period more than 

 .1 '.in in \ eat liei than t.a\ oisiet . since he asserts 

 thai aftet 1 areful consideration he is drh en to the 

 com iii-.ii hi 'thai there are no such thing a 

 but that there is only one gas in nature. I ti.it 

 explains whj I he ga seous laws an [n 



this respect he apparently adopts the views oi Boyle 

 and Mayow, and his chemical education appears to 

 have been 1 an ted forward bu1 little Eurthei than the 

 period oi Agricola, who " hinted thai the gases in mines 

 were manifestations ol malignant imps." 



In the will of Prince Vlbert ol Monaco, who died 



on June -<< last, there are noteworthy gifts for 



Hi purposes His Earm a1 Sain,te S11 anne is 



left to the French Academj oi Agriculture, and the 



wish is expressed that the estate should remain a 



place i.u agricultural experiments, to demonstrate 

 w ha i ■■' iem e and detei minal ion • an obtain from 



sterile lands. Dr. J ules Richard will receive 600, 



ii m, , to enable him i" i omplete literary and si ienl ifi< 



works in progress, including the results of the 



igraphic cruises and the preparation oi the 



I lath} in. 11 ii 1 hai 1 oi the I )i eans I he proi eeds ol 



i' ol the yai hi H Irondelle, all books and publica. 



ol a scientifii nature, as well as . ertain personal 



' ill go to the Oi ' mi 1 'hie Institute .1 1 



Paris and Monaco, while the Institute ol Human 

 1 ' ;, \ OL. 1 10] 



Palasontology in Paris is to receive anj personal 

 effei ts relating to the woi b 1 arried on there. The 

 Paris Acadenvj ol Sciences will receive a million 

 francs, the income of which is to provide a prize to 

 be awarded every two years, the nature of the prize 

 to be indicated by the Academy, according to the 

 needs of the moment ; a like sum is bequeathed to 

 1 he \' ademj ol Medii ine foi a similai pi 1 e 



Wi Lain from the British Medical Journal that 

 1 im in negie I lero Fund trustees have awarded a 

 medallion anil an annuity of [30/. to Dr. John Spend- 

 of Edinburgh, in recognition of his valuable and 

 heroii work in radiology. Dr. Spence was among 

 the Inst in Scotland to take up research in \ rays 

 and medical electricity, and as a resull of radiological 

 experiments he sustained serious damagi to both 

 hands, necessitating amputation oi the righl forearm. 

 Dr, Spence is still carrying on his work as radiologist 

 at l.eith Hospital and Craigleith Hospital, 1 dinburgh 



UK II. 111 in Duke of Connaught has consented 

 lo unveil the roll of honour which has been erected 

 ai ih.. Institution of Civil Engineers to the memory 



ol Us members and students who lost their lives m 

 lli. war. The ceremony will take place at | P.M. 

 on Fridaj . ' '. tober z~. 



\i 1 he next ordinary scientific meeting oi Hie 

 Chemical Society on October 10. Prof. T. M. Lowry 



will mad a paper entitled "Idle Polarilx of Double 



Ponds. Aii Extension ol Mm theories of Capworth 

 and Robinson," and it is hoped ihat a general 

 discussion will take place. On Thursday, October 



•o. al S p.M . a lecture entitled " Idle Significance 



"I 1 m ;tal Structure" will be delivered b\ Sit 

 William II. Bragg, 111 conjunction with Prof. W. I.. 

 Bragg. This meeting will be held in the lecture 

 hall of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 



Storej '■■ 1 .ate, S.W.i. 



\\ 1 mm 1; reports from Captain Amundsen's arctic 

 expedition will be sent from the ship Maud and 



included in the collective message broadcasted by 



wireless from the Eiffel Tower daily at 11 h. 30 m. 

 G.M.T. 1 hese obsen ations, according to the I 



1 will commence on October [5. 



Ii was announced at a meeting ol the Chemical 

 Societ) on October =, that Prof. J. F. Thorpe had 

 been nominated to fill, until the next Annual General 

 Meeting, the office of treasurer, rendered vacant by 

 1 im o ,mn. n ion "i 1 n \i,ii 1 'orstet recently ap- 

 pointed Director of the Indian Institute of s< mum .11 

 1 langal ire 1 »r. J . T. 1 lew ii 1 was nominated ti 1 nil 

 the vacancj in Pie Iis1 ol vice presidents caused by 

 I 'i"i I hoi p.'' 1 appoinl ment. 



1 rom the Reporl ol the Castle Museum Committee 



I., the I ow n Council of Norw ich for 1 92 1, just received, 



we learn that the Norwich Education Committee has 



i a special demonstrator to conduct round 



the museum organised parties ot about 25 pupils 

 accompanied l>\ teachers. During the year [9,801 

 attendances were recorded, each class attending the 



Complete series ,,l demonstrations in sixteen weekly 



