6 5 8 



NATURE 



[November 18, 1922 



obviously, upon the subject taught, upon the standard 

 which is reached, upon the technicality of the subject, 

 and upon the experimental preparation involved. 

 Therefore it would be impossible for the Board to make 

 any just assessment of the magnitude of the sub- 

 sidiary duties entailed on a bare return of actual 

 teaching hours. If the Board of Education is unable 

 to accept an approved agreement as sufficient evidence 

 of full-time service, then, in justice to the teachers of 

 science and technology, it must have more informa- 

 tion than would be given by a mere return of actual 

 teaching hours. 



The circular indicates that the specific preparation 

 of lessons (as distinct from general study) would be 

 regarded as a subsidiary duty entailed by actual 

 teaching, and we would point out here that teachers of 

 science and technology must spend a large amount of 

 time in keeping in touch with modern developments in 

 science, and with the even more rapid and more ex- 

 tensive developments of the applications of science to 

 industry. The time absorbed to this end cannot be re- 

 garded fairly as general study of an independent kind ; 

 it cannot be considered as dissociated from the teaching 

 service ; and it cannot be described as non-essential. 



The teacher of science and technology has a claim 

 for very special consideration here, for, though we are 

 prepared to admit that every teacher should and must 

 spend time in general study and should keep in touch 

 with modern developments, yet we cannot be expected 

 to believe that the time which must be spent in keeping 

 up with the development of, for example, Roman 

 history, is comparable with that which must be spent 

 in keeping in touch with the development of electrical 

 engineering. 



In this connexion we note with amazement that 

 according to this circular (clause 7) research work will 

 not be regarded as teaching service, and the time spent 

 in research work would not be counted as teaching 

 service for the purpose of the Superannuation Act. 

 We can only hope that either our reading of the clause 

 is wrong or that it has been badly phrased, and does 

 not express the real intention of the Board. If the 

 research work referred to is research work which a 

 teacher is undertaking on behalf of some firm, and for 

 which he is receiving remuneration, then it is quite 

 reasonable to regard such work as private work and 

 not as teaching service to the State. But if the clause 

 means that all research work will be regarded as non- 

 teaching service, then we must protest most emphatic- 

 ally in the interests of the State. 



Is it not essential for teachers of science and techno- 

 logy to give a certain amount of attention to research 

 work in order to keep in touch with modern develop- 

 ments ? Are there not students doing research work 

 NO. 2768, VOL. I io] 



in many of our technical institutions ? Will the time 

 spent by the teachers in these institutions in guiding 

 and directing that work be regarded as of no service to 

 the State ? Surely that clause in the circular has been 

 badly phrased : it is incredible that all research work 

 in technical institutions should be banned, by order of 

 the Board of Education ! For many years the value 

 of research by teachers has been impressed upon the 

 governing bodies of our chief technical institutions, 

 but if the Board holds that time spent upon such 

 investigations, however stimulating the work may be 

 to teacher or pupil, is to be excluded from the 

 superannuation scheme as pensionable service, then 

 the institutions will be thrown back to the state they 

 were in twenty years ago. 



We feel that this circular has been drawn up without 

 sufficient consideration of what is involved in the 

 teaching of scientific and technological subjects, and 

 it would seem that there has not been sufficient regard 

 for the special conditions of teachers of science and 

 technology in our technical schools and collegi . 



We are glad to note, however, that the circular has 

 been sent out to local authorities, governing bodies, 

 and others for their observations, and that the Board 

 will not arrive at a final decision as to the application 

 of the principles set out until these observations have 

 been considered. We hope, therefore, to see very 

 considerable amendment in the final form of the 

 circular. 



Internal Secretion- 



Glands in Health and Disease. By Dr. B. Harrow. Pp. 



xv + 218. (New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 



1922.) n.p. 

 Internal Secretion and the Ductless Glands. By Prof. 



Swale Vincent. Second edition. Pp. xx + 422. 



(London : E. Arnold and Co., 1922.) 255. net. 



THE two books before us have not the same object 

 or scope, but they appear equally to fulfil the 

 purpose intended. On the whole, they may be said, 

 along with Sir E. Sharpey Schafer's " Endocrine 

 Organs," to be the most useful books on the subject in 

 the English language, apart from the encyclopedic 

 " Endocrinology " edited by Llewellys Barker. While 

 that of Dr. Harrow is of a somewhat popular nature, 

 assuming comparatively little physiological knowledge 

 on the part of the reader, Prof. Swale Vincent's book 

 has the more ambitious aim of a scientific presentation 

 of the facts definitely known on the subject. This 

 latter has therefore rather the character of a work of 

 reference, and will be found very useful in this way. 

 It is naturally not so easy to read as Dr. Harrow's book, 

 which presents an admirable, connected account of the 



