520 



NA TURE 



[September 19, 1907 



endemic, yet much material is accumulated during 

 these expeditions which can only be worked out subse- 

 quently. As the laboratory accommodation is insuffi- 

 cient to accommodate all this material, a research 

 department under a special director has been estab- 

 lished at Runcorn, where ample room for animals 

 and laboratory experiments exists. These laboratories 

 also supply parasites in a living condition for the 

 purposes of study in the teaching laboratories. Here 

 numerous e.xperiments have been and are being 

 carried out in the treatment of sleeping sickness 

 (trypanosomiasis). It was Thomas who first sug- 

 gested ato.xyl in the treatment of trypanosomiasis. 

 This, followed by mercury, is probably the most 

 hopeful treatment now in existence. 



We may finally briefly refer to the laboratories, where 

 the public, no less than by the expeditions, benefits by 

 the training of medical men, already stationed in or 

 about to proceed to the tropics. In fact, it is stated in 

 its prospectus that the first of the objects of the school 

 is to give a practical training to medical men proceed- 

 ing to the tropics. In connection with this training, 

 which is as thorough as the too-brief period of three 

 months will allow, about thirty medical men pass 

 through the :ichool in the year, a number which is not 

 too great for the staff successfully to cope with. 



THE YEAR'S PHOTOGRAPHY. 

 'T'HE annual exhibition of the Royal Photographic 

 -'■ Society is now open at the New Gallery in 

 Regent Street, and will remain open until 

 September 26. .Artistic, professional, and commercial 

 photography are well represented, but we are con- 

 cerned chiefly with the scientific and technical 

 sections. The exhibition aims at showing the year's 

 progress, and as the item that has aroused the most 

 interest since last October is the commercial intro- 

 duction of the Lumiere " autochrome " plate, which 

 serves for the copying of coloured objects in colour 

 on a single plate, photographs by this method form 

 the most conspicuous group in the exhibition. The 

 results are transparencies on glass, and are con- 

 veniently arranged for viewing them in a darkened 

 portion of the balcony. The character of the new 

 plates has already been described in these columns, 

 therefore it is sufficient to say here that they depend 

 upon the usual principles of three-colour work, and 

 that their novelty consists in having each plate com- 

 plete in itself, and needing no instrument, taking 

 or viewing screen, or other special accessory for their 

 use or examination. Messrs. Lumiere are to be con- 

 gratulated on their success, and well deserve the 

 medal that has been awarded them. As to the 

 results, some appear to be excellent, while others 

 must be faulty from the predominance of one of the 

 three colours ; but, as we have so often said before 

 in connection w'ith colour work, it is impossible to 

 judge of the results as one would like to be able to 

 unless the original is side by side with the copy. No 

 exhibitor seems to have cared to submit any of his 

 pictures to this test. This remark also applies to the 

 other colour photoaraphs, which demonstrate that the 

 multiple-plate methods still hold their own, and that 

 the standard of perfection has, perhaps, a tendency 

 to rise. Photomicrographs of the grain of the 

 " autochrome " plates and spectra taken on them are 

 on view, and serve to show the limitations of three- 

 colour processes when dealing with the comparatively 

 unmixed colours of the spectrum. 



Some of the nhotograohs of Mars, taken two 

 months ago at the Lowell Observatory, are shown 

 bv Profs. Lowell and Lampland. Several canals are 

 visible, and one has been photographed double. 



NO. 1977, VOL. 76] 



Drawings of the planet made under high magnifi- 

 cation are added for the sake of comparison. The 1 

 Greenwich Observatory send four frames of work : 

 done during the year, which include the recent comet, 

 .Saturn and its satellite Phoebe, and Jupiter and its 

 satellites VI. and VH. These astronomical exhibits 

 will prove of great interest, not only to those who are 

 students of the subject, but also to those whose chief 

 source of information is their daily paper. 



Of the considerable collection of photographs of 

 living creatures it is possible to refer to only a few. 

 Mr. Douglas English contributes a series of photo- | 

 graphs illustrating the life and history of the British 

 mud-wasp, but his most striking exhibits are those 

 in which he has obtained a very close imitation of the 

 colour of the original by locally modifying the image 

 with reagents, and in one case backing it with 

 " metallic powders." He is bold enough to send the 

 actual skin in one case to show' how very nearly he 

 has reproduced the colour. Notwithstanding Mr. 

 English's success, we are inclined to di.scourage work 

 of this kind, because by such manipulation the ex- 

 amples lose much of their value as photographs, and 

 it is very doubtful as to how long the colours pro- 

 duced in this way will remain without change; but it 

 must be admitted that at present they convey an 

 excellent idea of the originals. ."^mong the other 

 exhibits of special interest may perhaps be mentioned 

 Mrs. Veley's " Lemur Studies," Mr. W. Bickerton's 

 three photographs of the common tern alighting at 

 its nest after flight, and Mr. .Alfred Taylor's ten 

 photographs of the " Long-eared Owl from the Egg 

 to Maturity." Mr. Daniel Finlayson's three frames 

 are of a kind that must be exceedingly useful for 

 teaching purposes. He shows the leaves of four 

 common plants " awake and asleep," five photo- 

 graphs illustrating " Red Clover strangled by 

 Dodder," and ten distinct examples of " Seed Dis- 

 persal by Hooks, Parachutes, and Wings." 



Pathological work is not much in evidence, but 

 the majority of visitors will doubtless find a personal 

 interest in Dr. G. H. Rodman's radiograph of the 

 two hands of a young lady, one of which was severely 

 affected by rheumatism. The small bones of the 

 diseased wrist are apparently matted together. Mr. 

 Martin Duncan's photomicrographs of living bacteria 

 are noteworthy, though for practical purposes of 

 identification microscopists will probably continue to 

 prefer to deal with dead "preparations." Mr. 

 Duncan gives no hint of his method which he " has 

 now perfected." 



There are numerous other exhibits of many various 

 subjects, for the collection of this year surpasses that 

 of any previous year that we recollect in interest, 

 variety, and general technical excellence; but we must 

 refer to Mr. Frederick E. Ives's diffraction gratings, 

 though they are not strictly photographic. These 

 replicas are made with fish-glue instead of gelatin, 

 and, by the means described in the catalogue, he 

 has obtained, in addition to normal results, " freak 

 gratings " of many different kinds. Not only can 

 most of the light be thrown into the first-order spec- 

 trum on one side, but vigorous copies can be made 

 from weak originals. A considerable variation of 

 colour effects is shown in the " fre.aks," and may 

 serve to indicate some of the possibilities of variations 

 that may occur to a greater or less extent in gratings 

 intended to give normal results. These gratings can 

 be seen on application to the attendant by anyone 

 interested in the subject. 



Those who wish to see the results of the practical 

 application of photoeraphic methods to pictorial pur- 

 poses will find a collection of excellent examples in 

 the west room which is devoted to this section, and a 



