June 3, 1909] 



NA rURE 



413 



considerable distance from the electrode or on a special 

 electrode placed at the further end for this purpose. Com- 

 mercially, arcs nearly eight yards long have been produced. 

 The air passing up the tube through the arc thus becomes 

 o.xidised. Prof. Bernthsen showed such an arc about 

 three-quarters of a metre long. It was struck in a glass 

 lube which had a copper spiral running up its entire 

 internal length, this being shown in a darkened room. 

 The sight of Prof. Armstrong's lecture theatre at the 

 Central Technical College' crowded to suffocation was 

 very striking. .After the arc had been burning for about 

 one minute, two large glass globes connected with the arc 

 tube became filled with brown fumes of oxides of nitrogen. 



Prof. Birkeland followed, and accentuated some points 

 in connection with the Birkeland-Eyde process. Then ^r. 

 N. Caro described the cyanamide process, and claimed that 

 it was the cheapest method for the fixation of atmospherx 

 nitrogen. It was easy to obtain ammonia directly fron 

 cyanamide, and, furthermore, a host of chemical products 

 could be made by using cyanamide as a starting product. 



Mr. E. R. Taylor read a paper of great interest upon 

 national and international conservation of water-power, a 

 subject which is attracting considerable attention in 

 America. It will also be remembered that at the annual 

 meeting of the British Science Guild Sir William Ramsay 

 also brought this matter forward, and a committee was 

 appointed by the Guild to consider the matter. 



The pollution of sea-water was discussed in the hygiene 

 section by Prof. Kenwood and Mr. F. N. Kay-Menzies. 

 Edible sea shell-fish reared or deposited in the neighbour- 

 hood of our shores are often exposed to dangerously con- 

 taminated sea-water ; it is also questionable whether bath- 

 ing in such water is not dangerous. The bacteria of 

 typhoid can survive for "Several days in sea-water, and 

 coastal tides and eddies are capable of carrying sewage 

 contamination several miles in the course of twenty-four 

 hours. 



Dr. M. Frenkel described a method for rendering motor- 

 car escape gas odourless. The car. is fitted with a special 

 bo.\ containing platinised asbestos or- platinised porous 

 porcelain. The exhaust gases are made to pass through 

 this box, and the . contact of the air and malodorous gas 

 with the catalylic platinum causes complete oxidation, and 

 thus deodorisation. 



On Fridav afternoon, May 28, Prof. Halle, of France, 

 and Prof. Patern6,' of Italv, gave addresses to the whole 

 congress. On Monday, May 31, Prof. O. N. Witt, of 

 Germany, and on Tuesday, June i, Sir Boverton Red- 

 wood also gave addresses to the combined sections of the 

 congress. 



The congress was attended by more than 4000 members, 

 and the number of papers presented was very large. The 

 attendance at the sectional meetings was quite extra- 

 ordinary, many members attending their particular section 

 from 10 in the morning to 1.30, and then from 4 to 6 in 

 the evening, and listening to the reading of twentv or 

 tliirty papers ranging over the whole scope of the subiect. 

 In one section there were at 6 p.m. more than 100 members 

 alert and eag^er for more. 



The hospitality has alw.iys been a feature of these 

 congresses, and the countries in which the congresses have 

 been held have vied with each other in the entertainment 

 of their guests. In this respect also the congress in 

 London was not behindhand. The members were enter- 

 tained by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs at the Guildhall 

 on Wednesdav, May 26. and on May 27 a reception was 

 held at the Foreig-n Office by Mr. Lewis Hnrcourt. M.P., 

 on behalf of the Government. .About two thousand invita- 

 tions were sent nut ; and the company bidden to meet the 

 delegates included the French, Russian, .Austro-Hungarian. 

 Spanish, American, and Japanese .Ambassadors : the 

 Portuguese. Netherlands, Belgian, Brazilian, Swedish, 

 Chinese, Greek. Norwegian, and Danish Ministers; lead- 

 inij members of the Government and the Opposition ; and 

 others of social and political distinction. Though most 

 of the foreigfn members of the consfress were present, 

 apparently no effort was m.ade to bring together British 

 men of science of distinguished eminence in all departments 

 of scientific activity to meet them. The visitors must have 

 been disappointed to find that the chief people present at 

 Ihe reception, other than actual members of the congress, 

 NO. 2066, VOL. 80] 



were renowned for their political and diplomatic connec- 

 tions rather than by their position in the scientific world. 



There was a great banquet at the Crystal Palace on 

 .May 2.S, which was held in the central transept, and to which 

 nearly 2000 ladies and gentlemen sat down. The dinner 

 was followed by speeches, which some heard, and then by 

 a special display . of fireworks, vk'hich all saw. On 

 .Saturday, May 29, the King received a deputation from 

 the congress, who were accompanied by Sir Henry 

 Roscoe (hon. president), Sir William Ramsay (acting 

 president), and .Mr. W. Macnab (hon. general secretary). 

 The following delegates had the honour of being pre- 

 sented to the King by Sir Henry Roscoe : — Dr. W. H. 

 Nichols (Americ;>), K.K. Regicrungsrat F. Strohmer 

 (.Austria), Dr. Francois Sachs (Belgium), Mr. O. Kouanze 

 (China), ProL Eton Lindet (France), Prof. Otto N. Witt 

 (Germany), Prof. E. Paterno (Italv), Prof. Kuhara (Japan), 

 Dr. S. Hoogewerff (Netherlands),' N. Tavildaroff (Russia), 

 Prof. Pinerua y .Alvarez (Spain), Prof. Arrhenius (Sweden), 

 and -M. F. Reverdin (Switzerland). On Saturday there 

 was also a great garden-party at the Botanic Gardens, 

 given by the ladies' committee, and in the evening a 

 reception by the president of the Society of Chemical 

 Industry. On Sunday and Monday there was a host of 

 private parties, which absorbed nearly three thousand of 

 the guests. Finally, on Tuesday, June i, 1 reception was 

 given at the Natural History Museum. 



.Such congresses cannot but help international goodwill 

 and stimulate friendship between the nations. No jarring 

 word was heard ; delegates from all the civilised world 

 fraternised, and each taught the other something of the 

 work which is being done in their own country ; frio-vdly 

 rivalry has been stimulated, and by means of the social 

 functions they have learnt to know each other as friends. 

 It is often said that international sport is a bond of friend- 

 ship between ,the nations, but it often leaves heartburn- 

 ings. The meeting of a congress such as this leaves 

 behind no unpleasant feeling, but stirs enthusiasm and 

 admiration for the work which our rivals are carrying out, 

 and cements the nations in a manner which no number of 

 Dreadnoughts can accomplish. 



EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN APPLIED 

 CHEMISTRY.' 



THE question of the training of industrial chemists, 

 after having been dormant for some years, has again 

 been raised, and it has now taken the more definite form 

 of whether our universities should develop schools of 

 applied chemistry. Let us look at the example of the 

 engineering industries. There has been more coherence 

 and solidarity and more personal interest on the part of 

 the leaders of . the engineering profession with regard to 

 technical education than has been shown by chemical 

 manufacturers. The practical effect is that the term 

 " technical education " in Great Britain has become almost 

 synonymous with training in engineering, and on the 

 governing bodies of the newer institutions the engineering 

 influence is predominant. The lack of active interest in 

 the educational side of applied chemistry on the part of 

 the manufacturers has acted detrimentally to their own 

 cause. The teachers, if left alone by the manufacturers, 

 are apt to become too purelv bookish, and the manu- 

 facturers, if thev cut themselves adrift from the academic 

 side of chemistrv, are likely to become too narrowly 

 practical. The recent discussions upon the desirabilitv 

 of the better training of industrial chemists have centred 

 round the universities, and the technical schools and 

 technical colleges have been passed over. 

 Definilion of Terms. 

 In many cases where the education of the technical, or 

 industrial chemist has been under discussion, the manu- 

 facturers on the one hand, and the teachers on the other, 

 have had in view totally different kinds of people. When 

 the training of an industrial chemist is under discussion, 

 do we mean his preparatory general scientific education, 

 or that plus something more? If the, latter, what is that 

 " something , more ". to be? The manufacturers wh,o ex- 

 1 From the presidential address delivered tiefore the Society of Ghemica 

 Industry on May 26, by Prof. Raphael Meldola, F.R.S. 



