September 17, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



271 



The Air Ministry, in an official Notice to 

 Airmen, according to the London Times, de- 

 tails innovations recently introduced in tlie 

 dissemination of meteorological statistics and 

 forecasts by wireless telegraphy for the use 

 of aircraft. Reports are issued from the 

 Croydon aerodrome on a 900-meter continuous 

 wave each day, including Sundays, at hourly 

 intervals between Y.35 a.m. (G.M.T.) and 4.35 

 P.M.J the data in each consisting of observa- 

 tions made 35 minutes previously at the 

 following places : Felixstowe, Croydon, Biggin 

 , Hill, Lympne, Beachy Head, Dungeness, and 

 Botley Hill (IsTorth Downs). In addition to 

 the usual information, the messages now in- 

 clude the direction and speed of the low 

 cloud, the character of the sea-swell and the 

 visibility towards the sea is distinguished 

 from that over the land, the latter important 

 feature being observed at various points along 

 the channel coast. A statement is also added 

 regarding the conditions prevailing on the 

 IsTorth Downs as viewed from Biggin Hill, 

 while at 8.25 a.m. the complete results of a 

 pilot-balloon ascent at Croydon or Lympne are 

 appended whenever available. Every state- 

 ment is suffixed by the latest Meteorological 

 Office estimate of the probable weather during 

 the remaining hours of daylight. Reports of 

 a similar character are also issued on the same 

 wave-length from Le Bourget seven times 

 daily, the observations transmitted in this 

 case being derived from St. Inglevert, Abbe- 

 ville, Maubeuge, Havre, and Le Bourget. 



The department of hygiene and public 

 health at King's College, London, which offers 

 complete courses of instruction for the various 

 degrees and diplomas in public health, has 

 recently been reorganized under the general 

 supervision of Professor Simpson. Professor 

 Sommerville, lectures on hygiene, sanitary law 

 and administration, sanitation and vital sta- 

 tistics, etc., and Mr. Ehys Charles on the 

 Food and Drugs Acts. Bacteriology and 

 parasitology is taught by Professor Hewlett 

 and Dr. Taylor, and the chemical laboratory 

 work is in charge of Mr. William Partridge. 

 The laboratories are open daily for instruc- 

 tion and research, and arrangements are made 



to suit the convenience of those engaged in 

 practise. Weekly demonstrations on sanitary 

 appliances and visits to places of sanitary 

 interest are arranged. A special course on 

 industrial hygiene is given by Dr. Legge 

 (October to February) and courses on school 

 hygiene are given by Dr. Malcolm (October 

 to June). 



As the part of the university extension work 

 the Boston Teachers' School of Science will 

 offer this fall courses in botany, geography, 

 geology and zoology. The courses will be given 

 by Professor W. J. V. Osterhout, of Harvard, 

 Professor Elizabeth F. Fisher, of Wellesley; 

 Professor George H. Barton and Professor 

 George H. Parker, of Harvard. The school 

 also announces its autumn course of field les- 

 sons in geology as follows: September 11, 

 Baker Bridge; September 18, Andover; Sep- 

 tember 25, Braintree; October 2, Wayland; 

 October 9, Orient Heights; October 16, ISTaugus 

 Head; October 23, Roberts; October 30, West 

 Quiney; November 6, Kendal Green. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 NEWS 



The University of Buffalo has received from 

 O. E. Foster a gift of $400,000 for the erec- 

 tion of a chemistry building. It has also re- 

 ceived anonymous gifts of $250,000 toward en- 

 dowment and of a library building. 



The late Dr. J. G. Bartholomew has be- 

 ,queathed to the University of Edinburgh the 

 sum of £500, to be applied towards the foun- 

 dation of a chair in geography. 



Recent appointments at Harvard Univer- 

 sity include those of Richard D. Bell, assist- 

 ant professor of biological chemistry; W. T. 

 Bovie, Ph.D., '14, assistant professor of bio- 

 physics and instructor in bacteriology; Stan- 

 ley Cobb, '10, assistant professor of neuro- 

 pathology; Calvin G. Page, '90, assistant 

 professor of bacteriology; Marshal Fabyan, '00, 

 assistant professor of comparative pathology; 

 Joseph C. Aub, '11, assistant professor of 

 physiology; Robert B. Osgood, '89, instructor 

 in orthopedic surgery, and James B. Ayer, '03, 



