February 6, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



145 



brating ship the lag of the instrument is much 

 reduced. 



All of the above applies with even more 

 force 'to airships. Deflective influence will 

 modify the course not only in a horizontal but 

 also in a vertical plane. Professor Marvin has 

 shown that wien a machine is climbing with 

 given power, the ascent will be more rapid if 

 made clockwise than when counterclockwise; 

 this of course for the northern hemisphere, and 

 conversely in the southern. So the aviator 

 must watch his barometer not less than his 

 compass. With him it is all important that 

 true static pressures be recorded; and at least 

 he should be keenly alive to the importance of 

 the corrections to be applied, most of them 

 functions of speed. When an aneroid is mov- 

 ing at 45 m/s (100 miles an hour) not an un- 

 iisual speed, he may be called upon to add to 

 or subtract from his proper speed, the air 

 speed, say 25 m/s., also the earths angular 

 velocity. 



The exposure of the barograph is important. 

 The containing box must have an opening 

 either facing the wind or away from it: if 

 the former, the pressure shown is aerostatic 

 plus aerodynamic. Zahm and others have dis- 

 cussed pressure distribution around a steam- 

 like body and J. G. CofB.n has actually de- 

 signed and used a container that rotates 

 periodically. He found that when the aper- 

 ture was 45° either side of the head-on posi- 

 tion the observed pressure was normal or true 

 static. 



From all the aibove, it is evident that here- 

 after in ithe icharting and discussion of storm 

 centers at sea, as based on pressure readings, we 

 must know whether the ships were headed east 

 or west, the angle of inclination of the ship to 

 the wind, the speed of the ship and the speed, 

 direction and gustiness of the wind. 



Alexaioder McAdie 



Blue Hill Observatory, 

 January 20, 1920 



STATE REWARDS FOR MEDICAL 

 DISCOVERIES 



A REPORT has been issued by a joint com- 

 mittee of the British Medical Association and 



of the British Science Guild, which has been 

 considering the question of awards for med- 

 ical discoveries. According to the abstract 

 in the Journal of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation the committee defines medical dis- 

 coveries as being: (1) the ascertainment of 

 new facts or theorems bearing on the human 

 body in health and on the nature, prevention, 

 cure or niitigration of injuries and diseases; 

 (2) the invention of new methods or instru- 

 ments for the improvement of sanitary, med- 

 ical and surgical practise, or of scientific and 

 pathologic work. The reasons given for re- 

 warding medical discoveries are the encour- 

 agement of medical investigation and the dis- 

 charge of a moral obligation incurred by the 

 public for its use of private eft'ort. The 

 various public types of rewards are cited as: 

 titles and honors given by the state, by uni- 

 versities and other public bodies; prizes and 

 medals; patents; promotion and appoint- 

 ments; pecuniary rewards by the state. Con- 

 cerning the general principle of assessment, 

 the committee hold that, in the interests of 

 the public, all medical discoveries should if 

 possible receive some kind of acknowledgment 

 or recompense. But in view of the variable 

 conditions, nature and effects of particular 

 investigations, it will often be difficult to 

 assess the kind of recompense suitable. In 

 the first place, a distinction should be drawn 

 between comi)ensation and reward. By com- 

 pensation is meant an act of justice done to 

 reimburse losses; by reward an act of grace 

 in appreciation of services. The following 

 different cases should be considered : A. Dis- 

 coveries involving pecuniary or other loss 

 either by direct monetary sacrifice or by ex- 

 penditure of time, or by diminution of pro- 

 fessional practise, without corresponding pecu- 

 niary gains. An example is that of Jenner, 

 who occupied himself so closely with the in- 

 vestigation of vaccination that he lost most 

 of his medical practise and also a consider- 

 able sum in expenses. This was fully ac- 

 knowledge by Parliament, which granted him 

 $150,000. B. Discoveries that have increased 

 the professional emoluments of the investi- 

 gator by enhanced practise or other means. 



