436 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 1322 



geology and mineralogy in tte University of 

 Dublin. Professor Gilbert Waterbonse, LL.D., 

 professor of German in Dublin University, is 

 to be tbe secretary to the commisson. Tbe 

 commission will investigate the administra- 

 tion of tbe existing financial resources, and 

 also tbe constitution both of tbe university 

 and of Trinity College, and may make interim 

 reports if it wisbes to do so. 



Dr. L. D. Coffman, bead of tbe department 

 of education at the University of Minnesota, 

 has been elected president of the university 

 to succeed Dr. Marion L. Burton, who is pres- 

 ident-elect of the University of Michigan. 



The trustees of the Peking Union Medical 

 College, Peking, China, announce the resigna- 

 tion of Dr. Franklin C. McLean as director 

 of tbe college, and tbe appointment of Dr. 

 Henry S. Houghton, formerly dean of the 

 Harvard Medical School of China, at Shang- 

 hai, as acting director. Dr. McLean retires 

 from the directorship in order to devote him- 

 self to tbe professional work of the depart- 

 ment of medicine of the Peking College of 

 which he is professor and head. 



Dr. Lawson G. Lowery, for three years 

 chief medical officer of the Boston Psycho- 

 pathic Hospital, has been apxx)inted assistant 

 professor in the psychopathic hospital of the 

 University of Iowa. 



Dr. J. B. Cleland has been appointed to tbe 

 newly created chair of pathology in tbe Ade- 

 laide University, South Australia. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE 



UNIFICATION OF SYMBOLS AND DIAGRAMS 



The recent attempts to unify the mathe- 

 matical symbols used in physics and chem- 

 istry are probably approved, in principle, by 

 practically every one. They have stimulated 

 and guided a large amount of voluntary effort 

 and cooperation. Their complete recognition 

 and adoption has been hindered by tbe diffi- 

 culty of getting any one system to satisfy tbe 

 very varied requirements and personal prefer- 

 ences involved. 



These two facts suggest, first, a further 

 field for the applying of imifying methods. 



and second, an advantageous way of making 

 tbe application. The field is the great nima- 

 ber of special or minor subjects; such as 

 electron tubes, radio work, gas theory, calori- 

 metry. The notations used in most of these 

 would be better if more nearly tinified; and 

 this could much more easily be brought about 

 if each subject is treated as deserving a nota- 

 tion of its own, founded on tbe general 

 scheme, but having also a special development. 

 Such a treatment of the special topics would 

 probably help solve the confl.icts which impede 

 the general scheme also. 



A jKDBsible advantageous method of getting 

 tbe work done is for tbe committees in charge 

 to act more or less as referees, allowing tbe 

 authors of new papers to do a good deal of 

 tbe work and even to furnish much of tbe 

 initiative. Most scientific workers seem to be 

 strongly of tbe opinion that imification in 

 these nimierous subjects is desirable, but 

 among those who would most naturally be 

 expected to take the lead there is a lively ap- 

 preciation of the work and difficulties in- 

 volved. These obstacles should be diminished 

 by the plan here suggested. It really puts tbe 

 committee in a position just opposite to that 

 which similar committees have usually held. 

 Instead of canvassing tbe whole field and sub- 

 mitting a complete system to be judged by 

 others, the committee would have the final 

 judgment, and the constructive part would be 

 done mainly by active workers specially inter- 

 ested in each different subject, and specially 

 familiar with it. It might be that each 

 decision of tbe committee, like tbe decision 

 of a court, would apply to a single ease sub- 

 mitted to it, that is, to a single paper. Fre- 

 quently, then, a brief might be submitted by 

 tbe author, giving reasons for the desired 

 selection of symbols, and some review of those 

 used by previous writers in the same subject 

 and in those allied to it. The method would 

 thus be flexible and tbe results capable of 

 modification, though as a rule after one im- 

 portant paper had been passed upon there 

 would be very little more work for the com- 

 mittee in that particular subject. 



Whether any such general plan as that just 



