68 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VII. No. 1203 



its cliairman since 1901, died in PMladelphia 

 on January 1, aged seventy years. 



The death is announced of Professor G. P. 

 Girdwood, professor of cliemistry in McGill 

 University. He v^as born in London in 1832 

 and took up medical practise in Montreal in 

 1864. From 1872 to 1902, he was professor of 

 cliemistry in the faculty of medicine. 



"W. J. E. PoAKES, late chief government in- 

 spector of Explosives for Cape Colony, has 

 died in London. 



Tuberculosis and war were discussed at a 

 national conference of experts in connection 

 with the annual meeting of the board of di- 

 rectors of the ITational Jewish Hospital for 

 Consumptives at the Hotel Savoy, ISTew York, 

 on January 13. Addresses were made by 

 Jane Addams, of Hull House, Chicago; Dr. 

 Herman M. Biggs, state commissioner of 

 health; Colonel G. E. BushneU, of the Sur- 

 geon-General's Departihent; Colonel D. TJ. 

 Dercle, representing the Medical Department 

 of the Prench Government; Dr. John H. 

 Finley, commissioner of education of the State 

 of New York, and Dr. Charles J. Hatfield, ex- 

 ecutive secretary of the National Association 

 for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis. 



A Ministry of Public Health and Social 

 Welfare has been constituted for Austria with 

 Dr. Baernreither as the first minister. It is to 

 supervise the care of war invalids, to combat 

 war diseases, and to centralize pre-existing, 

 uncoordinated departments of public health 

 and sociology. It is to have the care also of 

 the dependents of fallen soldiers, infant wel- 

 fare, housing and insurance. 



In consequence of strong protests, the 

 British War Cabinet wiU reconsider its pro- 

 posal to take over the British Museum for the 

 use of the Air Board. According to cable- 

 grams to the press the Times prints an edi- 

 torial and also many letters against the pro- 

 posal. Other newspapers also raise a vigor- 

 our outcry against the appropriation of the 

 museum, declaring it " preposterous," " a seri- 

 ous scandal," and an " unjustifiable act of 

 vandalism." The Manchester Guardian says 

 that the suggestion to take over the building 



is an incredible outrage, which should never be 

 suffered while there remains a hotel, a private 

 mansion, or, if need be, a royal palace that 

 can be commandeered. Sir John E. Sandys, 

 public orator in Cambridge University, has 

 written a vigorous letter of protest. He 

 pointed out that it would be impossible to re- 

 move more than a fraction of the valuable 

 contents of the museum and that what was 

 left probably would be damaged by ill-usage. 

 Sir John also referred to the fire risk of the 

 new occupancy, and, moreover, that the build- 

 ing, whose treasures are the envy of Germany, 

 had not as yet been attacked from the air. 

 He feared, however, that when the air board 

 was installed there it would be regarded as the 

 legitimate object of an enemy attack. 



The reappearance of Encke's comet was re- 

 ported on January 4 in a dispatch to the Har- 

 vard College Observatory from Copenhagen. 

 The position was given as follows: Eight as- 

 cension, 22 hours 59 minues 49 seconds; dec- 

 lination, north 3 degrees 17 minutes 35 sec- 

 onds. The comet was observed by Professor 

 Schorr of the Bergedorf Observatory on the 

 evening of December 30. 



The late G. P. Melville, an Edinburgh advo- 

 cate, has made a bequest of about £250,000, the 

 income of which is to be used ultimately for 

 the care and ciire of cancer under a special 

 trust which he has established. 



After the adjournment of the meeting of 

 the Geological Society of America held in St. 

 Louis, December 27 to 29, an excursion was 

 conducted to the southeastern Missouri Lead 

 District, under the direction of Professor W. 

 A. Tarr, of the University of Missouri. The 

 occurrences of the lead ore at Flat River were 

 first studied, the party spending considerable 

 time underground investigating the workings 

 of the Federal Lead Company. Mine La 

 Motte and the North American Mine in the 

 vicinity of Fredericton were also visited. 

 The party included Professors E. M. Bagg 

 (Lawrence College), A. P. Coleman (Univer- 

 sity of Toronto), C. W. Knight (assistant 

 provincial geologist of Ontario), E. H. Kraus 

 (University of Michigan), T. E. Yan Horn 

 (Case School of Science), L. G. Westgate 



