October 25, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



557 



Dr. F. E. Miller has been appointed lec- 

 turer in physiology in McGill University. 



Mr. R. E. Stone has been appointed lec- 

 turer in the botanical department of the On- 

 tario Agricultural College. 



Mr. W. H. Mills, M.A., of Jesus College, 

 has been appointed demonstrator to the Jack- 

 sonian professor of natural experimental phi- 

 losophy at Cambridge University in place of 

 the late Mr. H. 0. Jones. 



DISCUSSION AND COBBESPONDENCE 

 " theoretical astronomy " 



To THE Editor of Science: Referring to 

 Professor MacMillan's review of Buchholz's 

 Klinkerfues's " Theoretisehe Astronomie," in 

 Science for September 6: 



Professor MacMillan objects to Klinker- 

 fues's limitation of the title " Theoretical 

 Astronomy " to the theory and practise of 

 orbit determinations, and the great majority 

 of astronomers will certainly agree that this 

 is illogical and unfortunate; but is not Pro- 

 fessor MacMillan's application of the term 

 " Computational Astronomy " to the same field 

 even more illogical and unfortunate? The 

 computational side in many other branches of 

 astronomical endeavor is as extensive, both 

 relatively and absolutely, as in that of orbit 

 determinations. To illustrate : Studies of the 

 solar corona, of atmospheric refraction, of the 

 motion of the solar system, of Algol variable 

 Stars, of the evolution of double stars, of cos- 

 mogony in general, and so on almost indefini- 

 tely, have both theoretical and computational 

 sides; and who is wise enough to say which 

 side in any of the subjects mentioned will be 

 the predominant one in the future? 



Can we do better at present than to continue 

 the already extensive use of Gauss's title, 

 " Theorie der Bewegung der Himmelskorper," 

 and of Oppolzer's title, " Lehrbueh zur Bahn- 

 bestimmung " ? 



Again, does not Professor MacMillan's 

 characterization of this subject as the " book- 

 keeping " of astronomical science convey an 

 unfortunate impression ? The subject received 

 the best efforts of Kepler, Gauss, Gibers, Op- 



polzer, and many others; and advances made 

 during the present generation give promise 

 that this field is worthy of the highest abilities 

 of astronomers to come. Could we not, with 

 equal justification, include in the " bookkeep- 

 ing " of astronomy essentially all studies of 

 double stars, of variable stars, of spectroscopic 

 binary stars, of stellar positions and proper 

 motions, of stellar radial velocities, of sunspot 

 spectra, and so on through a long list? 



W. W. Campbell 

 Mt. Hamilton, , 

 September 18, 1912 



the unanimous vote rule in the interna- 

 tional commission on zoological 

 nomenclature 



The central branch of the American Society 

 of Zoologists unanimously adopted the report 

 of its committee on nomenclature' containing 

 the following: 



All propositions for amendments to rules on 

 nomenolature which are approved by a majority 

 of the International Commission on Nomenclature 

 shall be submitted to the International Congress 

 for decision by vote in open meeting. 



It is not the purpose of the present com- 

 munication to influence any person's mind 

 for or against the foregoing resolution, which 

 is practically identical with a proposition that 

 has recently arisen in Austria. A brief state- 

 ment of the origin of the present method of 

 procedure may, however, be interesting to some 

 zoologists who desire a change in the methods. 



The International Commission on Zoolog- 

 ical Nomenclature was appointed in 1895. For 

 three years it studied the subjects submitted 

 to it, its members coming together at their 

 own expense from five different countries in a 

 meeting of nearly a week's duration some 

 months prior to the meeting of the Congress. 

 The Commission was unanimous upon a num- 

 ber of propositions, but was divided upon 

 several others. Upon the latter propositions 

 majority and minority reports were submitted. 



At the next meeting of the Zoological Con- 

 gress the Commission was prepared to submit 

 its formal report, but learned that no place on 



'See Science, 1912, June 14, pp. 933-934. 



