September 6, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



303 



submarine cables in the same time that 20 

 words can be sent now. Dr. Herz's inven- 

 tion would allow of cabling 50 words at a 

 cost of five cents, and would render subma- 

 rine telephony and multiplex telephony 

 feasible. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



THE NATURE OF VOWELS. 



There is one statement in Professor Le 

 Conte's letter in Science (Aug. 16th) which 

 seems to me worth further examination. He 

 writes, ' ' Now it is true that the vowels are true 

 musical tones, but it is not true that each has 

 its own pitch." 



In a paper on the voice published in the 

 Journal of Physiology, Vol. IV., 1883, I took 

 ground on this subject at variance with the view 

 set forth by Professor Le Conte at least in its 

 most rigid form. I consider his statement a 

 partial truth only. 



My paper is not at hand, so I cannot quote 

 from it, but the matter was put somewhat thus : 

 There is but one position of the vocal apparatus 

 — vocal bands and supraglottic parts — one 

 structural and functional combination so far as 

 the human vocal mechanism is concerned for 

 the perfect production of each vowel, and the 

 further this is departed from the greater the 

 deviation from this true and perfect result. It 

 will be noticed that the entire range in pitch 

 in ordinary conversation is very limited, and 

 even in the most exciting dramatic passages the 

 range covers but a few notes. Moreover, the 

 best classic music and the popular songs that 

 are most lasting and effective have a limited 

 range, all of which is a matter of considerable 

 significance, but part of that significance is 

 owing to the fact that the proper production of 

 the vowels in their purity is determined as I 

 have indicated ; and the poet, orator, actor, 

 singer or composer who recognizes this principle 

 will prove so far as this can go most successful. 

 Compare such words as 'roar' and 'scream.' 

 What effect would ' roar ' produce if spoken or 

 sung at a very high pitch or ' scream ' at a very 

 low pitch ? 



Now, if any one doubts as to this let him 

 make the simple test of singing the vowels o. 



VI, a, at his highest pitch, and at the same time 

 require some listener to name the vowel he is 

 attempting to produce. I venture to say that 

 there will be some very ludicrous answers, and 

 I think the majority of persons will be con- 

 vinced then that pitch does go a long way in 

 the proper production of vowels. That some- 

 thing more or less like them may be produced 

 at different points in the scale I do not question 

 and, of course, we accept in practice these de- 

 partures from the proper vocal effect or best re- 

 sult if not too great. Wesley Mills. 

 Physiological Laboratory, 



McGiLL University, Montreal. 



THE ' date of publication ' IN THE LIGHT 

 OF THE LAW OF PRIORITY. 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, in common with its sister or- 

 ganizations in Europe and in Australasia, has 

 repeatedly had occasion to consider the question 

 of scientific nomenclature ; and as a result of 

 many deliberations, zoologists have practically 

 agreed upon a code of rules, which have now 

 been adopted by the International Congress and 

 should be followed by every worker. These 

 rules, as well as their predecessors, contain the 

 so-called law of priority ; and in consequence, 

 the entire structure is made to depend on last 

 analysis upon the ' Date of Publication.' How 

 important it is then to define exactly what is 

 meant by this term ! 



The present rules, adopted by the Interna- 

 tional Congress through the initiative of Dr. 

 Raph. Blanchard, show a distinct advance in 

 that they declare that the date at which a paper 

 is read before a learned society does not con- 

 stitute publication in the sense of this law. A 

 thing to be published must be printed. Some 

 still maintain that a meijioir is published as soon 

 as it leaves the hands of the author after the 

 last corrections have been made upon it. I am 

 even told that this is the ruling in certain legal 

 cases — patents and the like. It is, however, a 

 date which is in practice impossible to establish, 

 and is consequently wholly unfitted for such a 

 code of rules. These rules are confessedly arbi- 

 trary to a certain extent, and it is by no means 

 necessary that we should avoid setting up a 

 somewhat artificial rule in this case as well. 



