298 SCIENCE. 
has been circulated with the other schemes by 
the Royal Society ; but one has been prepared. 
The present writer was asked by Professor 
Michael Foster to cooperate with Mr. Stout, 
the editor of Mind, who has been selected as 
the British representative of psychology. Mr. 
Stout prepared a detailed classification, which 
was extensively revised by my colleague, Pro- 
fessor Warren (the compiler of The Psychological 
Index) and myself. Our suggestions were all 
accepted by Mr. Stout and the schedule has 
been printed, a single copy reaching me some 
weeks ago. I know no reason for the failure of 
the committee to circulate it. 
J. Mark BALDWIN. 
PRINCETON, August 16th. 
THE schedule for psychology was not pre- 
sented to the Committee of Columbia University 
requested to report upon the plans. Neither, 
as I am informed, has it subsequently been sent 
to the responsible editor of ScrENCE, to the 
editor at present responsible for the Psycholog- 
ical Review and Index or to the professor of psy- 
chology of Columbia University. The proceed- 
ings of the Conferences on an International 
Catalogue of Scientific Literature appear to 
have been held in secret and concealed long 
thereafter. SCIENCE is, so far as I am aware, 
the only journal in the world that has given an 
adequate account of the conferences or extended 
reviews and criticisms of the plans. There is 
doubtless some reason for the methods of the 
Royal Society, but if the catalogue is to be be- 
gun with international assistance at the begin- 
ning of next year it is time that the explana- 
tion should be forthcoming. 
J. McKEEN CATTELL, 
POT-HOLE VS. REMOLINO. 
To THE EpiTor oF SCIENCE: If more room 
can be spdred for the discussion of so inconse- 
quential a matter, may I say that a sufficient 
argument against the adoption of the word 
‘Remolino ’ lies in the fact that it is not needed. 
The term ‘ Pot-hole’ is with us, and, whatever 
its origin, its meaning is plain. There is no 
more cause for substituting a Spanish word 
here than for the substitution of the Spanish 
language for the English as a whole. One can 
[N.S. Von. X. No. 244. 
but be reminded of the ridiculous attempts at 
substituting French names for good old Ameri- 
can and English dishes on the bills of fare in 
many of our restaurants and hotels. 
GEORGE P. MERRILL, 
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, U. 8. Nat. MusEuM. 
NOTES ON PHYSICS. 
THE TRANSMISSION OF LIGHT THROUGH ABSORB- 
ING MEDIA. 
PROFESSOR OLIVER LODGE, in his presidential 
address before the London Physical Society,* 
gives a historical sketch of the theory of the 
passage of light through absorbing media 
(opacity), the subject being brought down to 
date ; in fact, Professor Lodge discusses some of 
Heaviside’s results which are as yet unpub- 
lished. Those who are interested in the subject 
will find the address most interesting and in- 
structive ; it cannot, of course, be abstracted. 
W. Voigt, in Wied. Ann. 1899, No. 7, gives 
a general solution of the equation of wave 
propagation in an absorbing medium. This so- 
lution is identical in form to the solution of the 
‘telegraph equation,’ so-called, which expresses 
the attenuation and variation of form of a tele- 
graph signal. Voigt refers to Poincaré and 
Picard as having discussed this subject of tele- 
graph signalling and of light transmission 
through absorbing media. 
Readers of English cannot hold Voigt, Poin- 
caré and Picard seriously responsible for their 
ignorance of the fact that this whole subject of 
light transmission through absorbing media 
and of telegraph signals has been very com- 
pletely worked out by Heaviside, for probably 
avery few English readers are familiar with 
his remarkable work. Professor Lodge’s presi- 
dential address, mentioned above, is almost 
wholly devoted to the discussion of Heavi- 
side’s work, apparently because of its pre- 
ponderating importance and exceeding sim- 
plicity. 
Lodge gives, in his address, the steps in the 
solution of the equation of wave propagation in 
an absorbing medium (Heaviside, 1887), which, 
compared with Voigt’s solution, is simplicity 
itself. 
* Proceedings of Phys. Soc., XVI., pp. 351-386. 
