346 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 611. 



at the bottom, hanging over the city. The 

 morning was clear and mild, and no other 

 cloud was in sight. Cumulus clouds over fires 

 have frequently been observed, and they have 

 several times received mention in these col- 

 umns (see Science, V., N. S., 1897, 60-61, for 

 a good illustration of a cumulus cloud thus 

 formed). R. DeC. Ward. 



Harvard University, 



PROPOSED UNION OF MEDICAL SOCIETIES 

 IN LONDON} 



A MEETING of the General Committee of 

 Eepresentatives of Medical Societies in Lon- 

 don was held on July 17 to consider the report 

 of the organizing committee. 



Sir William Church, who was in the chair, 

 pointed out that at the first meeting of the 

 members of societies, which was held at the 

 Eoyal College of Physicians in 1905, the feasi- 

 bility of union was considered, and that as the 

 outcome of the opinions expressed at that 

 meeting a committee of representatives of the 

 various societies was appointed. The com- 

 mittee of representatives appointed an execu- 

 tive committee to go more thoroughly into the 

 feasibility of union and to outline some 

 scheme of union if such were thought possible. 

 This executive committee reported that a 

 union was feasible on certain lines, and its 

 report was confirmed by the committee of 

 representatives on July 19, 1905. With that 

 report the executive committee's work came to 

 an end, and an organizing committee was ap- 

 pointed to draw up a definite and, as far as 

 possible, a detailed scheme of union. This 

 scheme was before the meeting, and if ap- 

 proved would be sent to the societies to act 

 upon or not as they thought fit. Those socie- 

 ties which approved of the report and decided 

 to join the proposed union would be asked to 

 appoint a representative before December 7 

 next to sit upon a committee which would act 

 as the first council of the new society and deal 

 with the necessary details of amalgamation. 



The report recommended that all male mem- 

 bers of those societies which took part in the 

 amalgamation should be permitted to join the 



^ From The British Medical Journal. 



new society on its formation as members or 

 fellows without election, and that all women 

 members of a society taking part in the amal- 

 gamation should become members of the cor- 

 responding section or sections of the new so- 

 ciety. It was further recommended that the 

 society should consist of the following sections 

 which represented existing societies, but that 

 the new society should have power to add new 

 sections : 



1. Anaesthetic. 



2. Balneological and Climatological. 



3. Clinical. 



4. Dermatological. 



5. Diseases of Children. 



6. Electro- Therapeutical. 



7. Epidemiological. 



8. Laryngological. 



9. Life Insurance. 



10. Medical. 



11. Neurological. 



12. Obstetrical and Gynaecological. 



13. Odontological. 



14. Ophthalmological. 



15. Otologieal. 



16. Pathological. 



17. Surgical. 



18. Therapeutical. 



It was hoped that in the early future an 

 anatomical and physiological section and a 

 section of preventive medicine might be 

 formed. The Medico-Psychological Associa- 

 tion and Medico-Legal Society hoped to join 

 the new society at some future date. It was 

 recommended that each section should be self- 

 governing as far as possible, and should have 

 direct representatives on the council of the 

 society and on the editorial committee, but 

 that its expenditure should be subject to the 

 control of the finance committee of the general 

 council. The general management of the so- 

 ciety would be under the control of a general 

 council consisting of the president, the presi- 

 dents of the various sections, two treasurers, 

 two librarians, two secretaries and eight other 

 fellows. 



CHEAPER LIQUID AIR. 

 According to a consular report recent ex- 

 periments in England of an invention by 

 Mr. Knudsen, a Dane, furnished liquid air at 



