534 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 301. 



pices. Everything seems favorable to the es- 

 tablishment of the Society upon a permanent 

 basis, and it only remains to take the necessary 

 steps to convert the Society into a really na- 

 tional organization with national representation. 

 The seventy-second Congress of German Blen 

 of Science and Physicians, as we have already 

 announced, met on September 17th at Aix-la- 

 Chapelle. The Congress, as we learn from the 

 British Medical Journal, contains 38 Sections ; 

 17 are devoted to more or less non-medical 

 subjects, such as natural history, geology, 

 geography, education, etc., the remaining 21 

 dealing with all the special subjects of medi- 

 cine, including balneology, accidents, history of 

 medicine and medical geography, and finally 

 veterinary matters. Several large buildings 

 are devoted to the business of the sections, 

 and there is a strong muster of about 2,000 

 German-speaking scientists, including many 

 whose names are well known outside their re- 

 spective countries. At the opening meeting 

 the usual speeches of welcome were delivered 

 by the Mayor and others, and the introductory 

 addresses this year were by arrangement de- 

 voted not only to giving a retrospect of the 

 subject, but a sketch of its development during 

 the nineteenth centurj'. Dr. J. H. van't HoflF 

 (Berlin) spoke on the ' Development of the Exact 

 Natural Sciences ' (natural history, chemistry, 

 and allied subjects). Dr. G. Hertwig (Berlin) 

 delivered an address on the ' Evolution of Biol- 

 ogy,' in which, after relating anatomical dis- 

 coveries, he came to the large question of the 

 natural origin of the organic world. He con- 

 sidered that Darwin's theories as to inheritance 

 and natural selection still rested on the uncer- 

 tain basis of hypothesis. He pointed out, how- 

 ever, that the difficulty arose from the absence 

 of sufficient prehistoric records, and expressed 

 his agreement with the opinion of Huxley that 

 Darwin's teaching as to evolution will survive, 

 apart from his principles of selection. Profes- 

 sor Naunyn (Strassburg) gave an address on the 

 'Evolution of Medicine,' connecting the progress 

 of the science with the names of the German 

 Schwann, the Frenchman Pasteur, and the 

 Englishman Lister. The fourth and last ad- 

 dress was given by Professor Chiari (Prague), 

 whose subject was the 'Evolution of Patholog- 



ical Anatomy.' As the founders of this science 

 he mentioned Morgagni, Baillie, andthelatter's 

 pupils. The sections began their work on Sep- 

 tember 18th. An exhibition of scientific appara- 

 tus, drugs, foods, etc., was held in connection 

 with the Congress. Some 300 to 400 papers 

 were announced to be read, the Congress occu- 

 pying five days in all. 



The annual meeting of the British Iron and 

 Steel Institute opened in Paris on September 

 18th and 19th under the presidency of Sir Wil- 

 liam Roberts-Austin. In addition to the ad- 

 dress by the president, there were ten papers 

 on the program. It was announced that Mr. 

 Andrew Carnegie had given to the Institute the 

 sum of £6,500 for the purpose of founding a 

 medal and scholarship to be awarded for any 

 piece of work that may be done in any works 

 or university, and to be open to either sex. 

 The details were to be left to the council of the 

 Institute to settle. Mr. William Whitwell has 

 been elected president of the Institute for the 

 next two years. 



Mr. Andrew Carnegie has intimated to the 

 Greenock Town Council his intention of pre- 

 senting £5,000 to the town to assist in the es- 

 tablishment of a free public library. 



The Philosophical Faculty of the University 

 of Gottingen has proposed the following sub- 

 ject for prizes on the Benecke Foundation : A 

 critical investigation, based upon experimental 

 research, of those complex chemical com- 

 pounds, which cannot be explained upon the 

 ordinarily received theory of valence, or can be 

 so explained only by a forced interpretation of 

 the theory. This investigation should take 

 special cognizance as to how far the phenomena 

 of molecular addition play a part in the forma- 

 tion of these compounds and as to whether it is 

 possible to formulate a comprehensive theory of 

 these complex compounds. The first prize is 

 3,400 Marks, and the second prize, 680 Marks. 

 Papers in competition must be written in a 

 modern language, and be accompanied by a 

 sealed envelope containing the name, a motto 

 on the outside of the envelope corresponding to 

 the same motto on the paper. They should be 

 sent to the Faculty of the University of Got- 

 tingen, not later than August 30, 1902. 



