SCIE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Friday, November 24, 1905. 



CONTENTS. 



The Relation of Physical Chemistry to Physics 

 and Chemistry: Peofessok J. H. van't 

 HoFF 649 



The Problem of Renal Fxmction: Professor 

 Hans Meyer 654 



The Evolution of S-pecies through Climatic 

 Conditions: Dr. J. A. Allen 661 



Scientific Books: — 



Weis7nan7i on The Evolution Theory: Pro- 

 fessor W. E. Castle. Smith's Bacteria in 

 Relation to Plant Diseases: Professor 

 Charles E. Bessey 668 



Scientific Journals and Articles 670 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Central Association of Science and 

 Mathematics Teacliers: 0. W. Caldwell, C. 

 M. TuRTON. The Onondaga Academy of 

 Science: Dr. Philip F. Schneider 671 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Honorary Degrees: Professor William 

 Trei^ase 073 



Special Articles: — 



The Origin of Black Sheep in the Flock: 

 Dr. C. B. Davenport. Phototropism on the 

 Larval and Early Adolescent Stages of 

 Homarus Americanus : Dr. Philip B. Had- 

 ley. An Illustration of the Use of the 

 Wire Basket Method for Soil Testing: 

 Frank D. Gardner. Observations on Color 

 Perception among the Visayans of Leyte 

 Island, P. I.: Dr. William A. I^pner... 674 



The National Academy of Sciences 683 



The Geological Society of America 683 



The Royal Society's Medals 683 



Meeting of the Trustees of the Carnegie 

 Foundation 684 



Scientific Notes and Netvs 684 



University and Educational Netvs 687 



MSS. inteiided for publication aud books, etc., intended 

 tor review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garri- 

 son-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



THE RELATION OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY 

 TO PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY.^ 



According to the program, I have to 

 consider the 'General Principles and 

 Fundamental Conceptions which connect 

 Physical Chemistry with the Related Sci- 

 ences, reviewing in this Way the Develop- 

 ment of the Science in Question itself.' 



Let me begin by defining physical chem- 

 istry as the science devoted to the introduc- 

 tion of physical knowledge into chemistry, 

 with the aim of being useful to the latter. 

 On this basis I can limit my task to the 

 relations of physical chemistry to the two 

 sciences it unites, chemistry and physics. 



But even if I limit myself to these rela- 

 tions, which are not the only two,^ I wish 

 to restrict myself yet more, in order, in the 

 spirit of this congress, to call your atten- 

 tion to broad views. So I shall follow up 

 only two lines, in answering two questions 

 regarding two fundamental problems in 

 chemistry: (1) What has physical chem- 

 istry done for our ideas concerning matter ? 

 (2) What has it done for our ideas con- 

 cerning affinity? 



The small table which I have the honor 

 to put before you will enable us to answer 

 these questions by appeal to the scientific 

 development of our science, which also I 

 have to review : 



I. ideas concerning MATTER. 



1. Lavoisier, Dalton (1808), 



2. Gay-Liissac, Avogadro (1811). 



^ Read before the International Congress of Arts 

 and Science. 



- In Chicago I devoted to this subject eight lec- 

 tures, which have since appeared in the Decennial 

 Publications under the title ' Physical Chemistry 

 in the Service of tlie Sciences,' Chicago, 1903. 



