340 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. i 



Biological Station. The objects of the bu- 

 reau, according to the prospectus as quoted in 

 Nature are twofold: (1) to compile a bibliog- 

 raphy of all works dealing with the biology 

 of the European seas, and (2) to establish a 

 marine biological station of a movable char- 

 acter with adequate staff, but relatively simple 

 and inexpensive equipment, to work at faun- 

 istic problems at one or two points on the 

 coast, with no reference to any question of 

 their possible economic importance. 



Consul Thomas H. Norton, of Chemnitz, 

 furnishes the following statistics concerning 

 the attendance of students at German univer- 

 sities: The total number of matriculated stu- 

 dents during the current semester (July) is 

 54,845, which includes 2,169 women, as com- 

 pared with 51,700 during the summer of 1909, 

 and 33,700 in 1900. In addition, mention 

 should be made of the non-matriculated, who 

 are entitled to attend lectures, etc., in the 

 capacity of " listeners " or guests, which num- 

 ber 2,686 men and 1,226 women, and which 

 bring the actual attendance up to 58,757. The 

 following division of students, according to 

 the class of studies pursued, shows certain 

 tendencies now affecting the professional 

 classes of the empire : 



Class 1909 1910 



Philosophy, philology, historj-, etc. 13,911 15.475 



Medicine 9,462 10,682 



Mathematics, science, etc 7,385 7,937 



Political economy, fiscal science . . 2,198 2,405 



Dentistry 1,238 1,264 



Theology: 



Catholic 1.776 1,840 



Protestant 2,398 2,507 



Law 11,657 11,323 



Pharmacy 1,454 1,147 



Unclassified 231 265 



Totals 51,700 54,845 



In the last two divisions alone is a retrograde 

 movement visible. A standstill in the number 

 of students of Protestant theology, which has 

 existed for several years, seems now to be over- 

 come. The rapid increase in the number of 

 medical students (from 6,000 in 1908) causes 

 much comment in Germany, where the profes- 



sion is overcrowded. The twenty-one univer- 

 sities are classified as follows by attendance: 

 Berlin, 7,902; Munich, 6,890; Leipzig, 4,592; 

 Bonn, 4,070; Freiburg, 2,884; Halle, 2,451; 

 Breslau, 2,432; Heidelberg, 2,413; Gottingen, 

 2,353; Marburg, 2,192; Tiibingen, 2,061; 

 Miinster, 2,007; Strassburg, 1,964; Jena, 

 1,817; Kiel, 1,760; Wiirzburg, 1,429; Konigs- 

 berg, 1,381; Giessen, 1,334; Erlangen, 1,050; 

 Greifswald, 1,029; Eostoek, 834; total, 54,845. 



A CABLEGRAM has been received at the Har- 

 vard College Observatory from Kiel, stating 

 that D'Arrest's comet was observed by M. F. 

 Gonnissiat, director of the Algiers Observatory, 

 on August 26.3892, 1910, G. M. T. in the fol- 

 lowing position: R. A. 16" 48"° 25'.3 ; Dec. 

 — 9° 42' 50". Visible in a large telescope. 



The following courses in illustration of 

 recent progress in various departments of 

 physical investigation will be delivered at the 

 Eoyal College of Science (Imperial College of 

 Science and Technology), South Kensington, 

 during the autumn: About ten lectures on 

 " Color Vision," by Sir William De W. Abney, 

 K.C.B., F.R.S., beginning on Tuesday, No- 

 vember 8 ; about ten lectures on " Spectros- 

 copy," by Assistant Professor A. Fowler, 

 F.E.S., beginning on October 10 ; about ten 

 lectures on " The Internal-combustion En- 

 gine, illustrated by a Study of the Indicator 

 Diagram," by Dr. W. Watson, F.R.S., begin- 

 ning on October 13 ; about nine lectures on 

 " Radio-activity and Electric Discharge," by 

 Professor R. J. Strutt, F.R.S. The following 

 courses, of about ten lectures each, will be 

 given (details to be announced later) : 

 " Measurement of High Temperatures, and 

 Optical Pyrometry," by Professor H. L. 

 Callendar, F.R.S. ; " Magnetic Properties of 

 Metals and Alloys," by Dr. S. W. J. Smith. 



From the report of the medical bureau of 

 the Prussian department of education on the 

 public health for 1908, as abstracted in the 

 Journal of the American Medical Association, 

 the number of births in Prussia was 1,308,283, 

 an absolute increase of 9,902 over the previous 

 year. Of these, 38,884 were stillborn, an in- 

 crease of 229 over the previous year. The 



