JULY 9, 1897. ] 
Firth College, Sheffield.................. 1,300 
University College, Bristol.............. 1,200 
Bedford College, London.............. 1,200 
University College, Dundee............ 1,000 
DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
A PLEA FOR ‘SCIENT.’ 
To THE EDITOR OF SCIENCE: I wish to ask 
you not to use ‘Scientist’ in the pages of SctI- 
ENCE any longer, but to employ in its place the 
term ‘Scient,’ which is already well known in 
English in such compounds as ‘omniscient’ 
and ‘prescient.’ ‘Scientist’ appears to have 
been formed from ‘Science’ after the fashion of 
Artist from Art, but the ‘t’ is an unfortunate 
intruder, and the better derivative would have 
been ‘Sciencist.’ But ‘Scient’ is shorter and 
much more correct. Moreover, it is the exact 
equivalent of the French term ‘ Savant,’ which 
is frequently used in English also, but generally 
in a more or less derisive sense. Therefore, 
let us in future say ‘Scient’ (= ‘sciens,’ a man 
that knows) to which there is no possible ob- 
jection, and which is already in frequent use 
in composition. 
T. L. SCLATER. 
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, 
June 23. 
[It is easier to name a hundred species than 
to give currency to one obsolete word. The 
word ‘Scientist’ was introduced by the late 
Dr. B. A. Gould. It is not used in editorial 
contributions to this JOURNAL, but being a use- 
ful word, correctly formed (from scientia; cf., 
scientific), it bids fair to outlive its ugly associa- 
tions, perhaps more quickly in Great Britain 
than in the United States.—ED. SCIENCE. | 
SHARPENING MICROTOME KNIVES. 
SIncE Professor Minot has brought into 
prominent notice* Moll’s method of sharpening 
microtome knives, it might be of interest to call 
attention to the fact that in an earlier papery 
* ScimncE, N.S. 5, No. 127, June 4, 1897. Pp. 
865-866. 
t+ Moll, J. W., Het slijpen van microtoom-nessem, 
Botanisch Jaarboek uitg. door het Kruidundig 
Genootschap Dodonaea te Gent. 3, 1891, 541-554. 
Pl. 15; with a French résumé, pp. 554-556. (Gent, 
J. Vuylsteke. ) 
SCLENCE. 
63 
Moll describes a very useful part of the method 
which is not mentioned in the article cited by 
Professor Minot. It consists simply in the use 
of emery and water on plate glass to grind the 
knife into shape and to renew the edge when it 
has been injured in any way. After trying 
numerous abrasives, including the particular 
grades of emery used by Moll, I discovered 
that carborundum is by far the best for this 
purpose. It isso extremely hard and is sup- 
plied in such uniform grades* that it is possible 
after the knife has once been ground to shape 
to grind out a bad nick in a few minutes, which 
greatly minimizes the annoyances of cutting 
resistant tissues. After the edge has been 
smoothed as much as possible with the finest 
grade of carborundum, diamantine + is used as 
Professor Minot describes. Moll recommends 
using one side of the plate for grinding and the 
other for polishing the edge. To grind into 
shape the edge of a knife or razor as furnished 
by the manufacturer is a matter of considerable 
difficulty, and here in particular carborundum 
or emery is almost indispensable. Those possess- 
ing microtomes in which razors can be clamped 
will probably find it more convenient to obtain 
thick razors already ground to shape and with 
the superfluous part of the cutting edge removed, 
as advocated by Moll. Such razors, of good 
English manufacture, slightly hollow-ground, 
and having a cutting edge measuring about 
14-16°, are sold by P. J. Kipp & Zonen, Delft, 
Holland, for $2.50. (A glass plate mounted on 
a wooden block for sharpening the same can be 
had for $1.25.) These razors are rigid, in this 
respect very different from the thin, very 
hollow-ground ones usually found on the 
market. They have an advantage over knives 
in being more easily handled, besides being 
cheaper and easier to protect from injury when 
not in use. 
WALTER T. SWINGLE. 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
*T have used the No. 2 Carborundum of the 
‘sizes’ 220, 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes, sup- 
plied by the Carborundum Company, Monongahela 
City, Pa. 
f No. 1 pour franchir of A. Guyot-Lupold, Locle, 
Switzerland. 
