SCIENCE 



Editoeial Committee : S. Newcomb, Mathematics ; R. S. Woodwaed, Mechanics ; E. C. Pickering, 



Astronomy; T. C. Mendenhall, Physics; E. H. Thukston, Engineering; IKA Eemsen, Chemistry; 



J. Le Conte, Geology; "W. M. Davis, Physiography; O. C. Maesh, Paleontology; W. K. 



Beooks, C. Haet Meeeiam, Zoology; S. H. Scuddee, Entomology; N. L. Beitton, 



Botany; Heney F. Osboen, General Biology; H. P. Bowditch, Physiology; 



J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; J. McKeen Cattell, Psychology ; 



Daniel G. Beinton, J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Friday, October 2, 1896. 



CONTENTS: 



The American Association for the Advancement of 



Science : — 



Address of the Vice-President before Section C. — 

 Chemistry — The Achievements of Physical Chemis- 

 try: W. A. Noyes 461 



Section C. — Chemistry: F. P. Venable, Chas. 



H. Heety 470 



Address of the Vice-President before Section H. — 

 Anthropology — Emblematic Use of the Tree in the 

 Dakotan Group: Alice C. Fletchee 475 



Current Notes on Anthropology : — 

 American Linguistics ; Primitive Psychology : D. 

 G. Beinton 488 



Current Notes on Meteorology : — 

 A Tornado in Argentina; Atmospheric Dust Ob- 

 servations ; Recent Kite-flying at Blue Hill Obser- 

 vatory : E. Dec. Waed 488 



Scientific Notes and News : — 



A British National Physical Laboratory; Recent 

 Geographical Exploratian; The University Scien- 

 tific Magazine : E. H. T. Inorganic Chemistry : 

 J. L. H. General 490 



University and Educational News 496 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



Geology in the Colleges and Universities of the 

 United States : Feedeeic W. Simonds. On a 

 Supposed Immediate Effect of Pollen : Heebeet 

 J. Webbee. The Definition of Civil Engineer- 

 ing : F. O. Maevin 497 



Scientific Literature : — 

 Sully^s Studies of Childhood: John Dewey. 

 ■Tyler^s Whence and WJiither of Man : E. G. 

 CONKLIN 500 



Scientific Journals : — 



TTie Astrophysical Journal ; The Monist 503 



MSS. intended tor publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor. Prof. J. 

 McKeen Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE 

 ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



THE ACHIEVE3IENTS OF PHYSICAL 

 CHEMISTRY.* 



'■ Physical chemistry is the chemistry of 

 the future.' These words, quoted from an 

 address by Prof. Du Bois-Eeymond, were 

 used by Ostwald ten years ago in the intro- 

 duction to the first number of the Zeitschrift 

 fur physikalische Chemie. In using these 

 words Du Bois-Keymond looked forward to 

 a time when it shall be possible to give a 

 mathematical expression to all forms of 

 chemical knowledge. The picture in his 

 mind seems to have been that of a sort of 

 astronomy of the atoms, in which the mo- 

 tions and forces within the molecules shall 

 be known very much as are the motions 

 and forces within the planetary system. 



So far as any practical realization is con- 

 cerned, the thought is still only a poetic 

 fancy, and whatever progress, if any, may 

 have been made, comes to us from organic 

 rather than from physical chemistry. In- 

 deed, it seems to have become the fashion 

 on the part of several leaders in physical 

 chemistry to speak slightingly of the atomic 

 and molecular theories. Their thought 

 appears to be that it would be better to 

 confine ourselves to the purely empirical 

 and mathematical concept of the atom and 

 molecule and leave the idea of particles 



* Address by the Vice-President before Section C — 

 Chemistry. 



