﻿240 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  A 
  striking 
  statement, 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  investigators 
  

   in 
  this 
  field, 
  is 
  that 
  any 
  and 
  every 
  treatment 
  with 
  reagents 
  modi- 
  

   fies 
  the 
  constitution 
  of 
  cellulose. 
  This 
  is 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  produced 
  

   even 
  by 
  contact 
  with 
  water. 
  Consequently, 
  the 
  normal 
  standard 
  

   of 
  purity 
  is 
  defined 
  as 
  cellulose 
  purified 
  by 
  the 
  ascertained 
  

   minimum 
  of 
  action 
  upon 
  the 
  cellulose 
  itself. 
  Subsequent 
  para- 
  

   graphs 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  anhydro-acetates, 
  the 
  decom- 
  

   position 
  of 
  cellulose 
  by 
  oxidation 
  with 
  ozone 
  and 
  by 
  heat, 
  and 
  

   the 
  relation 
  of 
  physical 
  properties 
  to 
  internal 
  structure. 
  Recent 
  

   work 
  on 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  lignocellulose 
  decomposition 
  is 
  taken 
  

   as 
  confirmation 
  of 
  the 
  lignocellulose 
  complex 
  previously 
  formu- 
  

   lated 
  by 
  the 
  authors. 
  The 
  chapter 
  closes 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  brief 
  

   remarks 
  on 
  technical 
  progress 
  during 
  the 
  war. 
  

  

  H. 
  D. 
  HOOKER, 
  JR. 
  

  

  5. 
  Board 
  of 
  Scientific 
  Advice 
  for 
  India. 
  Annual 
  Report 
  for 
  

   the 
  Year 
  1916-1917. 
  Pp. 
  172. 
  Calcutta, 
  1918.— 
  The 
  work 
  dis- 
  

   cussed 
  in 
  the 
  numerous 
  brief 
  articles 
  in 
  this 
  volume 
  shows 
  the 
  

   influence 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  in 
  many 
  directions.. 
  It 
  is 
  mentioned 
  that 
  

   the 
  fall 
  of 
  three 
  new 
  chondritic 
  meteorites 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  

   during 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  Obituary. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Edward 
  Charles 
  Pickering, 
  professor 
  of 
  astronomy 
  

   in 
  Harvard 
  University 
  and 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  Harvard 
  College 
  

   Observatory, 
  died 
  on 
  February 
  3 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  seventy-two 
  

   years. 
  He 
  had 
  held 
  his 
  position 
  as 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  Observatory 
  

   since 
  1876 
  and, 
  largely 
  through 
  his 
  efforts, 
  its 
  scientific 
  results 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  its 
  financial 
  income 
  had 
  been 
  increased 
  many 
  times. 
  

   He 
  studied 
  particularly 
  the 
  intensity 
  of 
  light 
  and 
  spectra 
  of 
  

   the 
  stars, 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  meridian 
  photometer, 
  devised 
  by 
  

   him, 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  1,400,000 
  stars 
  has 
  been 
  measured. 
  An 
  

   enterprise 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  also 
  especially 
  interested 
  was 
  the 
  

   establishment 
  of 
  a 
  Southern 
  station 
  at 
  Arequipa, 
  Peru, 
  thus 
  

   extending 
  the 
  work 
  from 
  pole 
  to 
  pole. 
  He 
  received 
  many 
  

   honors 
  in 
  medals 
  and 
  other 
  forms, 
  and 
  was 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  scientific 
  academies 
  and 
  societies 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  

   abroad. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  W. 
  Marshall 
  Watts, 
  distinguished 
  for 
  his 
  work 
  in 
  

   spectroscopy, 
  died 
  on 
  January 
  13 
  in 
  his 
  seventy-fifth 
  year. 
  

  

  M. 
  Marcel 
  Deprez, 
  the 
  eminent 
  French 
  electrician, 
  died 
  on 
  

   October 
  18 
  last. 
  He 
  was 
  elected 
  professor 
  of 
  industrial 
  elec- 
  

   tricity 
  at 
  the 
  Conservatoire 
  des 
  Arts 
  et 
  Metiers 
  in 
  1890, 
  and 
  his 
  

   contributions 
  to 
  Uiis 
  department 
  were 
  very 
  numerous 
  and 
  of 
  

   a 
  high 
  order. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Benri 
  E. 
  J. 
  G. 
  DuBois, 
  well 
  known 
  for 
  his 
  important 
  

   work 
  in 
  magneto-optics, 
  the 
  magnetic 
  circuit 
  and 
  related 
  sub- 
  

   jects, 
  died 
  at 
  Utrecht, 
  Holland, 
  on 
  October 
  21 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  

   fifty-five 
  years. 
  

  

  