Scientific and Technical Books in Great Britaindoi: 10.1038/164677a0pmid: N/A
THE adjournment debate on September 27 in the House of Commons on the licensing of the import of books brought no hope of early relief ; but it is at least satisfactory to find that protests are still being made against the handicap which the licensing system place on scientific technical work. It has since been announced in the Press that the Economic Co-operation Administration has approved the purchase of American technological books and publications costing 22,500 dollars for use by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and by affiliated industrial research associations. It may be true, as the Secretary for Overseas Trade stated in the debate, that the balance of payments situation prevents the abolition of the licensing system at the moment ; but his reference to the present allowance of 200 per cent by value of the pre-war imports of learned scientific and technical books took no account of the fact that prices had already approximately doubled even before the devaluation of the pound further increased them. Still less did it have regard to the fact that an allowance roughly pre-war in quantity has to serve the needs of workers on whose activities in research and development and at the universities the Government is now spending at the rate of more than £100,000,000 a year instead of £4,000,000, quite apart from the expansion in private industry.
International RheologySCOTT-BLAIR, G. W.
doi: 10.1038/164679a0pmid: N/A
WHEN the Society of Rheology held its first conference in Washington in December 1929, it was the intention of at least some of its leading members, certainly including the late Prof. E. C. Bingham, that the Society should eventually be international and that branches should be set up in other countries, including Britain. For various reasons this intention was not fulfilled, but, although only a small number of foreign delegates attended the Washington conference, nevertheless it had something of the atmosphere of an international gathering.
Fungi for Indian StudentsJONES, S. G.
doi: 10.1038/164680b0pmid: N/A
IT is gratifying to find yet another teaching mycologist turning to the work of the late Sir Edwin J. Butler for Help and inspiration. In this book, Dr. B. B. Mundkur has undertaken to write on “Fungi and Plant Disease’ for students pursuing agricultural or cognate courses in various colleges in India. The author, in his preface, pays high tribute to the pioneer of mycological teaching in India, when he acknowledges his indebtedness to Sir Edwin Butler and to his book, ”Fungi and Disease in Plants", published in Calcutta more than thirty years ago. The author of this new work is to be highly congratulated for getting so much information about fungi into a book of comparatively smaller compass.
Correlation of Non-Measurable VariablesWISHART, JOHN
doi: 10.1038/164680a0pmid: N/A
IT was in experimental psychology that the methods of rank, correlation were first introduced, and Spearmants coefficient ρ has been familiar to statistician for many years. More recent work on the same lines has produced an alternative coefficient τ (by Kendall) and a general coefficient (by Daniels) of which the above two, and even the familiar product moment coefficient, are particular cases. It is still, for the most part, psychological workers who are interested in this branch of statistics, since many of their observational variables are non-measurable. This has stimulated research in what has proved to be a somewhat difficult mathematical field ; and in the book under review Prof. M. G. Kendall has gathered together what is known on the subject, and has given a coherent mathematical treatment to it all. With the growth of mathematical statistics, it seems inevitable that books should begin to be issued on specific topics within the general framework, and this book is to be welcomed as a worthy addition to such a series.
Geology of West Denbighshire and Adjoining AreasTROTTER , F. M.
doi: 10.1038/164681a0pmid: N/A
WE appear to have entered into the planning age, and since one of the important foundations of planning is knowledge of the earth—its surface, soils, rocks and minerals—it is desirable that planners should have some knowledge of the science of geology. This is particularly so in the case of regional and district planners, for in addition to geological principles they should be familiar with the geology of the ground which falls within their domain. Engineers, geographers and town and country planners in North Wales can account themselves as fortunate in having placed at their disposal Prof. Boswell's new book.
Geology of the Deep-Sea FloorWISEMAN, J. D. H.
doi: 10.1038/164682a0pmid: N/A
AT the recent meeting of the British Association at Newcastle upon Tyne, six papers were given before the Geological Section on problems concerning the deep-sea floor. There was, in addition, an evening lecture by Prof. Hana Pettersson1, the leader of the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition, 1947–48, in which he described the results far obtained from investigation on the material brought back by the expedition Judging by the enthusiasm at both the sectional meeting and the evening lecture, the study of the deep-sea floor is of general interest. This is doubtless due to the fact that the deep-sea floor, covering approximately two-thirds of the earth's surface, is an almost unexplored region, and the solution of its problems, requiring the application of many sciences, will have an important influence on other earth sciences.
Forests and ManBLACKBURN, KATHLEEN B.
doi: 10.1038/164687a0pmid: N/A
A SERIES of five papers under the title of “Forests and Man’ were read during the British Association meeting in Newcastle on September 5 at a combined meeting of Section K, (Botany) and K* (Forestry). Prof. H. S. Champion, chairman of Section K*, presided.
University of Malayadoi: 10.1038/164688a0pmid: N/A
ON October 8 the University of Malaya was officially founded, and Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, Governor-General of Malaya, installed as the first chancellor. The colourful ceremonies at Singapore and the messages of goodwill from the universities throughout the Commonwealth, welcoming this latest arrival into the British academic family, mark the end of a beginning that dates from 1819. Stamford Raffles, in the vision he had of Singapore, urged that it should include a centre of learning and intellect, a “monument of light". ”Shall we not consider it one of our first duties to afford the means of education to surrounding countries and thus render our stations not only the seats of commerce but of literature and the arts?’ Raffles Institution, now a secondary school, and Raffles Museum and Library, which has been a government establishment since 1878, represent parts of the realization of Raffies's vision ; but the direct parentage of the new University is to be found in the College of Medicine and Raffles College.
President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen's University, Belfast: Prof. Eric Ashbydoi: 10.1038/164689a0pmid: N/A
BOTANISTS in particular will have read with pleasure that one of their number, Prof. Eric Ashby, Harrison professor of botany in the University of Manchester, has been invited by the Senate of Queen's University, Belfast, to accept the post of president and vice-chancellor—a worthy choice for a varied and exacting office. Prof. Ashby, who is forty-five, was a student at the Imperial College of Science and Technology and is a graduate of the University of London. His interest in plant physiology, genetics, statistical ecology and in the progress of botanical science generally, has taken him in turn to the United States (Universities of Chicago and Arizona) as a Commonwealth Fund Fellow in 1929, to a resumption of teaching and research at the Imperial College in 1931, to the University of Bristol as reader in botany in 1935, to the University of Sydney as professor of botany in 1938, and to the University of Manchester in 1946. These years saw the publication of several important series of papers in botanical journals, addresses on a variety of subjects, and a number of books including the thought-provoking work “Challenge to Education".