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Science and Scholasticism JULY I, 1920] NATURE 547 Letters to the Editor. Science and Scholasticism. DR. SINGER'S review of my book ·• Medieval Medi­ (The_ )!ditor does not ho~d himself responsible for cine" in NATURE of April 1 has only just come under opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither my notice. The mails separate us from England more can he undertake to return, or to correspond with than before the wc1r; may that be my excuse for a th~ write.rs of, rejected manuscripts intended for ?e!,ated word? l have nothing to say for the book, this or any other part of NATURE. No notice is 1t 1s thoroughly documented and must speak for itself; taken of anonymous communications.] but may I say a word for poor Aristotle and Hugo da Lucca, whom I have brought under the reviewer's The Constitution of the Elements. strictures? IN continuation of my letter in NATURE of March 4 Dr. Singer suggests that Aristotle has come into further experiments on mass-spectra have been made' appreciation again because we have found that he the results of which may be briefly announced a~ made observations on animal life. ls not the reason follows; rather that now that we ourselves have come to think Boron (atomic weight 10·9) is a complex element. through our observations to the principles beneath, we Its isotopes ar~ 10 and 11, satisfactorily confirmed by have found that Aristotle was usually before us? As sec_ond-order Imes at 5 and 5·5. Fluorine (atomic Prof. Wundt said, after spending a lifetime at experi­ weight 19-00) is apparently simple, as its chemical mental psychology: "It is only the animism of Aris­ atomic weight would lead one to expect. totle which, by joining psychology to biology, pro­ The results obtained with silicon (atomic weight vides a plausible metaphysical explanation for the data 28-3) are somewhat difficult to interpret, and lead to furnished by experimental psychology." In nearlv the conclusion that this element has isotopes 28 and everything else where this generation has thought 29, with possibly another 30. deeply enough they have found Aristotle before them Bromine (atomic weight 79-92) is particularly in­ whenever he had considered the subject. That is whv teresting, for, although its chemical atomic weight is we have come to appreciate better the medieval so nearly So, it is actually composed of approximately regard for him. equal parts of isotopes 79 and 81. Hugo da Lucca must be allowed to rest on his own Sulphur (atomic weight 32-06) has a predominant work just like Aristotle. Any man who operated on constituent 32. Owing to possible hydrogen com­ the skull, the thorax, and the abdomen seven hundred pounds the data are as yet insufficient to give a years ago, using a metal tube to secure the patulous­ decision as to the presenoe of small quantities of ness of the intestines while he was making an intes­ iso~opes of higher mass suggested by the atomic tinal anastomosis, who got union by first intention weight. and boasted of it, and whose cicatrices were "prettv Phosphorus (atomic weight 3 r-04) and arsenic and linear, so that they could scarcely be seen," may (atomic weight 74-96) are also apparently simple be trusted to posterity in our time. How he could elements of masses 31 and 7~ respectively. have done such things without an anresthetic is im­ No line given by the above elements 'shows any. possible to understand, so therefore the hints that we m easurable divergence from the whole number rule. have of anresthesia at that time must be taken as F. w. ASTON. historic. We do not need to go to manuscripts for Cavc:ndish Laboratorv, June 20. this; there are dozens of text-books of professors of surgery in the thirteenth century that were printed in the Renaissance -time. The Renaissance printers Applied Science and Industrial Research. had marvellously good judgment, and the authors they IN my reply to Mr. Williamson, published in NATURE printed in their magnificent editions were worthy of of June 3, l stated that research workers and their the time and labour they devoted to them. We nave assistants, aided by the Department of Scientific and' no word from Hugo himself, but his son wrote a whole Industrial Research, during the year 1918-19 received volume with regard to him which surely Dr. Singer on the average 53s. weekly. must know, though it is very hard to understand the Sir Frank Heath has directed my attention to the position that he takes if he does know of it. unwarranted inference I have drawn. I assumed that It is always amusing to note how the saying of the grants made were all annual grants, but I am anything good about the Middle Ages arouses opposi­ informed by the Department that this is not the case; tion. John Fiske's declaration, "there is a sense in less than half the grants to research workers and which the most brilliant achievements of pagan students were grants for twelve calendar months' antiquity are dwarfed in comparison with these (of work; the sum of 14,1701. expended included nine the Middle Ages)," must wait for acceptance. When grants for apparatus and grants for casual labour. I ventured to say in a volume on "The Thirteenth Actually, eighty-five research workers and students the Greatest o( Centuries," that they had fine received rather less than 13,oool. I am informed technical schools and developed engineering, most also that professors' recommendations are followed in people shied; and yet we have their stained glass, making these grants, both with regard to recipients illuminated books, wonderful ironwork, carving, and and to the amounts allotted. all the rest that we are founding· technical ,schools to Without expressing any further opinion as to the secure, and the engineering of their bridges and adequacy of gr::ints to individuals, detailed information cathedrals is a marvel. not having been supplied, I should be glad if you The modern man of science balks at this. Here would afford me the opportunity of expressing my in the United States the authors of "A Short Historv regret that in criticising the grants I unwittingly mis­ of Science" (New York, rn18), professors at the construed the figures given on pp. 9 and 72 of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, treated the Report of the Committee of the Privy Council for science of the Middle Ages in a couple of paragraphs, Scientific and Industrial Research for the year 1918--19. the most important part of which is : " In the thirteenth A. G. CHURCH. century it become~ plain that a new spirit is arisin·g National Union of Scientific Workers, in Europe . ... Thomas Aquinas writes his famous rq Tothill Street, YVestminster, 'Imitatio Christi.'" JAs. J. WALSH. London, S.W.1, June 2r. no ·west 74th Street, New York, May 26. NQ. 2644, VOL. I05] © 1920 Nature Publishing Group.
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