The New York herald., 1922-02-19


NF the ten outstanding discov-
I cries listed by Prof. r. A.
Millikan in his article on
Modern Physics" which forms the
first article in this volume, the most
important are: the discovery of the
atomicity of electricity-that is. that
electricity is composed of minute
identical particles (electrons); and
the proof of the electrical constitu-
ton of matter, which grew out of the
discovery of X-rays and radioac-
tivity.
The atom, as physicists now under
stand it. is not an indivisible unit
of matter but a complex arrange
ment of electrons (the elementary
particle of negative electricity and
of what has recently and felicitously
been called protons (the elementary
particle of positive electricity. Just
how these electrons and protons are
arranged within the atom is still an
unsettled problem. Irving Lang
muir, in the second article of this
volume, entitled THE Structure of
Atoms and It's Bearing on Chemical
Valence." discusses the various pos
sibilities.
Prof. Millikan's article on modern
physics takes the reader up to the
year 1917. At that time Einstein's
predictions had not yet been put to
test nor had his theories received
the populariZation they have re-
ceived since. In an exceptionally
clear and concise article Prof. Ames
discusses Einstein's Law of Crawl
tation" and its relation to Newton's
Laws. Prof. Ames's concluding words
should serve to correct common
misconception of what Einstein has
done: "Einstein has not attempted
any explanation of gravitation; he
has been occupied with the deduction
of its laws. There is not the
slightest indication of a mechanism.
meaning by that a picture in terms
of our senses. In fact what we have
learned has been to realize that our
desire to use such a mechanism is
futile"
So much for the inorganic world.
which will never interest mankind
so much as the organic world. except
in so far as il throws additional light
upon the latter DIR. Harrow. the edi-
tor of this volume. discusses en-
zymes. substances produced by cellu-
lar activity and exhibiting the prop
critics of a catalyst: that is. an accel-
orator of chemical reactions. There
are several engines in the human
body. for instance, some of them act
ing In the diSintegration of protcins.
others on carbohydrates and still
others on fats. AS yet they have
not been isolated with certainty.
Even more interesting is an arti-
Gle on Natural Death and the Dura-
ton of Life" by Jacques Loeb. the
eminent biologist. "Why must we
die?" he asks. and proceeds to an
swer the question. Some biologists
have advanced the belief that death
was the result of ravages and toxirs
OF microOrganisms within the body.
In short an aseptic organism. safe
guarded from accidents. ought to live
indefinitely. Flies. whose eggs had
! been rendered free from micro
organisms and which were raised on
sterilized food furnished an oppor-
tunity TO test out this hypothesis.
Such flies We're, however. found TO
be mortal. These experiments. 4"
concluded the author. indicate that
higher organisms must die from in
ternal causes even if all chance OF
infection and all accidents are OK
eluded." These aseptic flies fur
nished also an opportunity for test
ing out another idea concerning the
duration of. life. namely. that old
age and natural death are due either
10 the gradual production in the
tody of a sufficient quantity o.
harmful or toxic substances or to
the gradual destruction of sub
stances in the body required to
keep II in youthful vigor or to both.
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