100 YEARS AGO

The determination of the strength of collateral heredity is a problem of great scientific importance, and it can only be achieved by co-operative action. I have found so many teachers in all classes of schools willing to give disinterested aid in the cause of science that I venture to make a further appeal through Nature for more assistance. Besides observations of physical and mental characters, which can be recorded without measurement, my data papers ask for certain head-measurements, which can, following the printed instructions, be taken quite easily. I shall be most glad to send sample papers to any one willing to assist, and if, after considering these, they find themselves able to assist, say by filling in data papers for ten or more pairs of brothers or sisters, I will at once despatch a head-spanner, of which I have several at the present time, free. The head-spanner should not be retained (unless under special circumstances) for more than a few weeks. Where the school is a small one, one master has, as a rule, filled in the papers entirely; in larger schools, one of the science masters, or even the medical officer, has done the head-measurements, and the other data have been provided by house, form or consulting masters. Karl Pearson

From Nature 21 June 1900.

50 YEARS AGO

Dictionary of Genetics

This book contains, or attempts to contain, every word connected with genetics in the widest sense. It therefore spreads over (though it does not cover) the whole range of biology; psychology and anatomy, embryology and biochemistry are all represented… For some terms (such as cytomicrosome), the author proceeds by describing ignotum per ignotius; others (such as mitoschisis or merostathmokinesis) have never been used except by their anonymous inventors. Let us hope that others again (such as thermocleistogamy, tachyauxesis and spermiocalyptrotheca) never will be used. Others which have a known meaning lose it (such as “mass mutation” in Œnothera) or do not appear at all (such as “sterility”). Then again, others (such as heterofertilization or parthenogamy) describe rare or even imaginary phenomena. One supreme example which is non-existent as a technical term (perultimate chromomere) appears to be at once misplaced, misspelt and misdefined.

From Nature 24 June 1950.