England have so often led to a scientific career. He made important expeditions, devoted himself to the formation of a herbarium, and edited and published works contributing greatly to the advancement of botany. In 1820 he became professor of botany at Glasgow, and in 1841 director of the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew. His son, Joseph Dalton Hooker, was born on June 30, 1817, and immediately after taking the M.D. at Glasgow accompanied as assistant surgeon Sir James Ross's Antarctic expedition, the botanical results of which he subsequently published. Four years in India produced contributions of even greater importance, and later journeys were undertaken to many regions, including Palestine, Morocco and the United States. In 1855 he became assistant director of the Kew Gardens and succeeded his father as director in 1865.
Hooker's relations with Darwin were intimate, and he is perhaps best known to those who are not botanists for his support of the theory of evolution by natural selection, beginning with his presidential address before the British Association in 1868. But his botanical contributions are immense in range and importance. It is only necessary to mention here the "Flora of the British Isles," "The Flora of British India" and the great "Genera Plantarum."
SCIENTIFIC ITEMS
We record with regret the deaths of Dr. George Davidson, eminent for his contributions to geodesy, geography and astronomy, emeritus professor in the University of California; of Surgeon General Walter Wyman, of the U. S. Public Health and Marine Hospital Service; of Sir Samuel Wilkes, London physician, author of works on pathological anatomy, and of Dr. Max Jaffe, professor of pharmacology at the University of Königsberg.
The Nobel prizes have been awarded in the sciences to Mme. Marie Curie, of the University of Paris, in chemistry; to Professor Wilhelm Wien, of the University of Würzburg, in physics, and to Professor Allvar Gullstrand, of the University of Upsala, in medicine.
The Symons gold medal of the Royal Meteorological Society has been awarded to Professor Cleveland Abbe, of the United States Weather Bureau.
The following awards have been made by the president and council of the Royal Society: a Royal medal to Professor George Chrystal, Edinburgh, whose death has meanwhile occurred, for his researches in mathematics and physics, especially his recent work on seiches and free oscillations in the Scottish lakes; a Royal medal to Dr, W. M. Bayliss, F.R.S., for his researches in physiology; the Copley medal to Sir George H. Darwin, K.C.B., F.R.S., for his scientific researches, especially in the domain of astronomical evolution; the Davy medal to Professor Henry E. Armstrong, F.R.S., for his contributions to chemical science; the Hughes medal to Mr. C. T. R. Wilson, F.R.S., for his investigations on the formation of cloud and their application to the study of electrical ions.
