Needs of Polish Universities

Abstract

I AM travelling in East Galicia, and have only just seen Mr. H. G. Wells's remarks on the needs of scientific workers in Russia (see NATURE of November 11, p. 352). Using Mr. Wells as a text and applying it to Russia's neighbour, I should like to enter a plea for the Polish Universities of Krakow, Lwów (Lemberg), and Warsaw, which stand in the greatest possible need of American, English, and French scientific and technical literature. From the middle of 1914 to 1918 such literature was unobtainable, and since 1918 the rate of exchange—to-day 1500 Polish marks to 1l.—has placed it beyond the possibility of purchase by the three impoverished universities. For some months the Friends' Relief Mission has been making an effort at home to arouse practical interest in the problem, and recently we received some volumes of NATURE. These I took to the librarian of Warsaw University, who showed me over the library. The new English books could have been counted on the fingers of the two hands, and in the periodical-room not a single English periodical was being received, and only two in French. Similar conditions obtain in Krakow and Lwów, capitals of West and East Galicia, and two of the most important intellectual centres in reunited Poland. WE believe that the Anglo-American University Library for Central Europe exists to supply the need to which Mr. Clayton refers. The address of the secretary is London School of Economics (University of London), Clare Market, W.C.2.—ED. NATURE.