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4 January 1992
From JOHN COCKADAY
Your correspondent, Poul Yding (Letters, 14 December 1991) may be correct in his assumption that the verb 'to crap' in American usage is derived from the name of T. Crapper, which was preserved in porcelain on his company's products. I have a history of the man and his firm which suggests that the word was …
4 January 1992
From ARTHUR COX
One of the range of humorous books edited by the late Eric Parrott and published by Viking/Penguin is entitled How to be Absurdly Well-informed about the Famous and Infamous. It has a psuedo-obituary on Thomas Crapper for a fictitious plumbers' journal and is written by Brenda Whinchup. Although full of double entendres, it is, in …
4 January 1992
From VICTOR CADDY
We were interested to see that the dispute between the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents (CIPA) and this law firm, Dibb Lupton Broomhead and Prior (DLBP) has reached the pages of your journal (Patents, 30 November 1991). You imply that solicitors have been able to act as patent agents and that the CIPA is only …
4 January 1992
From A. W. BUTLER
Britain was hardly more prepared for a Japanese attack on Singapore, despite having been at war with the Axis powers for over two years, than was America at Pearl Harbor (Forum, 7 December 1991). I was on guard duty at one of the rear gates of the Changi barracks complex on the night of December …
4 January 1992
From MICHAEL HONEY
Philip Drazin's article on solitons ('The life of a solitary wave', 30 November), while intriguing, failed to mention a well-known example of the phenomenon. I speak, of course, of the 'Mexican wave', seen at sports stadiums around the world. This wave exhibits several interesting properties (such as being at once both standing and in motion), …
4 January 1992
From J. E. ALLEN
The breakthrough in the study of nonlinear equations was ascribed by Philip Drazin to the use of computers. The renaissance of interest in solitary waves, however, can be traced back to an analytical paper by J. H. Adlam and myself published in 1958 in Philosophy Magazine. This dealt with a solitary wave propagating through a …
4 January 1992
From A. WATHELET
In Genesis chapter 3, verse 14, I read: 'God said unto the serpent . . . thou (art) cursed . . . upon thy belly shalt thou go . . .' My question is: how was the serpent moving before the curse? Perhaps a palaeontologist could help. A. Wathelet, Queensland Australia
4 January 1992
From JOHN GORDON
Your Comment and feature article 'Last chance for Britain's industry' (30 November 1991) rightly underline the need to revive Britain's badly damaged manufacturing sector. Surprisingly, however, you do not mention the key potential role of environmentally friendly technologies, goods and services. Current estimates show the world market for these products as running at over £100 …
4 January 1992
From ROGER LYONS
You are absolutely right that the issue of Britain's declining manufacturing industry must be kept at the top of the political agenda in the run-up to the next general election. As a union with many members in manufacturing as well as service industries, we fully recognise that Britain's underlying economic problems cannot be tackled without …
4 January 1992
From MARY KAVANAGH
In the In Brief section (30 November 1991), reference was made to the entry of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Iceland into COST, the organisation which fosters European cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research. COST was established 20 years ago by European science ministers, and the four new members bring the total number …
4 January 1992
From RICHARD LIVINGSTON
Ariadne's column (14 September 1991) mentions my geochemical model of the effect of acid rain on the patina of the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, Ariadne also repeats a false accusation about my research. This is that I failed to consider the possibility that evaporation could increase the acidity of the rain and therefore produce damage …
4 January 1992
From PETER McCARTNEY
As a hyperbaric physician, I would like to compliment Lesley Newson on her article ('Breathing new life into oxygen therapy', 23 November 1991). I agree more research is undoubtedly warranted into this valuable mode of treatment. However, the categories of conditions for which hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the primary effective mode of treatment are established, …
4 January 1992
From IVAN DIXON
Your correspondent Donald Stewart is quite wrong to claim that 'the isotopic spectrum of reprocessed plutonium from 'burnt' fuel is such that its use for weapons or military purposes is well-nigh impossible' (Letters, 7 December 1991). First, although the higher percentage of plutonium-240 in 'reactor grade' plutonium compared to 'weapons grade' does make it more …
Issue no. 1802 published 4 January 1992
