The Science Society

At the first of the term's five meetings, the Rise provided lectures on three subjects. They were (i) J. R. Moore and M. W. Bolton on "Colour and Fluorescence". This lecture consisted mainly of demonstrations by means of the projector with coloured filters and the Ultra Violet lamp. (ii) W. R. Ibberson on "Steel". The speaker outlined the story of the knife through the stages of hardening, tempering and glazing. Specimens of knives in various stages of manufacture were examined by the Society. (iii) P. D. F. James and A. N. Wyatt-Gunning on "The Human Body". The speakers dealt in turn with each of the five senses, demonstrating their more amusing characteristics.

At the second meeting lectures were given by the Grove. The speakers were (i) A. E. Wick on "Explosives". A talk mainly on gunpowder and the explosives derived from coal. His lecture included many demonstrations. (ii) D. A. Stabler on "Chocolate". He outlined the processes through which the cocoa beans passed until they were finally in the state with which we are familiar. (iii) M. J. F. Everitt on "Television". Everitt explained how the picture on the screen was made up and how it was transmitted. He concluded by showing a film illustrating the points he had made.

Temple House provided the last of a very successful series of meetings. They, too, provided three speakers. (i) A. G. D. Staines, on "Bats", traced the life history of the creature and with the aid of the epidiascope described the twelve species of British Bats. (ii) D. J, Bird, speaking on "Modern Surgery", outlined the procedure of an operation and gave an account of anxsthesia. He passed round many exhibits, including a human appendix. (iii) E. Robinson, speaking on "Guano", explained that this was the excretion of birds, produced on islands west of Peru. He described the birds and explained why the conditions made the industry a workable commercial proposition.

Mr. R. Cussins spoke at the fourth meeting of the term on "Sound Recording and Reproduction". He outlined the history of the subject, and showed one of the early phonographs. The main part of the lecture was devoted to the demonstration of apparatus Mr. Cussons had brought, notable among which was a recording on tape made in York Station, and one of the new long playing gramophone records. Mr. Cussins ably answered many questions at the end of his lecture.

At the last meeting of the year, Mr. A. G. Collier read a paper entitled "An Introduction to Psychology". Mr. Collier stated the present position of Psychology with the Behaviourist school giving way to orilodox psychology recognising the controlling force of Mind. In the course of his talk he showed how the basic inborn Instincts together with individual Propensities are worked upon by the action of 34

environmental experience to form the higher units of Mind such as Intellect, the Sentiments, and Skills. Whilst allowing the importance of the work of Biologists and Physiologists in our knowledge of Man, yet the lecturer would not have the Purposive control of Mind reduced to mere chemico-physical stimuli, but rather the opposite, in that the mechanical structure subserves the unit of Mind.

An account of a visit by members of the Society to a chocolate factory appears below. It is hoped next term to arrange a visit to the new signal box at York Station—the largest in the world.

The Society is grateful to all who have helped during the year, especially to the speakers and to P. S. Lumby, who supervised the operation of the projectors. Looking back we can feel that the year has been very successful for the Society.

G.W.R.

A VISIT TO A CHOCOLATE FACTORY

A party visited Rowntree's Cocoa Works on Wednesday, 19th March, 1952. It consisted of the members of the Committee of the Science Society and those who had helped in the meetings in the past two terms. On arrival at the Works the party, consisting of about 20 boys, was split into four groups each in the charge of a specially trained guide.

The first call was the melange department. There the chocolate crumb, a homogeneous mass comprising milk solids, milk fat, sugar, and cocoa beans is placed in a melangeur and ground into a very fine paste with the addition of a fixed quantity of cocoa butter.

The paste is then passed to the refiners. A machine consists of five horizontal rollers, one on top of the other, made of chilled iron and water cooled. The paste is spread on to the bottom roller and is transferred from one roller to another until it reaches the top, where it is scraped off as a fine powder.

The powder is then transferred to the conching machines. One of these consists of four pots heated to 95°F. in which a paddle moves up and down. The powder soon becomes liquid and grinds itself up like pebbles on a beach. This process is carried out for 60 hours. The prepared chocolate is then piped to the various parts of the works where it is required.

In the next department visited orange creams were being covered with couverture chocolate. The moulded centres are placed in lines on a slowly moving belt which passes them into two machines, one covering the bottom with chocolate, and the other the sides and top. The design is then piped on by hand. The belt then passes into the cooler, after leaving which defective chocolates are removed. The perfect ones are then passed on to the wrapping department, which was next visited.