McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1933

The Cobequid Mountains are a continuous chain of hills stretching through Cumberland and Colchester counties just north of Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay. The hills start atParrsboro, due north of Cape Blomidon, where the amygdaloidal traps of North Mountain terminate in a synclinal basin that plunges into Minas channel. From here they extend 75 miles slightly north of east towards New Glasgow until, when about twelve miles west of there, they end abruptly near Mt. Thom. Here a stretch of lowland separates them from the Pictou-Antigonish Highlands on the east. [...]  Read more

The first electrical phenomenon to attract man's attention was undoubtedly lightning, and the first practical application of the science or electricity was probably that made by Franklin (in 1752) when he introduced the lightning conductor as a means for protecting life and property from the disastrous effects of this "transient". Following the discovery of voltaic electricity, by Volta, at the close of the 18th century, one of its first uaetul applications was to the electric telegraph, and with its advent, the problem of transmittingtransient pulses of current over telegraph lines and cables presented itself. [...]  Read more

This work was undertaken at the suggestion of Frofeseor Wilder G. Penfield and Assistant Professor William V. Cone of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. The original intention was to elucidate the question of primary differentiation in the central nervous system in the development of neurones and neuroglia. The existence of an "indifferent cell' from which either neurones or neuroglia may develop has been accepted in general by pathologists because of the usefulness of this conception in the classification of tumors of the glioma group. Embryologically, however, the existence and morphology of this cell have been questioned. The object of …  Read more

"To be misty is not to be mystic," (1) Lowell has said, summing up one of the prevalent misconceptions of mysticism. Almost no other term, except perhaps realism or socialism, has had such a number and variety of interpretations. Almost every writer on mysticism has attempted a brief definition (2) and so has brought another misunderstanding into being; for a definiton can hardly encompass the meaning of an experience that such men as Jacob Boehme, Swedenborg, and Blake have spent their lives trying to express. [...]  Read more

either side of the middle line, and immediately above and in front of the anterior pole of the kidney. In mamals the adrenal gland is composed of two parts, the cortex and the medulla. The origins of these two are quite different, and though in mamals they are intimately associated as to anatomical position, in other groups of animals the are more or less separate, being completeq so in Elasmobranch fishes. [...]  Read more

This thesis deals with an accurate investigation of the solub111ty of calcium hydroxide in wanter, over the temperature ranee of from O o to 30o C. The need for such an investigation will first of all be considered. A thorough experimental study of the equilibria exist1ng in the 3-oomponent system CaO-H2O-SO2 has been carried out at McGill University under the direction of Dr. O. Maass. Part of this work consisted in the determination or the dissociation constant for the 2-component system CaO-H2O. The dissociation constant was calculated trom conductivity measurenents of saturated solutions. [...]  Read more

This study considers the the more obvious evidence found in records written in ancient Hebrew and related dialects, regarding terms and customs of trade and commerce. It givees a brief summary of the magnitude of Phoenician commerce; it mentions the types of currencies and the standard of weights used in those days; it developes, from Hebrew texts, a table of equivalents for the Biblical measures. After considering the actors in tbe system of exchange, this thesis discusses the two Biblical institutions which regulate and restrict servitude and the sale of land, these are the Sabbatic Year and the Jubilee. [...]  Read more

Winter injury is a serious problem to agriculture in temperate climates the world over. Macoun (1908) states, "If one could make an accurate estimate of the number of fruit trees which have been Winter killed in the colder parts of Ontario and the Province of Quebec, the figures would be astounding, they would be so large. This has been the chief cause of the slow development of the fruit indnstry in the colder parts of Canada." Summing up the importance of injury in Michigan during eighty winters, Bradford and Cardinell (1926) maintain that "To countless individuals and numerons commities it …  Read more

Pulp has been made for over fifty years by heating wood chips in the presence of alkali at 1.50-170° C. for several hours. The development of the process has followed along empirical lines and even yet there is little fundamental knowledge of the actual mechanism of the cooking-process. Researches which have been carried on in the past have followedclosely the commercial procedure with the end in view, of correlating cooking condi tions wi th the yield and quality of the pulp. [...]  Read more

Perhaps more than any other phase of economic questions, the theories dealing with international trade and its component parts are in greatest part deductive. General principlesare expanded and from these the economists try and have tried to advance arguments for protection, for free trade or against protection and free trade. The relations of imports to exports; invisible and visible balances of international debts or payments; the doctrine of comparative costs---all these and more are arrived at mainly through reasoning from general postulates. (1) [...]  Read more

During the past few years two methods of extracting Lignin from the woody fibre have been developed in these laboratories. R.J. Rowley (1) extracted the lignin by means of ethylene glycol containing a trace of hydrochloric acid. The glycol-lignin thus obtained had not apparently undergone any appreciable change in structure but as a material for further work it suffered from one defect: in determining the Methoxyl content by the Method of Zeisel, a part of the glycol-residue, attached to the Lignin, is reduced to ethyl iodide and hence renders this value somewhat uncertain. On this account H.Hibbert and F. Brauns …  Read more

In the task of solving the problems of seasonal unemployment there are two distinct stages. The one is that of measurement and survey - appraisal of the main features of the problem, its character and extent. The other is the practical application of remedial measures and reorganisation in the field of industry and employment itself. If there is a third stage it is intermediate between these two - the analysis of causes and remedies, which overlaps and, more happily, bridges the two. The problem of seasonal irregularity cannotbe met unless knowledge, theory, planning, and practical effort are combined. And if …  Read more

Acetaldehyde spontaneously undercges two reactions ; oxidation in the presence of air or oxygen, and polymerization to more complex polymers. Through former researches done in thislaboratory , end the work of Bowan and Tietzi, we know that acetaldehyde and oxygen react when they come into contact in the gaseous state to give rise to a per oxygen compound. This reaction is one where by the carbonyl group of the aldehyde is oxidized by the oxygen to a peroxy group. As a result of this reaction, acetaldehyde, when distilled in air or even when allowed to stand in contact with air, …  Read more

Cyclopropane derivatives first attracted attention in connection with ring strain studies. These compounds formed the subjects of a large number of papers on ring stability, but a continued study of the effect of ring opening reagents revealed that, not only did substituent groups affect the ease with which the ring-opened, but, what was of considerablygreater interest, they exercised a marked influence on the way in which the ring opened. Phenyl groups particularly were effective in this way, and have often given unexpected results. [...]  Read more

Tragedy is an inheritance from Greece and Rome, which was not accepted by Western Europe until the Renaissance. The mediaeval religious drama and the few plays which had precededthe classical plays were not definitely classified as tragedy. Renaissance and pseudo-classical theorists turned to Aristotle's "Poetics" for rules governing tragedy. The "Poetics" may be the fragmentary notes of one of Aristotle's pupils, jotted down as he listened to his master in the shady walks of the Lyceum. Aristotle's method was analytical; he studied plays and gave his opinion as to their principal characteristics. [...]  Read more

A knowledge of the action of sulphurous acid on cellulose is important not only from a technical, but also from a purely scientific viewpoint. Thus, on the one hand it is likely that the action of small amounts of sulphurous aoid play an important role with respect to the permanence of "paper" (lA), while on the other hand, the behavior of cellulose (in the form of sulphite pulp) towards sulphurous aoid, under varying conditions of temperature, time and concentration are as yet unknown, although such knowledge is of very great importance to the manufacture of sulphite pulp. In the preparation …  Read more

Among the essential characteristics of the industrial system which has constituted the core of our economic life for the past century and a half are two phenomena which form the theoretical starting-point for this study: unemployment, and the specialization of labor. The former might be termed a pathological symptom of the malfunctioning of our economic machmnery, owing its existence perhaps to several etiological factors, and exhibiting itself in accordingly different phases; while the latter is probably to be regarded as a necessary adjunct to a constantly increasing complexity of societal organization. [...]  Read more

A study of the economic and commercial aspects of aviation in Canada involves practically the entire field of civil flying in this country and its position in the national economy.The aspects of aviation which may be more strictly classed as "economic and commercial" have naturally been given the most lengthy treatment in this thesis but a brief consideration of certain other aspects at appropriate points is essential to a proper understanding of the major features. [...]  Read more

Pastures occupy a large part of the total land area of the world. According to the 1931 International Year Book, 24.4 per cent of the total land area in twenty-six countries of the world, were classed as pasture in 1930 (Table I, Appendix). This area in pasture was 1.6 times the area of the total arable land. Great Britain had the highest and Australia the lowest percentage of the total area in pasture, having 56.8 and 0.3 per cent respectively. Canada had 4,002,000 hectares or 9,888,942 acres, which represented 15.8 per cent of the arable land and only 0.4 per …  Read more

An examination of the literature concerning general crushing practice and ball mill grinding in particular clearly indicates the need for a thorough investigation into all thephases affecting the efficiency of this type of grinding machine. Today ball mills are used extensively wherever grinding is an adjunct of a mechanical process but it is in themining and metallurgical industry - in the reduction of ores and minerals-that ball mill grinding has its widest application. [...]  Read more

The problems of mechanics of the uterine supports have attracted the attention of investigators for the past century. The early workers devoted themselves to the anatomy of the "ligamentous supportsx of the uterus". It seems to have been assunmed that these uterine ligaments were in reality fibrous structures and it was not until 1888, whejn Ziegenspeck and Winckel demonstrated the presence of smooth muscle in the base of the broad ligament, that the notion of a possible muscular support for the uterus, othe than that provided by the levator ani, was conceived.[...]  Read more

The object of this study was to carry out experiments which might elucidate the mechanism of reaction between the olefines and halogen hydrides. For this purpose the velocity of reaction between propylene and hydrogen chloride, in the liquid state, was measured over a considerable temperature range. The influence of heterogenous surface and of hydride concentration were determined and the reaction between propylene and hydrogen bromide in various solvents investigated. A review is given below of the previous work in this field. In this connection it will be shown that the investigation has an objective of more far reaching importance than …  Read more

The Home Mine, the property ot Noranda Mines Ltd, has, in the short space of a few years, become one of Canada's leading gold and copper producers. The size, number and variety of it's deposits, the widespread gold values and the somewhat unusual mineralogical associations, together make an extremely interesting geological problem. Added to which is the fact that it occurs in an area of Pre-Cambrian, which was virtually unknown until a few years ago, and which possesses all the complications as to rock types, structure and history naturally inherent in the geology of that period. [...]  Read more

The present research has been carried out with the view of obtaining further information on the nature of polymerization, and it was thought that it might pave the way towardsa better understanding of such supermolecular compounds as cellulose, starch, etc. The initial work was begun some eight years ago in these laboratories and the writer is continuingthe research from the point at which his predecessor, Mr. S. Z. Perry, left it. Many of the basic substances used in industry represent supermolecular or polymerized compounds. Amonog the most common are cellulose, starch, rubber and resins. [...]  Read more

We are dealing with genius, a term only equalled in elusiveness by "life", the "soul", "God", a term of whose significance we outside the pale cannot hope to have more than a glimmering. When we see great men humble and small men assertive, we sometimes wonder if those blessed of the race are aware themselves of the significance of their blessing, or that boast of England, with whom at the moment we are concerned, we wonder if conscious genius, in the very expression or its most powerful lines, could have longed to be "like to one more rich in hope, …  Read more

A complete study of the processes involved in migration would include not only a discussion of the immigrant flow, but also an analysis of the effect on the homeland from which these people were uprooted, and the repercussions in the new land to which they went in search of happiness and economic security. Such a project, while ambitious, is not impossible of accomplishment, and indeed has been attempted by C. H. Young in his study of "The Ukrainian Canadians", and T. C. Blegen in his book, "Norwegian Migration to America 1825-1860." [...]  Read more

With the centralization of power supply in the hands of the public utility companies, the use of purchased powernhas become habitual for the great majority of industrial consumers. Nevertheless, a real investigation into choice of power supply is suggested as being well worth while. It is shown that the day of the internal plant is far from over, and this idea is carried further by giving some general rules relative to cases where such plants may be economic propositions. [...]  Read more

Chemical kinetics is one of the most recent branches of physical chemistry. It has however amply justified its existence by throwing light on two of the major problems of chemistry. Suoh problems for example as: the mechanism of reactions and the nature of chemical change and to some extent the much discussed and investigated question of affinity, the latter prior to the last decade having been studied largely by investigations of systems in their initial and final states, with little or no consideration of the path by whioh they reached such states. [...]  Read more

It is perhaps not surprising that existing studies of British migration to Canada deal primarily with settlement on the land. The Canadian government has made strenuous efforts to encourage immigration of this sort; there is something of glamour, too, about the movement to the last frontier on the prairies of western Canada. Yet all the while immigration hasbeen flowing in equal volume into the industrial oentres of the east. While the eyes of the nation were fixed on schemes of Empire settlement, tens of thousands of Br1tishers wereslipping almost unnotioed into Toronto, Montreal and other metropolitan areas. [...]  Read more

The following paper covers the resul ts so far obtained in the study of the ossification of the Skeleton of the common small-soaled sucker (Catostomus oommersanil, Leseur). Up to the present, very little work has been carried out on the skeleton of this fish, other than of a taxonomic nature, and accordingly, it has been found advisable to include descriptions of the adult skeleton, and also to record observations from a dissection of several adult fish. [...]  Read more

The pldgeon-hole type of mind performs and reports research in independent units. Each chapter below may be regarded by some as a pldgeon-hole, as an entity in that small fieldit prescribes for itself. However, there are numerous relations between these filing divisions which must be stressed: The results from one division suggested the field for the next division. Certain of the dovecote boxes were left half filled if further work would not advance the general alkali cellulose (particularly wood cellulose) research program, or if the theories engedering them proved not sound. [...]  Read more

Radio ionosphere investigations in connection with the International Polar Year, carried out in Montreal between January and August, 1933, using the amplitude variation method of Breit and Tuve, are described. Especial attention is paid to the variation of equivalent layer height with frequency, and a statistical analysis of the records is carried out. This clearly shows the presenoe of an intermediate reflecting layer and of "midnight E". The phenomenon of "persistent E" reflections is described and a number of typical curves are discussed. [...]  Read more

The railways have always attracted attention in Canada because of the part they have played in the development of the country. So closely has their development been linked with thatof the nation that the history of the railways has almost been the history of Canada. It was the railways that opened up the West, and it was the railways that brought the Maritime Provinces and British Columbia into Confederation and forged one country out of several scattered settlements. But it is the present, not the past, that counts in the final analysis. It is the position the railway industry holds …  Read more

Carbonyl compounds are frequently identified by means of their 2, 4-dini trophenylhydrazones. These derivatives are solids in the vast majority of cases and can be compared with those already known by their melting points. To establish the identity of new ones, however, an analysis is necessary. For various reasons the Kjeldahl method for estimating nitrogen is usually used. In applying the method in this laboratory, it was found that low results were frequently obtained on compounds of known structure. [...]  Read more

The property of the Waite-Ackerman-Montgomery Mines, Limited, is situated about eleven miles N.N.W. of the town of Noranda, in the townships of Duprat and Dufresnoy, County of Abitibi. It lies between Lake Dufault on the east and Lake Duprat on the west, and is about twenty miles east of the Interprovincial Boundary. (Fig. I). The property consists of twenty-eight claims, thirteen of which lie within the township of Dufresnoy and fifteen within the township of Duprat. The total area is 1284.3 acres. [...]  Read more

The Protection Engineer of a Power Company might be termed a peculiar type of individual. The engineers design the systems according to the accepted standards and methods of the day; their construction crews erect the individual sections with consummate skill; the whole is carefully inspected and tested. The report reads, "Everything perfectlysatisfactory." Along comes the Protection man. Without so much as a glance at any part of the proposed or prepared layout he calls for the drawings, and is heard to mutter: "Now, when the fault occurs here at this bus ... " He does not say "if" - he …  Read more

In chemistry the study of colloids is a recent development. Consequently its application to soil conditions and problems is still more recent. Soil colloids are responsible for many importont and characteristic properties. Soil particles were once regarded as pieces of rock mixed with a certain quantity of organic matter and surrounded by a film of water. This view has disappeared with the advances made in the knowledge of colloidal chemistry. Soil colloids are responsible for the enhanced ability of particles to retain water, which influences evaporation. [...]  Read more

Great men are weavers working with the threads of the world's hopes and ideals. They weave the never ending pattern of history. Occasionally among these men, comes one who gathers up the threads into a striking design that ever after becomes an integral part of the central theme. It is my purpose to show that Milton was one of these men. There exists today a group of historical and political pragmatists who believe that the only law is the law of expediency. We cannot teach either political maxims or moral laws. they say, for we live ina constantly changing social …  Read more

So far as atomic spectra are concerned the study of the Stark effect may be said to be well established both theoretically and experimentally in most of its fundamental features. The equivalent ls not true in the ease of molecular spectra, for our knowledge of the effect of an external electric field upon a radiating molecule is at best only very meagre. This state of affairs is due largely to the fact that many atomic spectra exhibit large Stark displacementa in electric fields of the magnitude easily obtained in experiment, whereas most of the attempts to detect similar effects in …  Read more

A very interesting reaction was discovered by Japp (1) and his co-workers in the condensation of benzil and various aliphatic ketones of the type RCH2COCHR'R''. By isolating the intermediate products the authors were able to trace the reaction from the primary aldol condensation to the ultimate cyclopentenone ring; the reaction is represented as follows. [...]  Read more

It is surprising that relatively little attention has been paid to the elastic elements in the numerous histological investigations of the normal and pathological human heart. The reasons may well be that, in the first place, the old anatomists and physiologists were naturally interested in studying the histology of the elements of so active an organ,and, secondly, specific staining methods were comparatively undeveloped and therefore were relatively unreliable. Still, it is interesting to note that Langhans quite accurately stated, as early as 1866, that the new tissue in the intima in arteriosclerosis consisted largely of elastic fibres. A brief historical …  Read more

As modern power systems have increased in size and a network scheme has evolved, calculations of short-circuit and steady-state conditions have become increasingly difficult.At the same time the number of calculations required have increased as has the demand for accuracy. In a polyphase system the calculation of unbalanced conditions has always offeredthe most difficulties. It is possible to solve problems involving unbalanced currents, voltage and impedances by the application of Ohm's and Kirchoff's laws. This method, however, is very inconvenient and sometimes impossible when rotating machinery is involved. [...]  Read more

By the terms of the British North America Act of 1867 each of the Provinces of Canada was given the control of education within its own boundaries. Quebec, in common with the other eight provinces, proceeded to develop a system conformable to its requirements. Because of unusual circumstances, the Quebec system differs materially from all others in Canada. The majority of the population in Quebec is French and Catholic. The French naturally wished to retain their own language and 1ndividua1ity; the Catholic church insisted that there should be religious instruction in the schools. There was a large English minority in …  Read more

The correlation of the pressure, voiume and temperature of a gas to give an equation, whioh will be valid under all oonditions, is one of the outstanding problems in the study of the kinetic theory of gases. The failure of the ideal gas law when applied to actual gases is well known. Van der Waals has succeeded partially in accounting for the reasons for this failure by taking into consideration the molecular volume and molecular attraction which exist in any one gas. The classical equation of state derived by Van den Waalsis not, howver, of suoh a general form as …  Read more

"The problem of unemployment is the :problemaf the adjustment of the supply of labour and the demand for labour". (1) The extent of unemployment at any time will depend upon the degree of maladjustment between this supply and demand. The rapidly changing conditions in our dynamic society cause fluctuations in the demand for labour which are not immediately followed by similar fluctuations in the supply of labour. According to economic theory there are forces continually at work which tend to bring supply and demandin the labour market into equilibrium. [...]  Read more

One of the most important characteristics of cellulosic material as regards its technological applications, is its natural fibrous structure. It may be said that the more perfectly it 1s arranged in a fibrous construction, the more valuable it is as a natural raw material. Cellulose belongs to the carbohydrate group on account of its chemical composition, (C6Hl005)x. This empirical formula is very inadequate; the exact structural formula of cellulose has not yet been established. [...]  Read more

Steacie, E. (Supervisors)  Read more

Through experience acquired as a sometime student and later as a teacher in some of the Chinese Schools in Canada the writer has been enabled to perceive the workings of these institutions at close hand and to evaluate their contributions, social and cultural, to the Chinese communities in which they have been founded. To remove any misconception whiohmight exist in the minds of some we should state at the outset that the schools with which we propose to deal are those organized, maintained, and controlled by the Chinese resi dent in canada for the education of their own children in …  Read more

The 1iterature of the Old Testament Canon is divided into three sections usually designated by the terms: "Law, Prophets, and Writings". The third section embracingthe five "Megilloth" or "Bolls." and known as the "Kethubim" provides the portions of Scripture read on certain Jewish Feast days. Of the five books included in the "Kethubim"three namely, Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, are generally recognized as belonging to that part ot the Sacred Canon now known by the collective name "Wisdom Literature". [...]  Read more

This thesis represents contributions to two distinct fields of Stark effect research, it is presented in two independent sections.In the first of these a detailed report is given ofthe Stark effect for krypton. This completes another in the series of investigations on the rare gases which are being carried out in this Laboratory under high dispersion. This problem was initially investigated by the writer in 1930-31 at which time a general survey of the spectrum was made. [...]  Read more