In a radio talk which he gave during an intermission in a Philharmonic concert Dr. Ernest A. Hooton, Harvard's iconoclastic anthropologist, pleaded for "a science of the individual man that will teach us our physical and mental capacities and limitations early in life, so that we can profit from that knowledge."

"Every single person is born with an unique combination in details of anatomical structure, peculiarities of physiological function, variations in mental capacity, and assorted temperamental traits," says Hooton. This mass of inherited potentialities is then developed or stunted by all of life's experiences from infancy to maturity-food, housing, parental care, family life, climate, human associates, formal education. The individual is an organic unit, with aspects of his total personality all mixed up. None of these can be understood without a knowledge of the whole person and of his background. "At present we learn separately about human psychology or physiology or the structure of the family, but nothing about the whole individual self," is Hooton's way of putting it.

A science of the total man would give each individual early in life a complete inventory of his unique self so that he could correct as far as possible, his personal weaknesses, capitalize his strong points, and seek a place in human activity that he is fitted to fill. Hooton maintains that "such a science can be promised to you today, if you will only demand it as your right, as the cornerstone of your education."

In the individual we are first concerned with anatomical structure of body build. Here Hooton holds up for admiration the work of William H. Sheldon, who has devised a satisfactory scheme for classifying all varieties of the human physique. Peculiarities of the body and its general form often reflect invisible traits that are far more important than skin, bone, muscle, cartilage, or other structural features. We are beginning to learn that the physiology of the individual also varies rather closely with his body type.

In this field, again, William H. Sheldon has devised a scheme of temperamental rating which will serve for the present and which is related to varieties of body build. Thus the extreme of physique represented by the tall, narrow, skinny person is associated with a cluster of some twenty trait tendencies including "love of privacy," "emotional restraint," "hypersensitivity to pain," "need of solitude when troubled," etc. Hooton says that close enough relationships can be established between physique and personality traits so that eventually body build may be used as a shortcut to personality analysis. In fact, he maintains that if physical, mental and temperamental characteristics are known it is possible to predict within certain limits fitness for various tasks, ability in performance under different conditions-in short, the quality of behavior.

* Hikers will be able to purify water (without adding odor or changing taste) through use of filter .125 of an inch thick. Canteen is filled with water, chlorinating pellets dropped in to kill bacteria, and filter placed in position. When canteen is raised for a drink water flows through filter, activated carbon in filter removes unpleasant taste while fibrous felt surrounding it holds back foreign matter. One filter will purify 2 1/2 gallons of chlorinated water.

* Workmen who need hands free to use tools in dark corners may wear Fingalyte, a tiny electric torch worn like a finger ring; derives current through insulated cable from battery clipped to belt.

* Eggs roasted at high temperatures (look and taste like hardboiled) can be kept indefinitely without refrigeration. Boston egg dealers have developed nickel-inslot machine which delivers roasted egg.

* We have mentioned revolving windows (E-W, Jan. '46); another idea is glass strips arranged a la venetian blinds. Will not raise or lower but may be angled to admit air; closed tightly to exclude cold and rain. Lower louvers may be opaqued for privacy.

* Motor oil now being tested is claimed to be "ever-enduring." Will cost more but replacement will be negligible since screening occasionally will clear out any sludge.

Trackless trolley, already in use in about 5o U. S. cities, is being improved and now resembles roomy, ultra-modern bus. Is slated to supersede street car, where regular bus does not do so, since it is faster (can weave in and out of traffic), more comfortable, quiet, and cheaper, it costs $100,000 a mile, to build double track street car rails, only $7,000 a mile to install trackless trolley overhead wires.

Retrieving Swallowed Objects: An alnico magnet (an alloy) is strong enough to lift 100 times its weight. Will attract iron and steel objects. Can be passed into stomach attached to rubber tube which has bulb at outer end. When stomach is filled with air, any collapsed portion is lifted and foreign body freed, and attracted to magnet. Said to be much simpler and quicker than old method involving use of flexible forceps.

How Cold Germs Spread: Now science has measured the velocity of a cough! It has been charted at more than 245 miles per hour as it leaves the throat.

Skin Storage: "Skin-banks" to which volunteers donate (as they have done to blood-banks) may be established in, future, now that human skin stored 3 weeks has been used successfully in grafts on badly burned servicemen.