Science: Darwin to Teddington

At Teddington, 13 miles from London, is Britain’s National Physical Laboratory, which, like the Bureau of Standards in the U.S., checks weights and measures, tests and develops materials for industry. N.P.L.’s director—an important post in British science—lives in the palace where William IV lived as a prince with his mistress, as a king with his queen. Three weeks ago Professor William Lawrence Bragg, physicist, distinguished son of a distinguished father, moved out of the palace to become boss of Cambridge University’s famed Cavendish Laboratory (TIME, Oct. 3).

Last week it became known in England that Dr. Charles Galton Darwin, mathematical physicist, distinguished grandson of Charles Darwin, would move into the Teddington palace, having been appointed N.P.L.’s new director.

Onetime Tait Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University, Dr. Darwin, 50, has been Master of Christ’s College, Cambridge, since 1936. In 1931 he compared physics to “a mother who has just given birth to several healthy children, but has not yet recovered sufficiently to know what is going to happen next.” Physics has given birth to several other children since then, and Physicist Darwin will try to deal with them all, since research in pure science as well as industrial work goes on at N.P.L. He will move into the palace with a wife and five real children of his own.