RF Annual Report - 1935 - The Rockefeller Foundation

THE NATURAL SCIENCES 133
terials. During 1935 the Foundation appropriated
$17,750 to the University of Leeds, England,
for use in connection with research in the
x-ray analysis of biological tissues under the direction
of Professor Astbury over the threeyear
period October 15, 1935, to October 14,
1938.
Not many years ago substances were catalogued
as being either crystalline or non-crystalline,
the crystalline substance being built up of
molecules in accordance with a definite and regular
pattern. Recently, however, it has been
learned that many "non-crystalline" substances,
even including water in the liquid state,, have a
considerable degree of regularity in their molecular
building pattern, and studies have been extended
to obtain new and important information
concerning muscle, nerve, and other biological
entities. Information concerning the nature
and dimensions of such crystal patterns has been
obtained through the use of x-rays, Sir William
Bragg being the leading investigator in this
field.Professor Astbury of the University of
Leeds was a pupil of Sir William Bragg in the
field of x-ray analysis. By x-ray examination of
muscle, Professor Astbury has shown that the
characteristic elastic properties of this tissue result
from the long, spiral-like form of certain
molecules occurring in the tissue. The detailed
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