DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



185 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



A BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF THE 



MEN OF SCIENCE OF THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



At the request of the executive com- 

 mittee of the Carnegie Institution I am 

 compiling a biographical index of the 

 men of science of the United States. It 

 is intended in the first instance for the 

 use of the institution, but it will prob- 

 ably also be published. The index 

 should include all those who have car- 

 ried on research in science, the term, 

 however, being used in its narrower 

 sense so as not to include on the one 

 hand philology, history, economics, etc., 

 nor on the other hand medicine, engi- 

 neering, education, etc., except in so far 

 as these applied sciences may contribute 

 to pure science. 



During the summer I sent to a large 

 list of names (some 8,000) a blank with 

 the request that it be filled in and re- 

 turned. The blank asked more espe- 

 cially for information in regard to the 

 scientific career and work of those to 

 whom it was addressed. The response 

 has been very gratifying, but as the 

 circular was sent with a one cent 

 stamp, it did not reach immediately 

 some of those absent from home during 

 the summer holidays. I shall be glad 

 if those who have received this blank 

 will fill it in and return it to me. It 

 will be necessary to send a second 



request by letter postage to those who 

 have not replied; but time and money 

 will be saved if those who see this note 

 will be so kind as to fill in and return 

 the blank in case they have not already 

 done so. 



The list of those to whom the blank 

 was sent was compiled with care, and 

 includes the members of the scientific 

 societies of the United States requiring 

 research as a qualification (some fifty), 

 the scientific staffs of the leading insti- 

 tutions of learning (some seventy), the 

 scientific men included in ' Who's Who 

 in America ' and others whose names 

 were accessible. There are, however, 

 many connected with smaller institu- 

 tions and in private life, not members 

 of scientific societies, who have pub- 

 lished research work of value, and I 

 shall be glad to have assistance in 

 securing their names and addresses. 

 I shall be under obligations to any 

 readers of this journal who have car- 

 ried on research in the sciences, but 

 who have not received the blank, if 

 they will send me their names; and I 

 shall be glad to receive the names and 

 addresses of any who have carried on 

 research, but whose names would not 

 be discovered from the lists of societies, 

 larger institutions of learning and ex- 

 isting biographical dictionaries. 



J. McKeen Cattell. 



Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



