TEE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



381 



For the first time social and economic 

 science was recognized in the election 

 to the presidency, whereas the place 

 of meeting acknowledged the middle 

 west as coordinate with the east in 

 its scientific activity. 



THE RECOGNITION OF THE IM- 

 PORTANCE OF PREVENTIVE 



MEDICINE. 

 While it is quite impossible to give 

 an account of the multifarious activ- 

 ities of the association, what may be 

 accomplished by organized science may 

 be illustrated by two resolutions passed 

 by the council. One of these recognized 

 the service of the late Major Walter 

 Reed in exterminating yellow fever 

 at Havana, the other emphasized the 

 need of expert medical supervision in 

 the construction of the Isthmian Canal. 

 The first resolution reads: 



Resolved, That the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science 

 hereby records its sense of the great 

 loss sustained by science in the death 

 of Major Walter Reed, surgeon in the 

 United States Army, and its apprecia- 

 tion of the far-reaching and invaluable 

 services which he has rendered to hu- 

 manity. By solving the problem of 

 the mode of spread of yellow fever, 

 Major Reed not only made a great 

 contribution to science, but at the same 

 time conferred inestimable benefits upon 

 his country and upon mankind. To 

 have discovered and demonstrated the 

 methods, which have already been suc- 

 cessfully tested in Cuba, of eradicating 

 a wide-spread and terrible pestilence, 

 is a benefaction of imperishable re- 

 nown, of incalculable value in the sa- 

 ving of human lives, of vast importance 

 to commercial interests, and deserving 

 of the highest rewards in the power of 

 his countrymen to bestow. This asso- 

 ciation earnestly urges upon the atten- 

 tion of Congress the duty of making full 

 provision for the support of his family. 



Resolved, That the President desig- 

 nate a committee of nine members of 

 this Association, with power to increase 

 its number, which shall be authorized 

 and requested to devise and carry out 

 a plan, or aid in similar efforts else- 

 where instituted, by which a suitable 

 and permanent memorial of this great 

 benefactor of his race may be secured. 

 This committee shall be authorized to 



prepare and publish a statement of the 

 services of the late Major Reed in dis- 

 covering the mode by which yellow 

 fever may be exterminated. 



The members appointed to serve as 

 such committee are: Dr. D. C. Gilman, 

 Dr. A. Graham Bell, General George 

 M. Sternberg, Mayor Seth Low, Hon. 

 Abram S. Hewitt, President J. G. 

 Schurman, Dr. S. E. Chaille, Dr. W. 

 H. Welch, Dr. Charles S. Minot. 



The second resolution was as follows : 



Inasmuch as the construction of the 

 Isthmian Canal is through a region in 

 which without energetic sanitary con- 

 trol there is sure to be enormous loss 

 of human life from preventable dis- 

 eases, particularly from pernicious ma- 

 laria and yellow fever, as well as great 

 waste of energy and of money from dis- 

 abilities caused by such diseases, and 



Inasmuch as the measures for the 

 restraint of these diseases, which have 

 already achieved even their extermina- 

 tion in Cuba under American adminis- 

 tration, require expert knowledge based 

 upon practical familiarity with tropical 

 diseases, experience in the application 

 of these measures, and large authority 

 in their administration, 



Resolved, That the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science 

 begs most respectfully and earnestly to 

 call to tne attention of the President of 

 the United States the importance of ap- 

 pointing as a member of the Isthmian 

 Canal Commission a medical man pos- 

 sessed of the qualifications indicated. 

 The association is convinced that the 

 mere employment of such a sanitary 

 expert by the commission will not be 

 likely to secure the desired results. 



Resolved, That the permanent secre- 

 tary of the association transmit a copy 

 of these resolutions to the President of 

 the United States. 



A NEWLY RECOGNIZED FACTOR 



IN AMERICAN ANEMIAS' THE 



GERM OF LAZINESS.' 



Under the sensational heading of 

 ' the germ of laziness,' the daily press 

 has been endeavoring to tell the public 

 something about a new discovery made 

 by the U. S. Public Health and Marine 

 Hospital Service. Owing to the word- 

 ing of the first report, by the New York 

 Sun, many newspapers have not known 

 whether this alleged discovery should 



