5o8 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Professor Hyatt, he founded the Amer- 

 ican Society of Naturalists and has 

 been its president; he was one of the 

 active founders of the Marine Biolog- 

 ical Laboratory at Wood's Holl, and it 

 was chiefly through his exertions that 

 the American Society for Physical Re- 

 search was started. He has been presi- 

 dent of the American Morphological 

 Society, and since 1897 president of 

 the Boston Society of Natural History. 

 He is, of course, a member of the Na- 

 tional Academy and of many other 

 scientific societies. In 1885 he was 

 general secretary of the American As- 

 sociation and in 1890 vice-president for 

 the section of biology. The Associa- 

 tion is fortunate when the country pro- 

 duces for its presidents such men as 

 Professors Woodward and Minot. 



TEE BRITISH CO^SIGRESS ON 

 TUBERCULOSIS. 



The recent congress in London was 

 as much an institution for public edu- 

 cation as a scientific meeting. As a 

 rule people do not profit greatly by 

 learning about the diseases to which 

 they are subject, but consumption is 

 an exception. This disease is still re- 

 garded by many as hereditary and in- 

 curable; its existence is consequently 

 ignored and concealed, and becomes a 

 source of danger to others. But con- 

 sumption is a curable and especially a 

 preventable disease. Post-mortem ex- 

 aminations of those dying by accident 

 show that about one-half of all people 

 living in cities have had tuberculosis of 

 the lungs, usually of course without 

 knowing it. The disease has been 

 cured without precautions and under 

 unhygienic conditions. WTien detected 

 in time, tuberculosis is not only cur- 

 able, but is one of the most easily cured 

 of chronic diseases. It has been de- 

 creased by one-half in Great Britain by 

 improved sanitary conditions; it has 

 within a few years been decreased by 

 one-third in New York City as the re- 

 sult of municipal control. The disease 

 is chiefly spread by the tubercle germs 



in the sputum carelessly scattered 

 abroad, and chiefly favored by general 

 insanitary conditions. It is conse- 

 quently a matter of great concern, both 

 to those who sufl"er from consumption 

 and to those brought in contact with 

 them, — and practically every one be- 

 longs to one of these clases — that the 

 public should be educated to understand 

 and support the measures required to 

 combat the most terrible of all diseases. 

 If the congress in London accom- 

 plished more for the education of the 

 laity than for the increase of knowl- 

 edge, this is not to be regretted. The 

 reception of foreign delegates, their 

 presentation to the king and elaborate 

 entertainment, led to the wide report- 

 ing of the proceedings in the press, and 

 many of the papers were intended for 

 the general public rather than for the 

 specialist. Professor Koch's admirable 

 address, which is published in this 

 issue of the Monthlt, can be read 

 with interest and profit by any one, 

 though it contains the announcement 

 of important scientific research. Pro- 

 fessor Koch's claim that the bovine 

 tubercle cannot develop in the human 

 body naturally attracted much atten- 

 tion, as it is obviously a matter of 

 great practical importance. Lord Kel- 

 vin, Professor Virchow and other 

 authorities, however, do not regard 

 Professor Koch's experiments and ob- 

 servations as conclusive. Attention 

 does not seem to have been called at the 

 congress to the important experiments 

 of Dr. Theobald Smith, of Harvard 

 University, published some three years 

 ago in 'The Journal of Experimental 

 Medicine.' These demonstrate the dif- 

 ference between the human and bo\ane 

 tubercle bacilli. 



TEE RECENT COMET. 

 The first brilliant comet of the cen- 

 tury has come and gone. Although at 

 one time so bright that it was visible 

 in daylight, it was seen by few persons 

 and at but two northern observatories. 

 It was discovered, April 24, by Mr. 



