THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 



103 



Robert Koch. 



fire from achievement to achievement, 

 he made his own age preeminent over 

 all the ages that have gone before for 

 advances in the exact knowledge of the 

 causation ana prevention of infectious 

 diseases. Rarely, if ever, have so 

 many discoveries of such decisive im- 

 portance to mankind emanated from 

 the activities of one person; yet he 

 served with all humility of mind. He 

 simply tried to do his duty, being, as 

 he said, fortunate to find sometimes 

 the gold among the gravel of the road 

 which is open to every one. When we 

 consider the advancement medicine 

 owes to Robert Koch and the endless 

 and inestimable blessing which has 

 come to mankind through his work 

 and life, there comes an overpowering- 

 sense of admiration, reverence and 

 gratitude." 



SCIENTIFIC ITEMS 



We record with regret the deaths of 

 Dr. George Frederic Barker, emeritus 

 professor of physics in the University 

 of Pennsylvania; of General Cyrus 

 Ballou Comstock, U. S. A. (retired), 

 the eminent engineer; of Professor 

 William P. Blake, known for his con- 

 tributions to geology; of Professor 

 Stanislau Cannizzaro, the distin- 

 guished Italian chemist, and of Lieu- 

 tenant Boyd Alexander, the African 

 explorer. 



New York University has given 

 its doctorate of laws to Dr. Henry 

 Miuchell MacCracken, who retires from 

 the chancellorship of the university. — ■ 

 Sir David Gill, K.C.B., F.R.S., has been 

 appointed a knight of the Prussian 

 Order of Merit. — Lord Rayleigh has 

 been promoted from a corresponding to 



