pearl: biology and war 343 



large strategic value. The biological analysis of the events of the 

 war as they pass might be made of direct military importance in 

 the forecasting of the future course of events. An illustration here 

 is found in what has happened in Russia. The collapse of Russia 

 was at bottom not due to any shortage of powder or shot or other 

 secondary requirements of military activity, but it came esseni- 

 ally because a Russian is, in certain respects, a totally different 

 kind of animal from an Englishman, a Frenchman, an Italian, 

 or an American. Because he is a different kind of animal he has 

 throughout his past history reacted to certain sorts of stimuli in 

 a different way than would or did the individual of the other 

 nations mentioned. Any thoughtful student of the biological 

 aspects of history — that neglected branch of science which 

 Frederick Adams Woods has been trying for years to interest 

 people in, under the somewhat forbidding label "historiometry" — 

 could have foretold with considerable precision both as to time 

 and event, or better eventuality, just what Russia's contribution 

 to the cause of the Allies would be. 



What I have so far said will serve as a general indication, I hope, 

 of the fact that we have signally failed to make effective use of 

 the contribution to war that biological science, in the broadest 

 sense, is potentially able to make. The indictment here, if there 

 be any, falls upon the class to which I professionally belong. 

 What I wish to do in the remainder of the time at my disposal is 

 to discuss a few of the more important biological problems of 

 war, in the hope that such discussion may serve in some si ght 

 degree at least to arouse interest in these problems on the part of 

 many biologists much more capable of dealing with them than I 

 am. If this can in any way be accomplished I feel that biology 

 will make to the cause in which we are all vitally interested a 

 contribution second to none. 



WHY MEN FIGHT 



War constitutes a gigantic experiment in human evolution. 

 For the experimental study of evolution in lower organisms we 

 have many laboratories and institutes. In such laboratories one 



