1913] Editoriais 137 



Zentr. f. Biochem. u. Biophys., Jahr, über die Fortsch. d. Tierchem., 

 and Centr. f. Bakter., Parasitenk. u. Infectionskr. The financial 

 bürden of Publishing such a Journal would be so great that it would 

 have to be limited in scope, for instance leaving biochemical ab- 

 stracts to Chem. Ahstr., and thus depriving members of the new 

 Society, not subscribers for the latter Journal, of abstracts of a large 

 portion of biological science. The financial dilemma might also be 

 solved by Converting the new Journal into an index of biological 

 literature, which would give the titles but not the subject matter of 

 researches in all the fields of biology. 



Local sections of the new society or federation, sufficiently broad 

 in scope, would fill a long- feit need, even in the very large cities ; 

 existing local societies might well serve as nuclei which, by a proc- 

 ess of expansion, could develop into local sections. 



Paul E. Howe, Columbia Univ. The Mathews plan for the 

 amalgamation of the various existing societies for the promotion 

 of the biological sciences is most attractive as an ideality. The 

 practical attainment of the plan, as suggested, appears feasible. 

 The estimates might be questioned when we consider the budget of 

 the Amer. Chem. Soc'y, with its large membership and the present 

 indication that the membership fee may be increased. 



In addition to the advantages of affiliation, the matter of an ab- 

 stract Journal is most attractive. The cost of maintaining such a 

 publication which would be entirely satisfactory, without presum- 

 ing the use of another to Supplement it, would, it seems to me, be 

 much greater than is estimated. One possibility has suggested itself 

 for the reduction of expense and the economical attainment of a 

 satisfactory biological abstract Journal : Cooperation with the Amer. 

 Chem. Soc'y, so that the members of the biological society would 

 receive Chem. Abstracts with its biological section, which would 

 permit the biological society to confine itself to the publication of 

 abstracts in fields not covered by Chem. Abstracts. In general I 

 am most heartily in favor of the proposed society with its accom- 

 panying advantages. 



Max Kahn, Bureau of Chemistry, Washington, D. C. I am 

 fully in accord with Dr. Mathews' plan for the Organization of an 

 Amer. Biolog. Soc'y. A Biolog. Abstr. Jour. is a necessity at the 



