340 Federation of American Biological Societies [Jan. 



in Washington, in May 1907. The Secretary of the Biochemical 

 Society, with the approval of the officers of the societies concerned, 

 proposed and arranged for Joint sessions of the Biochemical Society 

 with the American Physiological Society and with the Washington 

 section of the American Chemical Society, thus emphasizing the 

 principle of " independence with interdependence" which animated 

 the founders of the Biochemical Society. It was freely suggested, 

 and the hope was often expressed at that time, that such Joint ses- 

 sions between naturally affiliated societies might lead to co-ordinated 

 meetings annually and to the development of a working agreement 

 to that end, thus securing all the scientific and professional advan- 

 tages of " independence with interdependence " to which Professor 

 Abel referred in the address from which the foregoing quotation is 

 taken. The Biochemical Society, which had insisted upon a pro- 

 fessional career of its own, was eager to show, nevertheless, that 

 independence meant nothing more than individuality, i. e., profes- 

 sional freedom — that it desired to work effectively with similar in- 

 dividuals in concerted efforts for the advancement of biological 

 science. 



The Joint sessions in Washington (May, 1907) were so success- 

 ful and agreeable, that the Secretary of the Biochemical Society, 

 with the approval of the officers of all the societies concerned, pro- 

 posed and arranged a few months later for Joint sessions in Chicago, 

 in December 1907, of the Biochemical Society with the American 

 Physiological Society and the Biological Section of the American 

 Chemical Society in affiliation with Section C (Chemistry) of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Secre- 

 tary of the Biochemical Society was also Secretary of Section K 

 (Physiology and Experimental Medicine) of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. He arranged for Joint 

 sessions (during the same week) of Section K with the American 

 Physiological Society and the Society of American Bacteriologists, 

 thus laying further emphasis upon the attitude of the officers of 

 the new Biochemical Society in the matter of affiliation with other 

 societies for the attainment of similar objects. 



The success of the Joint sessions at the Chicago meetings was a 

 populär theme for informal discussion among those in attendance. 

 The action of the Ph3^siological Society, to which Professor Carlson 



