498 Mathews Plan for American Biological Society [April 



reading of papcrs, etc. Most of us I believe realize that we belong to 

 too many societies. It is not possible to put a genuine interest and 

 Cooperation into all of them, except in the matter of paying dues, and 

 the result I fancy is that a selection is made of a few, perhaps one or 

 tvvo, in whose work one can actively participate. So far as the encour- 

 agement of productive work is concerned, I am convinced that more 

 good is done by the small specialized societies than by the more general 

 ones, the congresses, etc. The latter may be useful in improving the 

 public at large, but they do not permit the same opportunities for inti- 

 mate and informal and stimulating contact of one worker with another. 

 We have so many general societies now, that I do not contemplate 

 with pleasure the formation of another. Therefore, as I said at the 

 beginning, I shouldmuchprefer to see an Organization formed to launch 

 the Abstract Jour. and perhaps to finance the other Journals, which shall 

 be simply a business aflfair rather than a society for meetings. 



Ida H. Hyde, Univ. of Kau. A properly conducted " Amer. Biolog. 

 Abstract Jour." published biweekly, similar to the Zentr. f. Physiol., 

 would prove a valuable aid. It might be the organ of several societies ; 

 not only for abstracts of papers, but notices and advertisements of a 

 purely scientific nature. The plan as I understand it, as outlined by 

 Dr. Mathews, is too expensive to appeal to the majority of scientists, 

 I fear. 



D. E. Jackson, Wash. Univ. Med. School. I am deeply impressed 

 not only with the feasibility but also with the very great desirability 

 that some such plan as that proposed by Prof. Mathews should be put 

 into effect in this country. The vastly increased momentum and pene- 

 trating power which much of our scientific work would receive would 

 certainly yield valuable results. It seems to me that arrangements 

 might be made whereby at least one foreign publication, probably the 

 Jour. of Physiol., might be included in the subscription list. 



Edwin O. Jordan, UnizK of Chicago. I am heartily in favor of 

 some such plan of federation as that proposed by Professor Mathews. 

 The need for (i) the union of all biological interests, (2) a Biolog. 

 Abstract Jour. and (3) some method of reducing the cost of scientific 

 periodicals and the cost of management of scientific societies is more 

 urgent today than it was five years ago. 



C F. Langworthy, U. S. Dept. of Agric. Perhaps I do not appre- 

 ciate the needs of the Situation, but it seems to me that it is more desir- 

 able to strengthen existing societies than to form new ones. As the 



