Journal of 



Applied Microscopy 



and 



Laboratory Methods 





Volume V. SEPTEMBER, 1902. Number 9. 



The Biology Laboratories of Morningside College. 



Doubtless a large number of your readers are teaching in small colleges 

 which do not possess a special building for science work, and many others are 

 working in so-called " science halls " which were originally designed for other 

 purposes and which are often very poorly adapted to the work now being carried 

 on in them. These teachers read with interest the descriptions of the more 

 extensive laboratories, but, owing to the different conditions, these accounts are 

 sometimes more helpful by way of inspiration than suggestion. 



The biology work of the Morningside College is at present being carried on 

 in a set of rooms occupying the south end of Main Hall, a building erected two 

 years ago for general recitation purposes. This building is " T " shaped, the 

 main part fronting toward the east being 140 feet in length, while the east and 

 west dimension is 145 feet. 



Rooms with some other exposure might have been secured, but the advan- 

 tages of the smaller auxilliary rooms led to this choice, and for general biology 

 work in this climate, the advantages of south exposure seem to quite balance its 

 disadvantages. Thus situated, very few days are too dark for microscopical work, 

 even with the higher powers, and on brighter days the direct sunlight can easily 

 be modified by pulling up special inside curtains which were not attached at the 

 time these photographs were taken. I need not dwell on the advantages of 

 direct sunlight for certain kinds of work. 



In the shaping of our equipment, several points had to be kept in mind. 

 One question was how to make the best use of rooms not especially constructed 

 for laboratory purposes ; it was also desired that the equipment should be readily 

 movable and adaptable to the new quarters when such should be provided ; 

 anticipating such removal, the rooms were not to be marred nor disfigured ; and 

 lastly, there was the problem of making the best use of a limited appro- 

 priation. 



The accompanying plan (Fig. 1) shows the general arrangement of these 



(1949) 



