PEDAGOGICS OF BACTERIOLOGY 9 



made it possible to place the teaching of bacteriology to these 

 students on a much higher plane than was formerly attainable. 

 Their understanding of the far-reaching activities of the bacteria 

 has thereby been greatly increased and their application of the 

 knowledge gained, to the solution of the problems which con- 

 front them as practitioners of medicine, is already showing 

 abundant fruit in the more intelhgent attitude which medical 

 men are assuming toward questions relating to the public health. 



The student who takes up the study of bacteriology as a part 

 of his education in the biological sciences should possess a pre- 

 liminary training equal to that required of medical students. 

 With this broader foundation it becomes possible for the teacher 

 to present the subject in a more philosophical way, and the 

 general training which the student receives is correspondingly 

 made more beneficial. 



The amount of instruction in bacteriology offered to science 

 students must vary with the time available for the study and 

 with the general and professional training which the individual 

 student is seeking. The minimum course should be one of 

 twelve hours a week for one semester and should be devoted to 

 general bacteriology. After the student has acquired some 

 knowledge of bacteriological technique and of the general char- 

 acters of the bacteria, attention should be directed to the activities 

 of the bacteria in decomposition, in fermentation, in water and 

 sewage purification, in the dairy industries and in food production 

 and preservation. For students who desire more profound 

 knowledge along the various hues of general and apphed bacte- 

 riology, more detailed courses should be arranged to meet their 

 special needs, the course to be given depending in part on the 

 application which the students desire to make of the knowledge 

 they are seeking. 



The best course of study in bacteriology for the student in 

 biology or general science has not as yet been developed. For 

 students beginning the study a combined lecture, laboratory, 

 and seminar course seems to give satisfactory results. The 

 lecture should be largely a part of the laboratory exercises and 

 should consist in explanatory remarks preceding each new phase 



