Proceedings of the Society. 3 



He opened by defining in a general way the nature of the 

 state ('f disease in a hving organism, and emphasized the diseases 

 of environment. The discovery of the miscroscope, and its effi- 

 cient use in the hands of Luewenhoek, MuUer, Schwam, and de 

 la Tour, extended the study of environment into wider fields, and 

 place it on a more scientific basis. 



Nageli and others established the vegetable nature of many of 

 the organisms thus revealed by the microscope, and Cohn made a 

 classification of them according to form. 



This latter system was opposed by Billroth and others, and a 

 final classification according to function was made by DeBary. 



The bold theories ot Haller and other tyros gave the subject a 

 b.ickset until the practical achievement of Lister revived confidence. 



The Doctor stated that he expected to continue the paper at a 

 future meeting. 



The following paper by Prof. Jos. F. James, of Miami Uni- 

 versity, was read : 



REMARKS ON THE JOURNAL OF THE CINCINNATI 

 SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



By Joseph F James, M. ^., Miami University, Oxford, O. 



In arranging the Index to the first ten volumes of the Journal 

 of this Society, certain points were manifest which I venture to 

 think may be of interest to the members. 



As long ago as January, 1876, was published No. i of the 

 Proceedings of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History. This 

 was the only number ever published, and it contains a tinted litho- 

 graphic plate with figures of five new species of shells, by Prof. 

 A. G. VVetherby. This was more than two years before the first 

 number of the Journal was issued, that bearing the date of April, 

 1878. The prospectus, as printed on the first page of the Journal, 

 defines the object to be to "contain a full report of the Proceed- 

 ings of the Society, all valuable papers read before or prepared for 

 it, critical notices of scientific books and publications, etc." Fur- 

 ther, it was decided to illustrate all new species described, either 

 by woodcut, lithographic plates, or such other methods as may 

 ajipear bist adapted to the character of the object to be illustrated. 

 How far these promises were carried out, and how the original 



