The Microscope. 301 



NOTES OF THE MEETING OF THE AMERICAN 

 MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



PROF. W. H. SEAMAN, SECRETARY. 



THE Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the American Society of 

 Microscopists began at ten o'clock Tuesday morning, Au- 

 gust 11th, in the medical department of Columbian University, 

 Washington, D. C. 



After prayer by the Rev. R. S. L. Wood, a very interesting 

 address of welcome was delivered by Dr. John S. Billings, Sur- 

 geon U. S. A. In this address the speaker reviewed the micro- 

 scopical work of the Army Medical Museum and the part per- 

 formed by Dr. Woodward in developing the art of photomicrog- 

 raphy, and by accurate criticism assisting in improving the 

 construction of the microscope itself. The address will be pub- 

 lished in full in the Proceedings. The rest of the morning ses- 

 sion was occupied in listening to the reports of the secretary, of 

 the committees on constitution, medico-legal microscopy and 

 Columbian Exposition, and in considering the question of in- 

 corporating the Society. The last was decided in the affirma- 

 tive, and a committee was appointed, which later reported a 

 plan that was adopted, and the Society was duly incorporated 

 according to the laws of the District of Columbia. It seems 

 especially suitable for a society which is national in its character 

 to be incorporated under the laws of the national capital at its 

 first meeting in that city. The Society has now for the first 

 time a legal existence, with the power to hold property, and the 

 step will, it is believed, tend to increase its usefulness. The 

 name caused some discussion, which was settled by adopting 

 the title of " The American Microscopical Society," which a 

 large majority preferred to the old name. 



The afternoon ses-ions of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurs- 

 day were devoted to visiting the Geological Survey, the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, including the Bureau of Animal Industry, 

 and the museum and library of the Surgeon General's office. 

 These visits took the place of the working session, and enabled 

 the members to see a lai-ge amount of microscopical work done 

 in the best manner and with the best appliances. 



The first paper read on Wednesday morning was on " The 

 Microscope in Government Work," by J. Melvln Lamb, M. D., 



