vi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



time only one principal subject, such as physi- 

 ology or pathology, disciplines that do not yield 

 readily to a divided mind. Sequence provides 

 that a foundation shall be laid before the super- 

 structure is attempted. Students now have an 

 acquaintance with anatomy before they begin 

 the study of physiology. Election somewhat 

 tardily intrusts to university men rarely less 

 than twenty-five years of age a voice in the 

 decision of their nearest affairs. The application 

 of these principles to medical teaching has un- 

 doubtedly resulted in large savings of time and 

 energy. 



The economy of force secured by concentra- 

 tion and sequence has been highly valuable, 

 though not indispensable, in the new teaching of 

 physiology introduced by the author in Feb- 

 ruary, 1900. The traditional teaching of physi- 

 ology consists of lectures illustrated by occasional 

 demonstrations and, in some instances, by experi- 

 ments performed by the students themselves. 

 The new method is fundamentally opposite. It 

 consists of experiments and observations by the 

 student himself. The didactic instruction, com- 

 prising lectures, written tests, recitations, confer- 

 ences, and the writing and discussing of theses, 

 follows the student's experiments and considers 

 them in relation to the work of other observers. 



