5 



given a breadth of view that has been educa- 

 tionally of great advantage. 



In America it is of course true that here and 

 there individual workers have been engaged in 

 bacteriological research for over a quarter of 

 a century, but within the last few years there 

 has been such an extension of activity, not only 

 in the amount but in the scope of work per- 

 formed, that we may fairly say that American 

 Bacteriology is now on a footing that com- 

 mands scientific attention from older centers of 

 research. 



The one marked characteristic that is to be 

 noted among the American bacteriologists is 

 that they have been recruited from widely dif- 

 ferent preparatory fields. Like the nation it- 

 self, which has assimilated races and peoples of 

 widely varying origin, the students of this sci- 

 ence have had their preliminary training in 

 lines of work which are strikingly remote from 

 each other. Naturally the great majority of 

 them have approached the subject from a med- 

 ical point of view. This is true not only of 

 those whose work has been in connection 

 with medical schools, but with students of 

 public health, particularly those in the board 

 of health laboratories. The earlier develop-^X 

 ment of the science in the field of medicine for \\r 

 a long time controlled bacteriological activity, 

 but it is fair to assume at the present time that 

 bacteriology is no longer to be regarded simply 



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