50 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



On account of the discrepancy between the results obtained by 

 Professor Michelson in 1879 and those by Professor Newcomb 

 in his first series of observations, the former undertook the 

 repetition of his experiments in 1882 by means of a grant from 

 the Bache Fund of the National Academy, and in 1883 some 

 cognate experiments on the velocity of differently colored rays 

 of light through various refracting media. The results of Pro- 

 fessor Newcomb's experiments and the subsequent ones of 

 Professor Michelson were published under the Navy Depart- 

 ment in 1885/" 



By an act, approved March 3, 1879, Congress established a 

 National Board of Health to consist of one surgeon of the Army, 

 one surgeon of the Navy, a medical officer of the Marine Hos- 

 pital Service, an officer of the Department of Justice, and seven 

 physicians from civil life. By the provisions of this act, the 

 Academy was requested and directed to cooperate with the 

 board and to report to Congress. A committee of nine members 

 was appointed the same year and assisted the board in the 

 preparation of its first annual report. 



Regarding the work of this committee, the President of the 

 Academy reported in 1880, as follows: 



" A communication was received from the president of the National Board of 

 Health, dated April 14, 1880, expressing the high appreciation of the Board, of 

 the aid and co-operation rendered by the Committee of the Academy in the prepa- 

 ration of its annual report in accordance with the constituting act approved 

 March 3, 1879, and requesting, in view of the importance of the subjects under its 

 charge, that the Committee be continued or a new one appointed. 



"The committee of the Academy to co-operate with the National Board of 

 Health was accordingly continued." ^'' 



In view of this appreciation and request the committee was re- 

 appointed annually until 1883. In 1886 the chairman reported 

 that four years had elapsed since the Board of Health had re- 

 quested assistance and the committee was, therefore, discharged. 



^Astronomical Papers prepared for the use of the American Ephemeris and Nautical 

 Almanac, vol. 2, parts 3-4. Velocity of Light in Air and Refracting Media. 4°. Washing- 

 ton: Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, 1885. 



" Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i, p. 174. 



