76 



NATURE 



[November 17, 1910 



trustees of the institution during the first two years 

 of its existence was overwhelming in abundance. 

 The severity of the situation thus developed, however, 

 was relieved by a humorous aspect found in the fact 

 that it became possible to quote equally expert opinions 

 on all sides of any question relative to the objects 

 of the institution. In order, therefore, to accomplish 

 anything in addition to correspondence it became 

 necessary for the trustees to proceed in a way which 

 has appeared in some degree arbitrary and without 

 due regard to all interests concerned. 



The productive activities of the institution have been 

 developed thus far along four principal lines of work. 

 These are, first, large projects organised under and 

 conducted by the institution itself; secondly, minor 

 projects carried on by individuals who are for the 



not inappropriately may be added the divisiions in 

 charge of the work of publications and the work of 

 administration, makin}^^ thus twelve different depart- 

 ments or divisions of work within the institution itself. 

 Each of these principal departments of investigation 

 is in charge of a director who is primarily responsible 

 for the organisation and the conduct of the work 

 entrusted to him. Annual appropriations are made to 

 these departments in conformitv with carefully speci- 

 fied budgets drawn up by the directors in cooperation 

 with the president of the institution. Within the 

 limits of his annual appropriation each director is 

 given the larg-est freedom of action in the prosecution 

 and in the development of the work he has in charge. 

 Under the head of minor projects manv researches 

 in widely separated fields have been undertaken bv 



Fig. 4, — Inteiicr View of Nutrition Laboratory. 



most part connected primarily with other institutions ; 

 thirdly, the work of research associates and assistants 

 who are temporarily attached to the institution, and 

 who are for the time being: engaged chiefly in work 

 of research; and, fourthly, the issue of publications, 

 including especially the results of the investigations 

 accomplished under the first three heads just men- 

 tioned, and the publication of investigations of special 

 merit not likelv to be cared for under other auspices. 



Under the head of large projects, ten departments 

 of work have been established. Two of these depart- 

 ments are devoted to* astronomical investig'ations ; 

 three to research :.in biology ; one to economics and 

 sociology ; one to research in geophvsics ; one to his- 

 ■torical research; one to" investigations in nutrition;' 

 ^hd one to research in terrestrial mag^netism. To these 



NO. 2142, VOL. 85] 



individual investigators. In round numbers about thret> 

 hundred of these investigators have been connected 

 with academic institutions. Similarly, limited num- 

 bers of eminent research associates have been and 

 still are attached to the institution. In its earlier 

 experience there were appointed also a limited number 

 of research assistants, who were young men and 

 women of promise, but had not yet demonstrated 

 capacity for the accomplishment of fruitful research. 



Next in importance to the work of research is the 

 work of publication carried on by the institution. For 

 this object io,oooZ. to 15,000/. are now allotted 

 annually, and the institution is publishing books at 

 the rate of twenty to forty volumes per year. These 

 publications are distributed g^ratuitously to a limited 

 list of the greater libraries of the World. They atie 



