General Methods 79 



carrying on the work necessary to a thorough study of 

 the object. Thus there are chemical laboratories- 

 physical laboratories, biological laboratories, and psy, 

 chological and physiological laboratories. 



Physiology, studied by the laboratory method, 

 means the study of the actual organs of plants and 

 animals by means of apparatus, determining the rate 

 of the heart-beat, of the pulse, the contraction of mus- 

 cles, and the effect of various stimuli on nervous action, 

 and the action of the various digestive fluids on various 

 kinds of food, etc. 



The concrete study of human beings in society, such 

 as cities, penal institutions, schools, railroads and fac- 

 tories, etc., is sometimes called sociology or economics 

 by the laboratory method. 



A well-equipped laboratory for nature-study work 

 is, of course, desirable, but not absolutely essential. 

 The ordinary school-desks can be made to suffice for 

 all the nature-study work of the grades. Simple dis- 

 secting-needles, with hand-lenses and a compound 

 microscope if possible, will suffice as apparatus. It is 

 needless to say that a better equipment would be 

 advantageous and very often possible. 



The recitation is used, also, in connection with 

 the laboratory method. The aims of these recita- 

 tions may be arranged in two groups, according as 

 the object is mainly (a) to instruct or (b) to test. These 

 two aims cannot be absolutely separated in practice; 

 yet it is clear, that, in work of this kind, where so 

 much depends on methods of manipulation, skill in 

 seeing, etc., the instruction should come much earlier 

 than the final test of knowledge. 



The methods used in recitation may be the 50- 

 cratic, Catechetical, and Developmental. These terms 

 are frequently used synonymously; but it is desirable 

 to distinguish between the first, or Socratic method, 

 and the Catechetical or Developmental methods. 



