INTRODUCTION. 11 



and marine biology would be entitled to equal rank with the others 

 mentioned above. 



A government in beginning its work can adopt one of two lines 

 of action. It may either allow its various divisions which come 

 in contact with and which need scientific aid themselves to estab- 

 lish the various laboratories in question, each under separate 

 direction and each with separate facilities, or it may adopt the 

 course of inaugurating one central institution where all this class 

 of work can be united, where, therefore, the workers can be in close 

 contact, and where each division is w r ell aware of what is being done 

 in the others. Cooperation in this sense would be most complete, 

 and while there might be some slight disadvantages in the latter 

 course by reason of the fact that the various divisions of the 

 government could not in their own quarters study and obtain the 

 results looked for, these are by far outweighed by the cooperation 

 w r hich can be obtained between the scientific men by the division 

 of labor, which frequently saves both time and money, and by the 

 reduction in equipment, which inevitably follows a concentration 

 of allied interests. 



The Civil Government of the Philippine Islands, taking all of the 

 above-mentioned facts into consideration, and knowing well the 

 expense and loss of efficiency due to a scattering of its scientific 

 energies through a number of bureaus, decided to establish one 

 central laboratory system, to properly equip and house this series 

 of institutions, and to place them under a central direction. 



By Act No. 156 of the Philippine Commission, passed in July, 

 1901, there was established a Bureau of Government Laboratories, 

 consisting of a biological laboratory and a chemical laboratory. 

 Later, by Act No. 607, there was united therewith a serum labo- 

 ratory. Subsequently the botanist of the Agricultural Bureau was 

 transferred to the Bureau of Government Laboratories and the 

 botanical staff was enlarged, so that another division was added 

 to the biological laboratory. Entomological investigation was also 

 begun, and of late zoological work has been undertaken. 



By Act No. 156 the Superintendent of Government Laboratories 

 was directed to prepare plans for a suitable building for the instal- 

 lation of the biological laboratory, the chemical laboratory, and a 

 reference library; for a laboratory for the manufacture of vaccine 

 virus, serums, and prophylactics; detailed estimates of the cost of 



