674 HEPoRT— 190B. 



principles of biological science. It is this ifrnorance on tlie part of the general 

 public, I believe, which prevents us from gaining that sj'mpathy for our aims and 

 that assistance for our efforts which we thinlc is necessary not only for the 

 reputation, but also for the welfare of our country. We must remember that 

 the science of Natural History is as a closed book to most of those who after a 

 public school and university education have attained to positions of trust and 

 responsibility in the government of our country and our cities. JMoreover, and 

 this is perhaps the most serious aspect of the question, there are many who 

 have gained a high position as men of science, and whose opinion is frequently 

 quoted as authoritative on questions affecting science in general, who are more 

 ignorant of the first principles of the science of biology than the Dutch schoolboy 

 of fifteen years of age. 



It appears to me, then, that it is of fundamental importance for the zoologists 

 of this country to consider and report upon the necessity for the extension and 

 improvement of the teaching of Natural History in our schools and colleges. We 

 shall have to meet the objections that there is not time for Natural History in the 

 school curricula, and that it is not a suitable subject for the instruction of boys 

 and girls. These objections can be met, I believe, and overcome. 



In many foreign countries Natural History is a compulsory school subject for 

 all scholars. In Holland, for example, by the law of April 28, 1876, all scholars of the 

 gymnasia during the first and second years devote two hours per week to the study 

 of Natural History, and in the fifth and sixth years all students preparing for 

 natural, mathematical, and medical sciences courses devote two hours per week to 

 the science. In the superior middle-class schools one hour a week is devoted to 

 the science in the first and second classes, and two hours per week in the remain- 

 ing three years. If, therefore, time can be found in the middle and upper class 

 schools for the study of Natural History in a country like Holland, where the 

 general education is so excellent, surely time can be found for it here. 



It is also a matter for general regret that some course of Elementary Biology 

 is no longer compulsory for those who are proceeding to degrees in science in our 

 universities, and I cannot help feeling that a very retrograde step was taken a few 

 years ago by the authorities of the University of London, when Biology was made 

 an optional subject in the Intermediate Examination for the degree of Bachelor of 

 Science. We cannot expect to receive that sympathy in our pursuits and 

 appreciation of our discoveries which we expect from our fellow-men of science 

 if we tacitly admit that an elementary knowledge of the laws of living bodies is 

 not a necessary part of the equipment of a man of scientific culture. 



I think we must all admit that the time is ripe for a full discussion by biologists 

 of the particular form of teaching and study which is most suitable for schools 

 and elementary university examinations. It is a matter in which we are all 

 interested ; it is a matter affecting most intimately the interests of those who will 

 be our pupils in the future, and we should be careful to see that no ill-considered 

 or fantastic schemes of study are thrust upon the authorities by unauthorised 

 persons at this very critical period in the educational history of our country. 



There are other matters, however, which also demand our careful attention. 

 The growth of our great cities and the improvement in our ideas of sanitation have 

 brought forward as important problems for consideration the purity of the water- 

 supply and the disposal of sewage. The municipal authorities at "last realise that 

 these problems can only be satisfactorily met by elaborate scientific investigation, 

 and they have found that it is not only desirable for sanitary reasons, but also — 

 and this has probably the greater weight — profitable to call in men of science for 

 consultation and^ advice. At present, however, these problems are approached 

 from only two points of view — the chemical and the bacteriological — the effect or 

 effects of other organisms than bacteria upon the character of the sewage effluent 

 and the purity of water for drinking purposes being, so far as I have observed, 

 neglected. I was very much impressed with the fact that at the meeting of the 

 Sanitary Institute last year in Manchester the speakers used the expression 

 * bacteriological examination ' and ' biological examination ' as if they were 

 synonymous, and no mention was made either of the animals or plants which are 



