286 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



Biological Measurements. — Report of Committee (Prof. J. S. 

 Huxley, Chairman; Dr. R. A. Fisher, Secretary; Dr. W. T. Calman, 

 Mr. C. Forster-Cooper, Prof. J. W. Nicholson, Dr. E. S. Pearson, 

 Mr. 0. W. Richards, Mr. G. C. Robson, Dr. J. F. Tocher) 

 appointed to draw up recommendations for the taking and presentation 

 of Biological Measurements, and to bring such before persons or bodies 

 concerned. 



The Committee held six meetings during 1926 and 1927. Preliminary discussions 

 showed that two obstacles ordinarily stood in the way of the satisfactory presentation 

 of numerical data in the biological literature. In the first place editors showed a 

 natural reluctance to printing extensive data in full detail, especially when every 

 advantage had not been taken to arrange such data as compactly as possible ; in the 

 second place the methods available for providing a statistical summary, such as is 

 essential wherever the original data are not presented in full, are neither sufficiently 

 well known nor have been sufficiently standardised by accepted conventions for such 

 summaries to have an exact and unambiguous meaning. 



The Committee decided that these obstacles could be overcome by action along 

 two lines : (a) by the establishment of centrally placed archives for the reception of 

 original biological data, which were too extensive for complete publication, and (6) by 

 the preparation of a leaflet for the guidance of contributors to biological journals 

 who wish to conform to acceptable modern practice. It is anticipated that this 

 leaflet will require periodical revision as need arises. 



Negotiations with the Natural History Museum at South Kensington and with 

 the Royal Society of Edinburgh have resulted in the establishment of the required 

 archives for the reception of biological data, where they will be available to students, 

 and in this sense will have secured effective publication. The thanks of the Com- 

 mittee are due to the authorities of these two institutions for undertaking a function 

 "which in the opinion of the Committee will be of increasing value to biological science. 



The leaflet prepared by the Committee consists of a foreword illustrating the 

 practical needs of modern biological work, followed by four sections (A) on general 

 considerations in the planning and execution of research by metrical methods, (B) on 

 the methods available for the compact presentation of data, and on the recognised 

 methods by which it can be adequately summarised, (C) on the interpretation of 

 statistical results and on tests of significance, and (D) giving detailed references to 

 text books upon the several types of tests generally required. The leaflet is presented 

 as an appendix to this report. 



Seeing that the practical utility both of the archives and of the leaflet will depend 

 on their existence becoming known to biological workers, the Committee have cir- 

 cularised the editors of the chief biological journals published in Great Britain asking 

 for the incorporation of additional clauses in their permanent notices to contributors. 

 The Committee are glad to report that a favourable reply has been given by the editors 

 of a number of important journals. 



Recommendations of the 

 British Association Committee on Biological Measurements. 



Foreword. 



Biology is rapidly becoming more and more of a science in which exact mathe- 

 matical methods are required. In all fields accurate measurements or quantitative 

 data of some kind are being increasingly employed. On the other hand, such data 

 are not infrequently rendered useless, or at least much less useful than they might 

 have been, through neglect of simple precautions, either in the making, the recording, 

 or the analysis of the data. Bearing these facts in mind, Section D of the British 

 Association appointed the present Committee to draw up recommendations upon the 

 presentation of biological measurements. 



