108 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 760 



Stow by Mr. Davis proved to be quite free 

 from poisons of any description. In one 

 instance a slight hemolytic action was ob- 

 served, but this was attributed to the 

 acid reaction of the fungus. In all cases 

 the heated extracts were without effect 

 upon animals. This species is considered 

 edible by most mycologists. 



GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 



The examination of these various species 

 of fungi, representing now nearly twenty 

 distinct forms, demonstrates one or two 

 facts which should be particularly empha- 

 sized. In the first place, our methods of 

 chemical analysis of mushrooms, and es- 

 pecially the methods of isolating their 

 poisons are now so developed that a 

 little material, two or three small speci- 

 mens in fact, and even one good sized 

 plant, may be studied and an opinion 

 be given as to the properties of the species. 

 In the second place, a more extended in- 

 vestigation should be carried out in re- 

 gard to the properties of all the mush- 

 rooms believed on clinical grounds to be 

 poisonous, but of which no laboratory 

 study has thus far been made. Finally 

 such a piece of work, to be of lasting value 

 to science, can only be accomplished 

 through the cooperation of trained mycol- 

 ogists who can identify with certainty the 

 species of mushrooms selected for study. 

 William W. Foed 



Bacteriological Laboeatoey, 

 Johns Hopkins XTniversity, 

 June 20, 1909 



VOTES ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERiyC AT 



THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE 



OF TECHNOLOGY 



The cause of electrical engineering research 

 and the advanced instruction of graduate stu- 

 dents in electrical engineering has been ad- 

 vanced by the appointment of Dr. Harold 

 Pender to the professorship of theoretical and 

 applied electricity which is connected with the 



department of electrical engineering at the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. 

 Pender is a graduate of Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity and took the degree of Ph.D. at that 

 university in 1901 under the direction of 

 Professor Rowland. He thereafter taught for 

 a year and a half, during which period he 

 completed the classical experiments of Pro- 

 fessor Rowland which demonstrated the mag- 

 netic effect of a moving charge of electricity. 

 M. Poincare having suggested the desirability 

 of these experiments being performed in Paris, 

 the Carnegie Institution of Washington ar- 

 ranged with Dr. Pender to go to France for 

 the purpose. Upon returning from France 

 Dr. Pender went into the employ of the West- 

 inghouse Electric Company and he has since 

 been in regular engineering employ. His 

 teaching at the Institute of Technology will 

 consist .of a course ror third-year undergradu- 

 ate students and courses for graduate students 

 in the more advanced theories of electric cur- 

 rent flow and the electric transmission of 

 power, in addition to the direction of experi- 

 mental research by advanced students. 



The advanced lectures on the organization 

 and administration of public service com- 

 panies, on the design of power stations and 

 systems, and on electrical measurements here- 

 tofore carried on by Professor Jackson, Pro- 

 fessor Shaad and Professor Laws will be con- 

 tinued by the same professors. 



As indicating the trend of electrical engi- 

 neering study at the present time, it is notable 

 that forty per cent, of the students just gradu- 

 ated from the electrical engineering course at 

 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology al- 

 ready bore degrees of bachelor of arts or 

 science, conferred, as a rule, in classical or 

 literary courses. These men are going into a 

 wide variety of activities, from the manufac- 

 ture of electric instruments and of incan- 

 descent lamps to electric transmission of power 

 and heavy electric traction. 



Mr. H. S. Osborne and Mr. W. S. Rodman, 

 who are candidates for the degree of doctor of 

 engineering in the electrical engineering de- 

 partment, have recently been appointed fel- 

 lows by the faculty of the institute. Mr. R. L. 

 Jones has been appointed graduate scholar in 

 electrical engineering. 



