January 20, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



89 



interest liim most, the every-day methods 

 of the best f)hysicians, and the specialist 

 will keep his own foundations in repair. 

 It is in connection with these courses that 

 didactic lectures should be given. Up to 

 this point in his work the student is not 

 ripe. Let there be one to four lectures of 

 not more than forty-five minutes, the sub- 

 ject very limited, so that each set shall 

 present all the existing knowledge on the 

 subject. The purpose of these lectures is 

 to show the student the historical develop- 

 ment of scientific problems, the nature of 

 scientific evidence, and the canons of criti- 

 cism that shall help him to sift the wheat 

 from the chaff of controversy. Lectures of 

 this kind cannot profitably be given by men 

 who have not made experimental investiga- 

 tions in the subject of the lecture; so far as 

 practicable they should be given by the 

 specialists who advise the physiological 

 staff concerning the special courses. 



Each student should be required to pre- 

 sent one written discussion of some very 

 small and sufficiently isolated thesis, giving 

 the work of the original investigators, to- 

 gether with any observations the student 

 has made for himself. The way of dealing 

 with the sources at first hand will thus be 

 learned. 



The student's reading should be corre- 

 lated strictlj' with his practical work and 

 should be done in the laboratory in connec- 

 tion with that work. It should not be 

 memorizing, as at present, but the study 

 of graphic records, physiological-anatomical 

 preparations and other physiological mate- 

 rial, with the aid of the text-book. The cor- 

 rections necessary to bring the book up to 

 date and to correlate it with the practical 

 work can be furnished in printed or mimeo- 

 graphed notes. 



Such are the lines along which sound 

 theory directs that the teaching of physi- 

 ology in medical schools should proceed. 

 With such a training the student can safely 



find his way through the constantly aug- 

 menting horde of facts and draw vicarious 

 profit from those who are face to face with 

 the mysteries of nature. Such instruction 

 meets also the needs of men intending to 

 make a profession of biological . sciences 

 other than medicine. It will be observed 

 that the course offers: (1) thorough ex- 

 perimental acquaintance with one field, say 

 the physiology of nerve and muscle, giving 

 the point of view, the general physiological 

 method, training in technique, a basis of 

 analog}', adequate knowledge of one living 

 tissue and thus the elements of all ; (2) the 

 fundamental elementary experiments in tlie 

 remaining fields ; with the key which the 

 first course gives, these will unlock much ; 

 (3) thorough experimental acquaintance 

 with one special subject ; (4) various cora- 

 plementarj' gains, of which may be men- 

 tioned experience in reaching the original 

 sources and in marshalling facts, a certain 

 degree of skill in the methods used by 

 practitioners, direct correlation between 

 physiology and practical medicine. Much 

 might be said of the value of this group, 

 particularly of the correlation just men- 

 tioned, but we must hasten on to the 

 demonstration of how these ends are to be 

 attained practically. 



The first problem to be solved in plan- 

 ning instruction is whether the student's 

 time is to be given wholly or only in part 

 to the subject taught. Men in training for 

 professional physiology commonly concen- 

 trate their energies for a sufficient period 

 on this one subject, and this is regarded 

 as the most economical way of mastering 

 any science, for the ground gained by one 

 day's work is still fresh in the mind when 

 the next day's work begins, and continuity 

 of thought is not disturbed. The plea that 

 the instruction in one subject should be 

 broken by the injection of other subjects in 

 order that the instruction iu each may have 

 ' time to sink in ' need not be entertained ; 



