Januaet 1, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



15 



of research. Cooperation seems to be the 

 slogan to-day and the National Research 

 Council, created as a war measure, is func- 

 tioning to stimulate research in all of these 

 institutions of the country in a cooperative 

 way. Botany certainly has not been neglected 

 as evidenced by the fundamental physiological 

 work on fertilizers and the growing of wheat, 

 and the fundamental work in connection with 

 the treatment of plant diseases which will be 

 taken up by the Eesearch Council through 

 the Crop Protection Institute in a cooperative 

 way. Cooperation in every line is desirable, 

 but is it not a fact that all great discoveries 

 are made by individuals? These individuals 

 should have plenty of equipment and help, 

 and each should have a free hand to work out 

 his or her problem. 



In conclusion the plea I desire to make is 

 that the botanist should enter more vigorously 

 into the exploitation of fields of agronomic 

 work, ecology and taxonomic work, as it is 

 related to horticulture and agriculture. We 

 have allowed some splendid fields of work to 

 slip away from us, largely because we were 

 indifferent to the problems of agriculture. 

 This is not true of plant pathology which has 

 made itself felt along economic lines. It is 

 true that some phases of plant breeding, 

 physiology and soil relations of plants are 

 masquerading under various forms of agricul- 

 ture and horticulture. It is not my aim to 

 belittle much that has been accomplished by 

 horticulturists and agriculturists, but this 

 work, when botanical, should finds its place 

 under the head of botany. Let us look for a 

 new era in botanical work. Then the various 

 phases of the work will find their rightful 

 place, not only in our teaching, but in our 

 research as well. 



L. H. Pammel 



Iowa State College 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



THE BOWDOIN MEDICAL SCHOOL 



The Bowdoin Medical School, established a 

 century ago by Maine's first legislature, will 

 be closed as a department of Bowdoin College 

 at the end of the current year next June, un- 



less by that time it receives financial support. 

 The following announcement has been made 

 by President Kenneth C. M. Sills by authority 

 of the boards of trustees and overseers. 



By action of the board of trustees and overseers 

 the Bowdoin Medical School will be finally closed 

 as a department of Bowdoin College at the end of 

 the current year, June, 1921, unless by that time 

 some way shall be found to meet the requirements 

 necessary to keep the school in Class A of Ameri- 

 can medical colleges. It has been conservatively 

 estimated that for this purpose there must be an 

 addition to the resources of the school of $25,000 

 for immediate equipment of laboratories and of at 

 least $50,000 yearly income for more teachers and 

 for up-ke«p. Unfortunately at the present time, 

 the college sees no way of procuring such funds; 

 the need of such an endowment has often been 

 placed before the people of Maine, but the ap- 

 peals have never received an adequate response. 



The college will not apply for state aid for the 

 school. But if the citizens of Maine and the 

 friends of medical education who believe that the 

 maintenance of a medical school is properly a state 

 function, desire to have the medical school reestab- 

 lished as a state institution under state control and 

 adequately supported by the state, Bowdoin Col- 

 lege will be glad to give all assistance possible to 

 that end, and would doubtless offer for such a 

 purpose for temporary use, if desired, such part of 

 the buildings and apparatus of the college as might 

 be available. 



The trustees and overseers of the college believe 

 that there is a place for a medical school in Maine 

 and are hopeful that the people of the state, de- 

 spite the great demands on the incoming legisla- 

 ture, will establish such a school as a state institu- 

 tion, around which all the medical and public health 

 work of the state would be centered. 



THE DIRECTORSHIP OF THE BUREAU OF 

 MINES 



Dr. p. G. Cottrell, director of the United 

 States Bureau of Mines, on December 31, 

 handed his resignation to the President, 

 through Secretary of the Interior Payne. He 

 leaves the bureau to take up his duties as chair- 

 man of the Division of Chemistry and Chem- 

 ical Technology of the National Eesearch 

 Council. Dr. Cottrell recommends as his suc- 

 cessor H. Poster Bain, of California, whose 



