80 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1332 



savants.'"^' On the contrary those periods in 

 which political radicalism has been most 

 marked have been those in which science re- 

 ceived most liberal governmental aid and 

 encouragement. 



JSTeil E. Stevens 

 Bureau op Plant Industet, 

 Washington, D. C. 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



BIOMETRIC AND EUGENIC LABORATORIES AT 

 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON 



The British Medical Journal states that the 

 new building given by Sir Herbert Bartlett, 

 Bt., to the Department of Applied Statistics 

 formed by the Drapers' Company and Galton 

 Xaboratories at University College, London, 

 was opened on June 4 by the Minister of 

 ^Health. The Drapers' Company Biometric 

 -Laboratory was instituted under the direction 

 -of Professor Karl Pearson in 1904; it is a re- 

 search laboratory and training school in the 

 modern mathematical theory of statistics. 

 The Galton Laboratory for National Eugenics 

 was instituted in 1905, and was, by Sir Francis 

 Galton's wish, associated with the other. 

 When Sir Francis Galton died in 1911 he be- 

 queathed a large part of his estate to found the 

 Galton professorship, and Professor Karl 

 Pearson was appointed to the chair. At the 

 same time the senate of the university ap- 

 pealed for funds for building and equipment, 

 and Sir Herbert Bartlett came forward with 

 an offer to provide the building on a site at the 

 northwest front of the college. During the 

 war the new building was used as a military 

 hospital, and only now has the department 

 been able to take full possession. On the 

 ground floor of the building is a large museimi 

 for the illustration of heredity, statistical proc- 



28 When during the "Eeign of Terror" La- 

 voisier was condemned to death, a petition was 

 presented to the rulers that his life might be spared 

 for a few weeks in order that he might complete 

 some important experiments, but the reply was 

 "The Eepublie has no need of savants." (Groode, 

 Greorge Brown, "The Origin of the National Sci- 

 entific and Educational Institutions of the United 

 States," Rpt. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1896-97, p. 324, 

 1901.) 



esses, and social problems, a lecture theater, a 

 room for the exhibition of Galton relics and 

 apparatus, and an anthropometric laboratory. 

 On the first floor there are laboratories, a li- 

 brary, and a common room, and on the second 

 a photographic studio, a large room for bio- 

 metric workers in craniometry, and rooms for 

 archives and instruments. The apartments in 

 all number over twenty, and it was announced 

 that a site has been reserved for extension, 

 which will include animal breeding accommo- 

 dation. 



The vice-chancellor of the university. Dr. 

 Eussell "Wells, who presided over the opening 

 ceremony, said that statistics, properly under- 

 stood, was one of the most difficult and ad- 

 vanced mathematical studies, but it was a 

 dangerous weapon in the hands of the partially 

 educated. Medicine in particular had suffered 

 greatly from its misuse. The method intro- 

 duced by Professor Karl Pearson would make 

 it possible to arrive at the proof of many com- 

 plicated medical problems. In sketching the 

 history of the department, he reminded the 

 audience of Florence Nightingale's well-known 

 interest in statistics, and of her desire to found 

 a professorship of applied statistics at Univer- 

 sity College, for which, however, her means 

 were not sufficient. It was not until the gen- 

 erous provision of the Drapers' Company was 

 made that a start became possible. 



Dr. Addison gave an appreciation of the 

 value of statistics which he had discovered 

 when minister of munitions. There were few 

 branches of public service with greater scoi)e 

 for the trained statistician than that of com- 

 munal health, but here and in social science 

 many statistics had been of a thoroughly in- 

 complete and unsatisfactory nature. He com- 

 mended to the support of the public the further 

 appeal which University College was making 

 to maintain and complete the equipment of 

 the new building. 



The provost. Sir Gregory Foster, expressed 

 the thanks of those present to Dr. Addison. 

 The thanks of the university to Sir Herbert 

 Bartlett for his gift were expressed by the vice- 

 chairman of the college committee. Dr. J. 

 Bourne Benson. Professor Karl Pearson said 



