632 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1357 



small laboratory animals, among which arise 

 from time to time, and much as happens with 

 man himself, destructive epidemics induced 

 by known microbes. Finally, there is the 

 field in which not a single species of microbe 

 ^s concerned but more than one, the first pre- 

 paring, the other utilizing the prepared way for 

 .its more vicious purposes. Frequent examples 

 ,of the last condition are observed among the 

 lower animals, in which, of course, the oppor- 

 .tunities for study are superior to those exist- 

 ing in man ; but recent experiences in this and 

 ,other countries during the influenza epidemic 

 carry conviction of this relationship, since the 

 original disease is recognized to be not of se- 

 vere nature, while the pneumonia engrafted 

 upon it is admittedly of highly fatal character. 



My purpose in reviewing some of the notable 

 events and tendencies in bacteriology which 

 jhave come to light in the past twenty-five years 

 jhas been to present to your consideration the 

 ^achievements in one branch of modern medi- 

 ,cine, and to indicate the relation subsisting 

 between medicine and the more fundamental 

 sciences of physics, chemistry and biology. 

 iBacteriology has depended also for its develop- 

 ment on its sister sciences of physiology, 

 .pharmacology and pathology, without which 

 many of its phenomena could not be inter- 

 preted. It seems but proper to state that what 

 ^as been attempted here for bacteriology could 

 .readily be equalled or even exceeded by spokes- 

 jnen for those sister sciences, so surely has 

 piedicine grown scientific in recent times. 

 Simon Flexner 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



MUSEUM OF THE BUFFALO SOCIETY OF 

 NATURAL SCIENCES! 



On October 16 the Buffalo Society of ISTat- 

 jiral Sciences opened its New Museum at 1231 

 Elmwood Avenue. This building is merely the 

 inner court of a much larger museum which is 

 to be erected by the society as soon as funds 

 are available. The court measures approxi- 

 jnately a fifty-five foot square. There is also 



1 Prom The Museums Journal. 



a lobby, hall and ofSce on the main fioor and 

 an office and two work shops on the second 

 fioor. 



The entire idea of the !N'ew Museum exhibit 

 js to give every man, woman and child who 

 visits it the opportunity to understand the 

 evolution of this earth from the time it was a 

 part of a nebula arm up to the present decade. 

 The hall of the building is devoted to astron- 

 omy and meteorology, many of the transparen- 

 cies having just been obtained from the Mount 

 Wilson and Terkes Observatories. 

 ; The next exhibit is dynamical in nature, 

 telling of what elements our earth is made and 

 of the forces that have changed the earth's 

 crust to form continents, oceans, rivers, lakes 

 and mountains. 



This is followed by an exhibit of paleontol- 

 ogy which touches on the fiora and fauna of 

 the sixteen great geologic ages and ends with 

 an evolutionary exhibit of man and one of 

 the horse. 



The last exhibit exemplifies the way in which 

 man has utilized nature's products. It is truly 

 marvelous how dyes have been made from coal 

 tar; silk garments, alcohol, linoleum, tar and 

 paper from wood; and the beautiful Deldare 

 semi-porcelain ware from the coromonest clay. 



Among other interesting objects to be found 

 .in the museum are the relief maps of such 

 localities as Mount Shasta, Mount Vesuvius, 

 and the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. There 

 js a very large relief map of Erie County 

 which occupies a large space in the center of 

 the fioor. It was constructed by Frederick 

 Burgie, of Rochester. 



Two cases have been reserved as a display 

 ground for especially beautiful objects owned 

 by the society. At present these cases are filled 

 with precious and semi-precious stones, many 

 of them in the matrix. 



Of especial interest to the children is the 

 fine exhibit of birds and animals which have 

 been mounted by Joseph Santens. Mr. San- 

 tens is at present completing a collection of na- 

 tive birds which will be studied by the school 

 .children under the new ITature Study Sylla- 

 bus as published by the regents of the state of 

 .New York. 



