154 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 162. 



expect to be some day, but I was, I think, 

 the first professor of psychology as a sep- 

 arate subject, not only in America, but any- 

 where. When our present psychology is 

 so young, it is natural that there should be 

 difference of opinion, and even confusion, 

 in regard to its scope and methods. 



Our great problem, it seems to me, is the 

 one I have already mientioned as common 

 to all the biological sciences — the extension 

 and coordination of the genetic and quan- 

 titative methods. And we have really ac- 

 complished a great deal. There was no 

 laboratory of psychology in America, and 

 only one in the world, prior to 1883 . Now 

 they are everywhere— perhaps forty in 

 American colleges and universities. In 

 nearly all these laboratories experiments 

 are in progress, which are enlarging our 

 knowledge of sensation, of movement, of 

 feeling and of action. Parallel with this 

 development of experimental psychology, 

 bringing our science into fruitful relations 

 with the physical and mathematical sciences, 

 there has been a noteworthy advance in ge- 

 netic psychology — witness the address of the 

 President of our Association this year — plac- 

 ing mental development in close touch with 

 all the biological sciences. At the same time 

 increased knowledge of the relations of 

 body and mind has made almost a special 

 science of physiological psychology. De- 

 generation is a phenomenon common to all 

 the biological sciences, but unfortunately 

 one very prominent in the subject-matter 

 of psychology. Here we have a wide field 

 with many points of contact with pathology 

 and medicine. In the interrelations of 

 minds we cross the paths of anthropology, 

 of sociology, of philology and of history. 

 Psychology is concerned with art and with 

 conduct ; it is essential to a sane philos- 

 ophy. 



The subject-matter and the problems of 

 psychology are entangled with those of 

 many sciences, but perhaps with none so 



closely as with those represented in this 

 discussion. We students of psychology 

 need to know what you are doing, and wel- 

 come as a helx? this affiliation of societies. 

 We hope that you in turn will find that 

 psychology should not be neglected, but 

 that it contributes something to each of the 

 biological sciences and to the advance- 

 ment of science as a whole. 



Physiology. Professor Jacques Loeb, Uni- • 



versity of Chicago. 



If it be true that the fundamental prob- 

 lem of Physics is the constitution of matter, 

 it is equally true that the fundamental 

 problem of Physiology is the constitution 

 of living matter. I think the time has 

 come for Physiology to return to its funda- 

 mental problem. 



Living matter is a collective term for the 

 qualities common to all living organisms. 

 Comparative Physiology alone enables us 

 to discriminate between the general proper- 

 ties of living matter and the functions of 

 specific organs, such as the blood, the 

 nerves, the sense organs, chlorophyll, etc. 

 Nothing has retarded the progress of Physi- 

 ology and Pathology more than the neglect 

 of Comparative Physiology. Comparative 

 Physiology shows that secretion is a gen- 

 eral function of all living organisms and 

 occurs even where there is no circulation. 

 Hence it was a priori false and a waste of 

 time to attempt to explain secretion from 

 the experiments on blood pressure. Oxida- 

 tion occurs regardless of circulation, and 

 it was a priori a waste of time to consider 

 the blood as the seat of oxidation. Com- 

 parative Physiology has shown that the re- 

 actions of animals to light are identical 

 with the heliotropic phenomena in plants. 

 Hence it is a mistake to ascribe such reac- 

 tions as the flying of the moth into the 

 flame to specific functions of the brain and 

 the eyes. Sleep is a phenomenon which 

 occurs in insects and plants, and it would 



