July 10, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



39 



especially of the brain; it has furthered 

 vital statistics; and it has already begun 

 to assist other branches in pointing out, 

 on the basis of gained knowledge, ways 

 towards the safeguarding and improving 

 of the human race. This outline is neces- 

 sarily defective, yet it will show that phys- 

 ical anthropology, notwithstanding the 

 many and great obstacles in its road, has 

 justified its separate existence, and the 

 decrees by which the French government 

 pronounced it, in 1864 and again in 1889, 

 as a science of public utility. 



The object of the final chapter of this 

 address is to outline in a brief way, and 

 yet not too generally, the future field and 

 aims, in a word the future program — as it 

 appears to the speaker— of physical an- 

 thropology. Could such a program be 

 perfected, it would itself mean an impor- 

 tant step forward.^ 



The future activities of physical anthro- 

 pology must extend to its own body and 

 means, as well as to further research work 

 proper; the more extensive and efficient 

 the former, the more important and 

 prompt will be the scientific results. 



The main needs — which logically become 

 the aims— of the anthropologists them- 

 selves, include more regular and extended 

 recruiting of their ranks; a closer general 

 unity and cooperation; definite unifica- 

 tion and perfection of anthropometry 

 in its whole range; systematization of the 

 methods of treating and recording of data ; 

 the supply of fresh text-books, and ad- 

 vance towards strictly specialized period- 

 icals; the compilation of a complete bibli- 

 ography relating to this branch of research, 

 and its continuation; the generalizing of 



' See in this connection, and for further refer- 

 ences to literature on this subject, R. Martin's 

 above cited paper on the " System of Physical 

 Anthropology and Anthropological Bibliography." 



information concerning collections of ma- 

 terial; and the augmentation and improve- 

 ment of collections. 



Recruiting with the right kind of men 

 is very urgent. It conditions further 

 development of academic instruction and 

 laboratory training; it makes very de- 

 sirable the extension of lectures on phys- 

 ical anthropology to medical colleges; but, 

 above all, it necessitates financial resources 

 from which scholarships could be offered 

 to men to be trained in the laboratory and 

 in the field, and an improvement in the 

 prospects of their employment with fair 

 compensation after their preparatory stud- 

 ies and training have been completed. The 

 time required for the proper training of 

 the physical anthropologist, coupled with 

 that needed for the acquisition of indis- 

 pensable experience, extends over several 

 years of post-graduate activity, and as the 

 men who are best prepared for such train- 

 ing and most likely to be interested are 

 those who have completed a medical course, 

 these years of specialized training and 

 work mean a real pecuniary loss, which 

 ought to be at least partly indemnified. 

 Until provision is made in this point it can 

 not be expected that the requisite numbers 

 of students will be attracted to and will 

 specialize in physical anthropology. And 

 this applies particularly to this country, 

 where the prospects of the graduate in 

 medicine — as well as in other sciences — are 

 brighter than in many parts of the old 

 world. The most suitable means of com- 

 pensation during the preparatory years 

 would be scholarships, continued with the 

 right kind of men until they find positions. 

 The opportunities of employment for well- 

 trained anthropologists are not so few as 

 one might be led to believe ; the principal 

 problem is to augment the compensation, 

 so that it may correspond better to the 

 needed preparation and with the prospects 

 of a man as well trained, had he followed 



