362 
istry of ptomaine and toxin formation, of 
pigment formation, of enzyme produc- 
tion, may be worked out in this way. The 
chemist laughs at our present methods of 
testing the production of gas, the reduc- 
tion of nitrates, the production of indol, 
the fixation of nitrogen. And yet when 
these processes are tested in synthetic 
media how simple are the chemical tests 
involved and how accurate may be the re- 
sults! 
Slowly and laboriously the physiolog- 
ical chemist is now trying to work out the 
chemistry of protoplasm, of the proteins, 
such as the albumens, the peptones and 
proteoses. His principal line of attack is 
by a study of their decomposition prod- 
ucts. The brilliant work of Fischer opened 
up an entirely new field of research when 
he undertook the study of the synthetic 
production of the polypeptides from 
amino acids by an amide link. Still more 
light might be thrown upon this important 
problem by the study of the growth of 
bacteria in simple chemical solutions. For 
in the synthetic culture medium we would 
be able to study step by step the synthesis 
of protein under conditions accurately 
controlled and completely known. For 
when bacteria are growing on simple chem- 
ical media and are building up untold 
millions of bacterial bodies from the 
simple salts present, we can almost see 
protoplasm in the making. 
And finally, aside from the important 
chemical information which may in this 
way be obtained, I believe that some most 
interesting biological information lies 
along this path. Who would dare to deny 
that some day it might be possible by 
some such method as this to discover the 
secret of the very origin of life itself! 
These then are some of the lines of work 
which appear to me to mark progress in 
the science of pure bacteriology. Bril- 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 897 
liant as may be the results of the study of 
the applications of bacteriology, fully as 
interesting, and hardly less important, 
will be the results that come from the ap- 
plication of exact chemical methods to 
our at present inexact and rather uncertain 
bacteriological procedures. 
F. P. GorHam 
Brown UNIVERSITY 
THE TEACHING OF MICROBIOLOGY IN 
COLLEGES OF UNITED STATES 
AND CANADA? 
In his admirable presidential address de- 
livered before the Society of American Bae- 
teriologists at the Ithaca meeting in Decem- 
ber, 1910,? Professor V. A. Moore made a 
strong argument for bacteriology as a science 
for general culture as well as for professional 
value, and a vigorous appeal for better teach- 
ing and more carefully developed courses. As 
a result of this exposition of the subject a 
committee of this society was appointed to 
make a systematic inquiry into the teaching 
of microbiology, including bacteriology, pro- 
tozoology and the study of the lower fungi, in 
the educational institutions of the United 
States and Canada. 
The purpose of the inquiry is primarily to 
learn to what extent bacteriological instruc- 
tion is given in these institutions, and second- 
arily to note the character of the teaching in 
these subjects and the scope of the work. It is 
possible that as aresult of these data submitted 
the committee may be able to formulate a gen- 
erally broad and satisfactory plan of instruc- 
tion in this subject, although this is not the 
immediate purpose of the committee and it is 
possible that an attempt to do so would react 
harmfully in certain instances. 
While it is hoped the inquiry will eventu- 
ally embrace institutions of all ranks, the first 
report of progress presented at the Washing- 
ton meeting dealt only with the colleges and 
1An abstract from the first report of progress 
by the Committee on Education of the Society of 
American Bacteriologists. 5 
2 Scrmnce, N. 8., Vol. XXXIII., No. 843. 
