364 
submitted course schemes showing the exact 
range of subject matter presented. 
On the basis of the study of these replies 
the chairman has grouped the institutions 
into several classes which I have characterized 
as follows: 
Group I.—Those institutions in which some 
phase of the subject of bacteriology is pre- 
sented very briefly, and in general avowedly 
from the standpoint of general education, or 
in connection with courses in general biology, 
botany or hygiene given from the culture 
rather than the professional standpoint. Some 
actual laboratory work is done, however. 
In addition there is sometimes an intention 
to introduce the student to some phase of ap- 
plied bacteriology in a very brief way. These 
brief courses vary much in character and ex- 
tent, and this group is, therefore, the most 
difficult to classify. A few have made preten- 
tious claims which obviously can not be lived 
up to in the courses given. 
In many of these courses the plan of attack 
seems to be well thought out, and the relations 
of lecture and laboratory work is well cal- 
culated to give the student a fair general in- 
troduction to the whole subject. However, it 
is only an introduction, and the student prod- 
uct can not be regarded as a trained bacteriol- 
ogist. On the other hand, some of the courses 
seem to be badly balanced, to give an undue 
weight to lectures and too little to laboratory 
work, and to emphasize some particular and 
rather narrow phase of the subject. 
The institutions which I have included in 
this group are 39 in number and include for 
the most part the smaller colleges, or those 
having no highly specialized courses in ap- 
plied sciences leading to a professional de- 
gree. These courses are apparently sometimes 
taught by instructors who have had no special 
or thorough training in bacteriological meth- 
ods, but who have gained some knowledge of 
the bacteria, and who have introduced the 
work in the curriculum because of their per- 
sonal interest in the subject or their ability to 
adopt such knowledge to supplement courses 
already given. In none of these institutions is 
there any attempt to carry on worthy investi- 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 897 
gations or research, although in a few of the 
replies it has been stated that “investigations” 
are conducted. Examination of the type of 
research, however, shows it to be trivial and 
to consist generally in the microscopical ex- 
amination or plating out of bacteria from 
a water supply, milk supply or some such 
simple source. The consideration of this 
group of institutions can not fail to impress 
the members of the society with some of the 
statements made by the president in his ad- 
dress last year, in which he put in a forceful 
plea for more scientific methods in teaching 
and more training on the part of those giving 
instruction in this important subject in many 
institutions. 
Group IJ.—This group includes institutions 
having in general but one course or at most 
two separate courses, but in which work is 
conducted on broader lines, with more abun- 
dant laboratory work and generally in which 
the teacher is himself a trained worker in 
some field of bacteriological study and in close 
sympathy with the subject. 
The courses here grouped may in some in- 
stanees be described as presented primarily 
for the educational value of the subject as 
seen in a broad way, and are given from the 
standpoint of general culture and in the same 
spirit as that exhibited in the teaching of 
courses of general chemistry, general botany 
or general zoology. 
Frequently after a fairly broad and com- 
prehensive introduction the work is later re- 
stricted to some special phase of bacteriology, 
as soil, dairy, or sanitary work, so that the 
subject is actually given with the applied sci- 
ence end in view. 
In this group there are undoubtedly some 
courses which are poor in the sense that they 
fail to give to the student a broad knowledge 
of the fundamental principles underlying bac- 
terial behavior and activity. In other words, 
the biology of the bacteria as a group of liv- 
ing things is frequently subordinated to the 
examination of water for colon bacilli or the 
microscopical study of a few restricted types, 
such as the more common of the pathogens. 
On the other hand, many of the replies from 
