320 
halves, sprouts will appear on the basal half. 
Therefore, this half still contained sufficient 
growth material to produce sprouts. This 
proves that, although the basal buds would 
not grow out before their connection with the 
terminal end of the tuber was severed, they 
were not prevented from doing so because the 
terminal sprouts had automatically attracted 
the limited amount of material for growth. 
Tf a tuber, before the end of the rest period, 
is cut into transverse slices the buds on the 
basal slices will grow out first. If the tuber is 
cut lengthwise into fractions the growth of 
basal buds is entirely suppressed. The ter- 
minal buds on these fractions do not produce 
sprouts until the end of the natural rest period 
for whole tubers, which in some cases is a 
month after the basal buds on the transverse 
slices have grown out. The basal buds seem 
to have a.shorter rest period than the ter- 
minal ones but are unable to grow out until 
their connection with the terminal end of the 
tuber is severed. This experiment shows that 
the terminal end of the tuber, even before its 
buds have grown out, may inhibit the growth 
of buds more basally situated. 
Potatoes are sometimes affected with a physi- 
ological disease called “Spindling Sprout,” be- 
cause the whole tubers produce long, slender, 
weak sprouts. In all probability the special 
growth-promoting substances are abnormally 
low in these tubers. In this connection, how- 
ever, the most interesting symptom of the dis- 
ease is a lack of any inhibiting effect of the 
terminal buds on the other buds, as the sprouts 
appear, as a rule, simultaneously over the en- 
tire tuber. The behavior of the Bryophyllum 
plants reported on by Braum! may have been 
due to a condition of the particular plants 
analogous to the “Spindling Sprout” of the 
potato. If this were true it would account for 
the instances of regeneration of Bryophyllum 
leaves seemingly at variance with the experi- 
ments described by Loeb.? 
CuartEs O. APPLEMAN 
MaryLAND AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STA., 
COLLEGE PARK 
1 Braun, Lucy E., Bot. Gaz., 65, 191-193, 1918. 
2Loeb, J., Bot. Gaz., 65, 150-174, 1918. 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Vou. XLVIII. No. 1239 
QUOTATIONS 
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IN GREAT 
BRITAIN AND THE WAR 
Tue effect of the war upon the number of 
medical students in their different years of 
professional study has been described from 
time to time by the president of the General 
Medical Council. Between the years 1910 and 
1914 the annual entry of first-year medical 
students averaged roughly 1,440. Since the 
war the number of these entries has increased 
by five or six hundred a year. Thus the whole 
number of students actually pursuing medical 
studies in the medical schools of the United 
Kingdom has shown a steady upward movye- 
ment. In May, 1916, the total was 6,103, in 
January, 1917, it was 6,682, in October, 1917, 
it was 7,048, while the latest figure, for May, 
1918, was 7,630. But for some time the larger 
withdrawals of male students from the medical 
schools for combatant service or for service as 
surgeon probationers in the navy, more than 
nullified the increased entries and bade fair to 
produce a serious deficiency of new practition- 
ers in the years 1918 and 1919. Urgent repre- 
sentations upon this matter were made to the 
government. As a result something has been 
done to make good the threatened shortage by 
the return of third-year students from active 
service to complete their studies, by the re- 
tention in the medical schools of students on 
their way towards qualification who are liable 
to be ealled to the colors, and by limiting the 
period of service of surgeon probationers. The 
Minister of National Service has further un- 
dertaken to provide that, if possible, the sup- 
ply of students in training shall be kept at a 
level sufficient to give an annual yield of at 
least 1,000 new practitioners. This is the 
official estimate, but it will be well to re- 
member that though there has been heavy 
wastage among medical men through the 
hazards and hardships of war the declaration 
of peace will be followed by the release from 
military duty of\the majority of the medical 
men now serving in the army and navy. De- 
mobilization is a matter which effects the med- 
ical profession at least as much as other sec- 
tions of the community. The method in 
