September 2, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



195 



are really bacteria has been satisfactorily dis- 

 cussed by the researches of Bernard Eenault 

 who has placed the subject of bacteriology of 

 fossil vertebrate remains on a safe footing. 

 Those seen in the present sections often group 

 themselves in pairs recalling the modern DiiJ- 

 lococci. I have never seen chains of these 

 forms in vertebrate material. 



The other question as to how such minute 

 bits of protoplasm are capable of preservation 

 over many millions of years is one of those 

 unsolved puzzles of paleontology which we 

 may place with that of the fossilization of the 

 ganoid fish brains from Kansas. 



Roy L. Moodie 



Department op Anatomy, 

 "Univeksity or Illinois, 

 Chicago 



QUOTATIONS 



SCIENTIFIC PAPERS 



Although the scientific societies made a 

 valiant effort to preserve continuity through 

 the war, the session now closed is the first 

 that has been nearly normal for several years. 

 Most of the younger men were engaged on 

 work that does not qualify for membership of 

 learned societies, and the scientific investi- 

 gations of the others, young or old, were often 

 advisedly kept secret. Now that science has 

 resumed its old range and almost its old out- 

 put the precise utility of the weekly and fort- 

 nightly meetings of the societies, under 

 discussion before the war, is again being con- 

 sidered. Clearly they have a social value, in- 

 creased by the almost universal change from 

 the evening to the late afternoon, and by the 

 more abundant presence of ladies, as members 

 or as guests. But what of their specific func- 

 tion as an aid to the advancement of knowl- 

 edge? It is to be confessed that for the most 

 part this seems slight. Distinguished investi- 

 gators are not always clear expositors by word 

 of mouth. In many cases the programme 

 is so long that many items, and these often 

 the more interesting, have to be " taken as 

 read." The actual communications made are 

 often such that it is to be doubted if more 

 than one out of ten of the audience has the 

 slightest idea what it is all about. Sir James 



Dewar, speaking at the closing meeting of the 

 Royal Institution, possibly partly in jest, 

 ventured the opinion that it was good for 

 people to listen to the most recent results of 

 science, even if they failed to understand 

 them. This is an opinion in which we can 

 not concur, holding, on the contrary, that 

 if there is a state worse than ignorance it is 

 that of the vain worshippers of scientific shib- 

 boleths. If the purpose of a meeting is to 

 convey instruction, the exposition should be 

 as simple and clear as that to which Sir 

 James Dewar himself has accustomed his 

 audiences at Albemarle-street. 



But the original purpose of the meetings 

 of the scientific societies was to discuss new 

 results rather than to educate. In earlier 

 days, when the range of knowledge was nar- 

 rower, almost any man of science was capable 

 of emitting a useful impromptu opinion on 

 almost any branch of science. An approach 

 to such a communion between lecturer and 

 audience may still be possible in some of the 

 smaller and more highly specialized societies. 

 In other bodies a useful attempt is sometimes 

 made to reach it, by grouping the papers for 

 a meeting, or by setting a topic for discussion. 

 But even such arrangements frequently fail 

 of their object, because those with most right 

 to be heard are least anxious to criticize or to 

 approve what they have heard for the first 

 time, whilst those who have least claim to 

 serious attention are most ready to hazard 

 opinions. It would be interesting, were some 

 society to experiment with a method frequent- 

 ly suggested, but, so far as we know, not yet 

 actually adopted. It is the custom for the 

 communications made at a meeting to be 

 printed and published subsequently, after due 

 examination by a referee. It is worth noting 

 that strict precautions are taken to prevent 

 substantial alteration or correction of a 

 manuscript, even if the discussion had shown 

 that these would be an advantage. There is 

 threfore no gain by the delay, and much 

 detriment to the value and interest of the 

 meeting. If, on the other hand a paper were 

 published in full, and distributed in the usual 

 way at a due interval before the meeting at 



