jK'OVEMBEa 4, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



429 



due TJniversity, lost his life while scaling Mount 

 Eon, a virgin peak in the Canadian Koekies, July 

 17, 1921. 



The Associate Alumni of the Massachusetts Ag- 

 rieultural College, through its executive commit- 

 tee, desire to express and record their appreci- 

 ation of the fruitful service which Dr. Stone has 

 rendered to education, chemical science and sci- 

 entific agriculture. 



With natural abilities of a high order, he 

 brought to his work scientific training obtained as 

 an undergraduate and graduate student at this 

 eollege under the guidance of Goessmanu, Clark 

 and Stockbridge, as plant pathologist at the noted 

 Valentine Farm, New York, and as a student at 

 the University of Gbttingen, where he took his 

 doctorate with Tollens and Victor Meyer. Ee- 

 turning to America in 1888, he became chemist 

 to the Tennessee Experiment Station, a year 

 later accepting a call to the chair of chemistry 

 at Purdue University. It was during this period 

 that he made his principal investigations in the 

 field of agricultural chemistry. After serving for 

 a time as vice-president, he succeeded Dr. Smart 

 as president on the retirement of the latter in 

 1900. Under his wise and able administration 

 Purdue has attained a leading position among 

 the educational institutions of the country. 



He was a lover of manly sports, especially of 

 mountain climbing, the favorite recreation of his 

 later years, and one in which he achieved notable 

 distinction by his ascents of difficult peaks. 



Modest and unassuming, yet resolute and re- 

 sourceful, of unflinching courage, zealous for truth 

 and inspired by lofty ideals, as an educator he 

 stands preeminent among the sons of the college. 

 He will be remembered with high regard, pride 

 and affection by those whose lives were enriched 

 by his friendship, and as one who shed luster on 

 his alma mater. 



MORTALITY STATISTICS FOR 1920 



The Department of Commerce announces 

 that the Census Bnreau's annual report on 

 mortality statistics, which will be issued 

 shortly, shows 1,142,5T8 deaths as having oc- 

 curred in 1920 within the death registration 

 area of continental United States, represent- 

 ing a death rate of 13.1 per 1,000 population 

 as compared with 12.9 in 1919, which was 

 the lowest rate recorded in any year since 

 the registration area was established in 1900. 



The death registration area (exclusive of 



the Territory of Hawaii) in 1920 comprised 

 34 states, the District of Columbia and 16 

 registration cities in nonregistration states, 

 with a total estimated population on July 1 

 of 87,486,713, or 82.2 per cent, of the esti- 

 mated population of the United States. The 

 state of Ifebraska was added to the registra- 

 tion area in 1920, so that at present the only 

 states not in the area are Alabama, Arizona, 

 Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nevada, 

 New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, 

 South Dakota, Texas, "West Virginia, and 

 Wyoming. The figures for the territory of 

 Hawaii will appear in the report, but they 

 are not included in this summary. 



The death rate from pneumonia increased 

 from 123.5 per 100,000 in 1919 to 137.3 in 

 1920. For chronic diseases of the heart the 

 rate increased from 131.0 to 141.9 ; for cancer, 

 from 80.5 to 83. Some of the otlier diseases 

 for which the rate increased are whooping 

 cough, measles, cerebral hemorrhage, con- 

 genital debility and malformations, puerperal 

 fever, scarlet fever and appendicitis. The 

 fatalities caused by automobile accidents and 

 injuries show an increase from 9.4 per 100,- 

 000 in 1919 to 10.4 in 1920. 



A marked decrease is shown in the death 

 rate from tuberculosis, which was 114.2 in 

 1920 as compared with 125.6 in 1919; also 

 in the death rate from influenza, 71.0 in 

 1920 as against 98.8 the year before. The 

 death rate from suicide declined from 11.4 

 in 1919 to 10.2 in 1920. There was a de- 

 cline also in the rate for typhoid fever and 

 in that for accidental drowning. 



THE MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION 



The British Mount Everest Committee has 

 communicated to the London Times the fol- 

 lowing telegram, dated October 10, at Phari 

 Dzong, from Colonel Howard Bury : 



The route to the summit of Mount Everest by 

 the northeast arete has been found to be prac- 

 ticable. 



On September 22, six members of the expedition, 

 with 26 coolies, arrived at the col at the head 

 of the Kharta valley, camping at 22,500 feet. 



On the following day, Mallory, Bullock and 



