SCIENCE 



[^ AUG .. . 



Friday, August 10, 1917 



CONTENTS 

 The Vertebrate Zoologist and National Effi- 

 ciency: Walter P. Tatlos 123 



The Status of the Graduate Degree in Medi- 

 cine: Dr. Louis B. Wilson 127 



Scientific Events: — 



The Besearch Corporation ; Anthracite Coal 

 mined in 1916; Animal Collections from 

 Australia 131 



Scientific Notes and News 133 



University and Educational News 139 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Climatic Index of Bonneville Lalce Beds: 

 Dr. Charles Ketes. Internal Telia of 

 Busts: Professor Ernest Shaw Reynolds. 139 



Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci- 

 ences 141 



Special Articles: — 



The Swelling of Gelatine and Agar Gels in 

 Solutions of Sucrose and Dextrose: E. E. 

 Pree 142 



The American Chemical Society 143 



MSS. Intended for publication and boots, etc.. Intended for 

 review should be sent to Professor J. McKeon Cattell, Garrison. 

 On-Hudson, N. Y- 



THE VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGIST AND 

 NATIONAL EFFICIENCY 



The American government having been 

 forced into the vrar, it is the privilege of 

 American scientific institutions and of the 

 army of American scientific men to adapt 

 themselves at once to the new conditions, 

 and to hold themselves in readiness to serve 

 wherever their contribution is most needed. 



At no time in the world 's history has the 

 necessity of thoroughgoing scientific prep- 

 aration been emphasized as it is at present. 

 For some time it has been clear that the 

 war is a war of physics and chemistry. 

 The pressing agricultural and medical 

 problems of to-day make it sharply appar- 

 ent that the war is no less a war of biology. 

 Other things being equal, those national 

 groups win which are best prepared scien- 

 tifically. 



A moment's consideration of certain 

 problems, chieflj' agricultural, which the 

 war has thrown into strong relief serves to 

 demonstrate the essentiality of knowledge 

 of the complicated relations between man 

 and his environment. By furnishing ag- 

 gressive and intelligent leadership in this 

 province the vertebrate zoologist can make 

 a contribution of supreme and immediate 

 importance to the national efBciency. 



"We may now proceed to discuss five prop- 

 ositions which stand out predominantly in 

 this connection. 



First, the possibility of the development 

 of new resources in food or clothing is in- 

 dubitable; there is no great hope for the 

 successful elaboration of plans looking to 

 this end, however, without intimate knowl- 

 edge of the wild stock which it is proposed 

 to domesticate or otherwise develop. 



