December 14, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



581 



ties worthy of the mythological charactex'is- 

 ties conceived by the unrestrained imagi- 

 nations of men in prescientifie times. Not 

 a few of them have proved to be obvious 

 fakers, schemers or incompetents masque- 

 rading in the name of learning with the 

 confident expectation that the institution 

 would indorse, finance or otherwise pro- 

 mote their objects under the guise of re- 

 search. But, as might have been pre- 

 dicted, the history of all this varied experi- 

 ence is a history of futility clouded here 

 and there by manifestations of the baser 

 traits of mankind and lighted up only occa- 

 sionally by flashes of wit, wisdom or humor 

 in the prevailing pathologic cast. 



Robert S. "Woodwaed 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS • 



CONJOINT BOARD OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES IN 

 GREAT BRITAIN 



The first annual report of the Conjoint 

 Board of Scientific Studies, established at the 

 instance of the Council of the Royal Society 

 in June, 1916, has been issued. As reported 

 in the British Medical Journal, the objects of 

 the board are to promote the cooperation of 

 those interested in pure or applied science; to 

 supply means by which the scientific opinion 

 of the country on matters relating to science, 

 industry and education, may find effective ex- 

 pression; to promote the application of sci- 

 ence to industries and the service of the na- 

 tion; and to discuss scientific questions in 

 which international cooperation seems advis- 

 able. The chairman of the board, which con- 

 sists of representatives of numerous societies, 

 is the president of the Royal Society. Among 

 the constituent societies are the Royal Anthro- 

 pological Institute, the Royal Colleges of 

 Physicians and Surgeons in England, the 

 Royal Society of Medicine, the Pharma- 

 ceutical Society of Great Britain, the Psycho- 

 logical, Linnean, Zoological, Biochemical, and 

 Psychological Societies, the Institute of Chem- 

 istry, the Society of Chemical Industry, the 

 Chemical Society, and the Royal Institute of 

 British Architects. There is a small execu- 



tive committee, of which Sir Joseph J. Thom- 

 son, president of the Royal Society, is chair- 

 man, and Dr. W. W. Watts, professor of geol- 

 ogy in the Imperial College of Science and 

 Technology, secretary; among the other mem- 

 bers are Sir Alfred Keogh and Sir Ray Lan- 

 kester. The board has appointed a number 

 of sub-committees, some of which appear to 

 have got to work during the year, including 

 The International Catalogue Subcommittee 

 which has obtained information regarding the 

 extent of the use made by scientific men of 

 the present International Catalogue of Scien- 

 tific Literature; the Watching Subcommittee 

 on Education, of which Sir Ray Lankester is 

 convener, the Metric System Subcommittee, 

 and the Antliropological Survey Subcommittee. 

 The last named consists of Major Leonard 

 Darwin (convener), Professor A. Keith (sec- 

 retary). Dr. James Galloway, Dr. P. Chalmers 

 Mitchell, and Professors G. Elliot Smith, Karl 

 Pearson and Arthur Thomson. It has pre- 

 sented a report on the need of a physical 

 survey of the British people, and intends to 

 institute further inquiries before drafting re- 

 commendations. On its advice the executive 

 committee asked the Board of Education, the 

 Local Government Board, and the Registrar- 

 General's Office to nominate representatives on 

 the subcommittee, and Sir George IsTewman, 

 Sir Arthur Newsholme, and Dr. T. H. C. 

 Stevenson, have been appointed. The Watch- 

 ing Subcommittee on Education has held a 

 conference with the Council of Humanistic 

 Studies, and has made a report to the Conjoint 

 Board, in the course of which it recommended 

 that both natural science and literary subjects 

 should be taught to all pupils below the age of 

 16, and that afterwards specialization should 

 be gradual and not complete. It points out 

 that in many schools of the older tj'pe more 

 time, which can often be obtained by economy 

 in the time allotted to classics, is needed for 

 instruction in natural science, but that in 

 many schools more time is needed for instruc- 

 tion in languages, history and geography. 

 The opinion is also expressed that while it is 

 impossible and undesirable to provide instruc- 

 tion in both Latin and Greek in all secondary 



