SCIENCE 



FRffiAY, December 28, 1917 



CONTENTS 

 The Modern Systematist : Dr. L. H. Bailey . . 623 



Patent Reform Prospects: H. J. Jewett, 

 Beet Russell 629 



Scientific Events: — 



Free Public Medical Lectures; War-time 

 Worh of the Forest Service; War Activities 

 of the Geological Survey 632 



Scientific Notes aiid News 634 



University and Educational Neios 638 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 

 To Members of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science: Professor 

 Theodore W. Bichakds. Antarctic He- 

 search and the Problems of the Ice Age: 

 Marsden Manson. Efficient Laboratory 

 Lighting : W. M. Atwood 638 



Scientific BooTcs: — 

 Lusk's Elements of the Science of Nutrition: 

 Professor Lafayette B. Mendel. Papers 

 from the Museum of Zoology of the Univer- 

 sity of Michigan : T. Barbour 641 



Special Articles: — 



The Influence of the Age of an Organism in 

 maintaining its Acid-base Equilibrium: Dr. 

 Wm. deB. MacNldes 643 



The Boston Meeting of the American Chem- 

 ical Society 645 



MSS. irXended for publication and books, et*., intended for 

 review ahoula be sent to The Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson. N. y. 



THE MODERN SYSTEMATIST i 

 We are still engaged in exploring the 

 earth, that we may understand it. We can 

 not understand any part of the surface of 

 the earth until at least three persons have 

 studied the area carefully: the geologist, 

 the physiographer, the recording biologist. 

 We shall never cease to explore the earth, 

 in old places as well as new. We can never 

 dispense with the recorders. 



The older systematic zoology and syste- 

 matic botany fell into disrepute with the 

 competition of the exaeter studies in mor- 

 phology and physiology, and they have been 

 overshadowed by the interest centering in 

 evolution and its derivative subjects. On 

 the botanical side, the naming of specimens 

 as an exercise in education in schools and 

 the making of a so-called herbarium of 

 snips of plants, have still further discred- 

 ited whatever seems to be related to syste- 

 matic work. 



Although it is not the purpose of this 

 paper to discuss the educational aspects of 

 the subject, it may nevertheless be said 

 that, so far as one can determine, this 

 school herbarium work did not make botan- 

 ists, on the one hand, nor lead to an appreci- 

 ation of nature, on the other, and it would 

 be difficult to trace contributions to science 

 from its suggestion. As an educational 

 method it was faulty because it did not 

 connect plants with either function or en- 

 vironment, nor call for continued applica- 

 tion on the part of the pupil. The inten- 

 sive laboratorj' course that succeeded it 

 developed exaeter methods, more sustained 



1 Before National Academy of Sciences, Phila- 

 delphia, November 20, 1917. 



