538 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LV, No. 1429 



of the department to fill the vaeaney caused 

 bj' the death of the late Professor Charles 

 Baskerville. 



Dr. George Dock has resigned his position 

 as professor of medicine at "Washington Uni- 

 versity Medical School, St. Louis. 



At Columbia University, Dr. James P. 

 Southall, physics, and Dr. James Kendall, 

 chemistry, have been promoted to professor- 

 ships. Dr. Robert H. Bowen, zoology, Dr. 

 Roy J. Colony, geology. Dr. John A. North- 

 eott, mathematics, and Dr. Hugh Findlay, agri- 

 culture, have been promoted to assistant pro- 

 fessorships. 



Promotions in psychology and educational 

 IDsychology at Columbia University are an- 

 nounced as follows: At Barnard College, Dr. 

 H. L. Hollingworth to a full professorship ; 

 at Columbia University, Dr. A. T. Poffenberger 

 to an associate professorship; at Teachers 

 College, Dr. Arthur I. Gates, Dr. William A. 

 MeCall and Dr. Leta S. Holling^vorth to asso- 

 ciate pix)fessorships. 



Dr. Edvstin G. Borixg and Dr. Herbert S. 

 Langfeld have been appointed associate pro- 

 fessors of psychology at Harvard University. 

 Dr. Boring has since 1919 been professor of 

 experimental psychology at Clark University. 

 Dr. Langfeld has been promoted from an as- 

 sistant professorship. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPOND- 

 ENCE 



DECEREBRATION IN BIRDS 



The recent observations of Sliaklee^ on 

 decerebrate pigeons serve to emphasize some 

 features of the physiology of the central ner- 

 vous system of special interest to workers in 

 this line. The long jseriod of survival — near- 

 ly twelve months — and the new features of 

 decerebrate behavior recorded, again call atten- 

 tion to the possibilities of this method of ex- 

 perimentation as well as to some of the dangers 

 of its interpretation. 



The positive result of the return of the 

 drinking reaction, not hitherto obtained in 



similar work, points to a greater flexibility in 

 the neural mechanism than we have usually 

 ascribed to it and falls into line with some of 

 the newer conceptions that have been gain- 

 ing foothold in the field of brain function. 

 Whatever interpretation of the results may be 

 made regarding the process by which such 

 restoration of function is accomplished, every- 

 one must be impressed by its extent and adap- 

 tative importance. 



The differences between the present work 

 and the results of Martin and Rich- to which 

 Shaklee refers deserve a word of comment. 

 Aside from the difference in species used, 

 which may or may not have influenced the 

 results, it should be emphasized that Martin 

 and Rich operated on newly hatched chicks, 

 thus excluding the influence of individual 

 'babit or experience prior to decerebtration, 

 while Shaklee used adult pigeons. Another 

 factor is the distinctly longer period of sm'- 

 vival in the pigeons. 



The highly speculative interpretation placed 

 upon these very interesting results may be 

 passed over with the exception of one or two 

 points. It seems surprising that, if the arc 

 upon which the drinking reaction depends is 

 of the deeply ingrained type postulated, it 

 did not show activity for 32 days. In con- 

 sidering the feeding reaction the importance 

 of taste seems strangely overstressed. A hard 

 grain in the tip of the beak could give rise 

 to very little more taste than do the bits of 

 gravel which are also normally swallowed by 

 birds. 



The interpretation of work of this nature 

 must be cautious. The facts of re-education 

 (I use the term without implication as to the 

 method by which restoration or substitution 

 is accomplished) in man and animals show that 

 many things can be done which are never 

 normally done in the lives of tlie vast majority 

 of the individuals or of their ancestors. As 

 when storms damage telephone and telegrapn 

 lines, communication can be effectively estab- 

 lished by routes never normally used, so in the 

 nervous system possible and efficient arcs and 



^ Am. Journ. PliysioL, Vol. Iv, p. 65, 1921. ^ Am. Journ. Physiol, Vol. xlvi, p. 396, 1918. 



