July 12, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



53 



whicli contain a protein residue, and Dyson,* 

 has secured histological evidence which sup- 

 ports the belief that the mother-substance of 

 the melanins is a protein. From my " melano- 

 protein " (i. e., melanin containing the protein 

 residue) I split off the pigment portion by a 

 short boiling with acid, and obtained a nearly 

 clear solution of amino acids and polypeptides. 

 By a longer hoiling of these amino acids and 

 polypeptides with hydrochloric acid, I ohtained 

 a considerable amount of humin. In this 

 instance both a melanin and humin were ob- 

 tained from the same protein and are, there- 

 fore, very probably not identical. If humin 

 is substituted for melanin in referring to the 

 products of protein hydrolysis, there will be 

 less danger of confusing those who are not 

 chemists, and who are accustomed to scientific 

 terms which have a definite meaning. 



A second instance of possible misuse" of the 

 term occurs in a recent article in Science 

 (N. S., 35, p. 765). In speaking of the coat- 

 colors of cow-peas Dr. Spillman states that 

 " breeding experiments lead me to think that 

 bufl^, brown and black were pigments related 

 to melanin." Just how they were related 

 chemically is not stated, but presumably it is 

 by color and solubility, but as seen in the case 

 of humin these are no criterion. Inasmuch 

 as melanins are everywhere defined as animal 

 pigments, or pigments of animal origin, it is 

 as impossible for a melanin to appear in the 

 vegetable kingdom as for the coat color of a 

 rabbit to be due to anthrocyan. It would be 

 far better to coin a new term for these plant 

 pigments, and reserve melanin for those dark 

 pigments, which occur normally or patholog- 

 ically, in the animal body, shin, hair or 

 feathers. 



Eoss Aiken Gortner 



Cold Spring Hakboe, N. Y., 

 June 19, 1912 



*J. Path, and Bad., 15, p. 298. 



° Dr. Spillman does not say these pigments are 

 melanins, but that they are "related to the 

 melanins." Dr. Mann, in a later note (Science, 

 N. S., XXXV., p. 1004), does state that a yellow 

 or brassy-brown pigment and an intense black 

 pigment are melanins. 



" PRONOUNCED GEN " 



To THE Editor of Science: One of your 

 correspondents. Dr. G. H. Shull, discussing in 

 Science for May 24, 1912, the spelling and 

 pronunciation of the word gene, used by 

 writers on genetics, says that it is " pro- 

 nounced gen." 



This is a good example of the dilemma in 

 which men of science are placed. They must 

 use language, they must translate and trans- 

 literate language, they must concern them- 

 selves endlessly with nomenclature, they must 

 strive to change nomenclature or strive to 

 prevent any change. And they must at times 

 mention pronunciations, if only to object to 

 them. Sometimes they seriously wish to con- 

 vey a pronunciation on paper to their intelli- 

 gent readers. And here is a case. Dr. Shull, 

 a trained man of science, writes to the intelli- 

 gent readers of Science, and says that a cer- 

 tain artificial word is " pronounced gen." 



And what does that mean? It means one 

 of two, three or four or more possible pro- 

 nunciations. The reader has to guess what 

 pronunciation is intended. In other words, a 

 man of science, writing in a journal of sci- 

 ence, about an elementary matter, completely 

 fails to accomplish his purpose. 



Why? Because some orthodox men of sci- 

 ence object to any accurate indication in 

 print of the sounds of the human voice; be- 

 cause they object to any representation of 

 sounds that is not contained in certain tra- 

 ditional spelling-books and dictionaries (that 

 is, in certain stereotype plates owned by cer- 

 tain dealers in printed ware) ; because they 

 will not give a hearing to the men of science 

 who understand the subject; because they 

 close their minds and their journals to science 

 itself, when it mentions language. The 

 Jaspers of science will not listen to the astron- 

 omers. " The sun do move," and we won't 

 hear another word! And so our real men of 

 science, when they wish to state facts of lan- 

 guage, must express their meaning imperfectly 

 or ambiguously, or else keep silence. But si- 

 lence also is ambiguous. 



How long is this condition to continue? 

 How long will the controlling men of science 



