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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 917 



only in the nation, but in the several states, to 

 enact the necessary legislation to safeguard 

 the public health; to limit effectively the labor 

 of women and children; to protect wage- 

 earners engaged in dangerous occupations; to 

 enact comprehensive and generous workmen's 

 compensation laws, in place of the present 

 wasteful and unjust system of employers' 

 liability, and in all possible ways to satisfy 

 the just demand of the people for the study 

 and solution of the complex and constantly 

 changing problems of social welfare." 



The German state returns of births and 

 deaths in 1911 continue to confirm the char- 

 acteristics of the returns for Prussia. In 

 Wiirtemburg the excess of births over deaths 

 was only about 25,000, as compared with more 

 than 29,000 in 1910, and over 30,000 in pre- 

 vious years. In Wiirtemburg, at any rate, it 

 is recognized that the downward tendency will 

 continue, and the Statistical Office calculates 

 that after 1915 there will be a reduction in the 

 number of children for whom provision has to 

 be made in the elementary schools. 



The Journal of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation states that the institute founded by the 

 efforts of Professor His for biologic and thera- 

 peutic research on radium in the royal Charite 

 has been opened. The aim of the institu- 

 tion is the investigation of the therapeutic 

 effects of radio-active substances such as ra- 

 dium, mesothorium, radiothorium, etc., and 

 their decomposition products. It possesses 

 laboratories for chemical, zoological and bo- 

 tanical research and a complete equipment for 

 physical measurements. In all there are about 

 fifteen places for research workers. The insti- 

 tute is connected with a polyclinic in which 

 internists, surgeons and other interested spe- 

 cialists will have opportunity to treat patients 

 with radiation apparatus of various forms and 

 strength, emanators for inhalation in closed 

 rooms, apparatus for drinking the emanations, 

 and other forms of application. The institute 

 is founded through a fund appropriated by the 

 Kaiser Wilhelm Society for Scientific Ee- 

 search, as well as by grants from various in- 

 •dustrial companies. The management is in 



the hands of Privy Councilor His, whose rep- 

 resentative is Dr. Gudzent. He is supported 

 by a commission to which Professors Kraus, 

 Orth, Lesser, Hildebrand, Bier, Zuntz, Hert- 

 wig, Hahn and Marckwald have assured their 

 cooperation. Also a permanent physicochem- 

 ical collaborator has been secured. 



UNIVEBSITT AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS 

 As has been stated in Science, the regents 

 of the University of Michigan legislated for 

 the reorganization of graduate studies, by pro- 

 viding for the establishment of an autonomous 

 graduate department, to be governed by its 

 own dean, and by an executive board of seven, 

 together with the president, ex officio. The 

 necessary appointments have now been made, 

 as follows: Dr. K. E. Guthe, professor of 

 physics, has been elected to the deanship, 

 while the board is to consist of the president; 

 Dr. M. E. Cooley, dean of the department of 

 engineering; Dr. V. C. Vaughan, dean of the 

 department of medicine; Dr. H. C. Adams, 

 head of the department of political economy; 

 Dr. R. M. Wenley, head of the department of 

 philosophy; Dr. F. 'N. Scott, head of the de- 

 partment of rhetoric; Professor H. M. Bates, 

 dean of the department of law, and Dr. M. 

 Gomberg, professor of organic chemistry. 

 The new executive will take office on October 

 1, and will probably devote next year to a 

 thorough consideration of future policy. 



Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washing- 

 ton, has received from seven hundred donors 

 a fund amounting to more than $200,000. 



St. Eranois Xaviee College is to be united 

 with Fordham University, New York City. 

 The St. Francis Xavier grammar and high 

 school will be maintained. 



The new four-year course which has been 

 outlined' by the College of Agriculture, of the 

 University of Illinois, has the first year's work 

 prescribed and one half of the work of each 

 semester of the sophomore year. The re- 

 mainder of the time is given over to speciali- 

 zation in soils, crops, agricultural teaching, 

 horticulture, farm mechanics, dairying or ani- 



