November 29, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



737 



this the demand for men trained in the labora- 

 tories as now obtains in the south and will obtain 

 hereafter, makes it more than a policy for the 

 future. 



Schools answering in the negative are : 



1. Cornell University. 



2. Columbia University. 



3. McGill University. 



4. University of Pittsburgh. 



5. University of Tennessee. 



6. Washington University. 



Certain interesting- opinions are as fol- 

 lows: 



Dr. Howell (Johns Hopkins) : 



I have no doubt whatever that the custom as it 

 exists in our school has been responsible in deter- 

 mining the course of a large proportion of our 

 men who have subsequently undertaken investiga- 

 tion as a life work. 



Dr. Vaughan (University of Michigan) : 



I am quite sure that the encouragement given 

 to our brighter students to do research work has 

 resulted in drawing out many more effective labo- 

 ratory men than would have been the case had 

 we not encouraged research. 



Dr. H. Gideon Wells (University of Chi- 

 cago) : 



Nearly all the investigators who have graduated 

 from Eush Medical College have done undergrad- 

 uate research work, and I would criticize your 

 question 5 to the extent of saying that the re- 

 search work turns out more efficient practitioners 

 as well as laboratory men, for a practitioner 

 should look on each case as a problem for investi- 

 gation and approach it with the same spirit that 

 a laboratory man approaches his problem. 



Dr. George Dock ("Washington Univer- 

 sity, St. Louis) : 



Probably yes, but it is impossible to say posi- 

 tively. The fact that graduates are active investi- 

 gators should stimulate just as many men to take 

 up laboratory careers after graduation. In some 

 cases premature work in investigation has kept 

 men from getting a good grounding. 



Dr. Samnel W. Lambert (Columbia) : 



I doubt very much if any special results can 

 be traced to such a course. 



In summing up the whole matter, I think 

 it is evident that there is a decided tend- 

 ency in the foremost schools to give time in 

 the curriculum for independent work and 

 thought, and the tendency to turn certain 

 men to a laboratory life as well as to the 

 better type of medical practise. Dr. Lam- 

 bert, in replying for Columbia, one of the 

 schools giving a pronounced negative 

 throughout, adds to his letter: 



I would here state that the committee on scholar- 

 ships recently recommended to the faculty begin- 

 ning next fall, "that four awards of $350 be 

 made to undergraduate students; that holders of 

 these scholarships be assigned as student assist- 

 ants, two to the department of anatomy and two 

 to the department of physiology, and that they 

 shall render such services to the said department 

 as may be assigned them by their respective 



This does not mean original work, but it 

 does point to a method of malving men bet- 

 ter acquainted with the laboratory and 

 giving them a chance to learn their own fit- 

 ness for such work. 



It is also evident that only a very lim- 

 ited number of carefully selected men 

 should be allowed to do research work and 

 that such work shoiild be permitted to 

 count for the degree. There is a practical 

 unanimity of opinion that no man should 

 be allowed to slight his regular work for 

 research, and since he is working for a de- 

 gree he should have quite as great a re- 

 sponsibility toward his research if he is 

 given the privilege of entering upon it. 



The amount of time which diiSerent 

 schools give is varied, so varied that no es- 

 timation can be made of what is fair. It is 

 obvious, too, that mere numbers of hours 

 mean little, since a small number of con- 

 secutive hours may easily be of more use 

 than a large number hopelessly scattered, 

 which never permit more than the hurried 

 starting of experiments and bring no satis- 



