Friday, January 26, 1917 

 contents 



The American Society of Naturalists: — 

 Biology and War : Dr. Jacques Loeb 73 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



Asymmetric Syntheses and their Bearing on 

 the Doctrine of Vitalism: Pkofessob Wil- 

 liam McPhekson 76 



Scientific Events: — 

 Minute on the Life and Services of Hugo 

 Milnsterierg ; Memorial to Susanna Phelps 

 Gage; The American Institute of Mining 

 Engineers; Appropriations for the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture 81 



Scientific Notes and News 84 



University and Educational News 85 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



Negative Surface Tension: Professor Ar- 

 THtm L. Kimball. The White Fine Blister 

 Bust: W. A. McCuBBlN. Pamphlet Collec- 

 tions: Chas. B. Morret. Industrial Lai) ora- 

 tories and Scientific Information: Pro- 

 fessors A. E. Kennellt, J. W. Eichaeds, 

 A. Sauveur, a. N. Talbot and C. C. 

 Thomas 85 



Scientific Boolcs: — 



Macfarlane's Lectures on Ten British 

 Mathematicians: Professor Florian Ca- 

 JORi. Glover M. Allen on the Whalebone 

 Whales of New England: Dr. J. A. Allen. 88 



The Proceedings of the National Academy of 

 Sciences: Professor Edwin Bidwell Wil- 

 son 90 



Notes on Meteorology and Climatology: Dr. 

 Charles F. Brooks 91 



Special Articles: — 



The Moot-rot Disease of the Apple in Vir- 

 ginia: F. D. Feommb, H. E. Thomas 93 



The American Mathematical Society: Pro- 

 fessor F. N. Cole 93 



The American Genetic Association: Paul 



POFENOE 95 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review sbould be sent to Professor J. McKeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 On-Hudson. N. Y. 



BIOLOGY AND WARi 



1. Biology is not the science wliich can 

 throw any light on the origin of war, since 

 wars are caused by economic, political and 

 social conditions. Although these condi- 

 tions are in the last analysis based upon 

 human instincts it does not seem profitable 

 for the present to trace the connection. 



It is also outside the speaker's problem 

 to discuss the effects of war. Compared 

 with the misery and anguish, the general 

 loss of life and of liberty, and the economic 

 waste caused by war, the possible heredi- 

 tary eifects on the population, if there are 

 any, are too trivial to be mentioned. 



As far as your speaker has been able to 

 see, biology can at present offer a contribu- 

 tion to the problem of war in one direction 

 only, namely to test some of the claims of 

 war enthusiasts who insist that from a bio- 

 logical viewpoint wars are justifiable or 

 even desirable. 



2. These war enthusiasts maintain that 

 unless a nation engages occasionally in war 

 it will lose all those virile virtues, especially 

 courage, which are necessary for its sur- 

 vival. We do not need to argue whether 

 the acts committed in a state of homicidal 

 emotion are the real or only manifestations 

 of courage ; we may also overlook the mani- 

 festations of virility left behind by invad- 

 ing or retreating armies. The assumption 

 that virility or courage (whatever may be 

 meant by these terms) will disappear if not 

 practised in the form of war implies an 

 unproven and apparently false biological 

 assumption, namely, that functions not 

 practised or organs not used will disappear 



1 Read at the meeting of Naturalists, December 

 29, 1916. 



