SCIENCE 



Feidat, Febeuabt 23, 1917 



contents 



Biology and Preparedness: De. Stewart 

 Paton 173 



The Ecological Significance of Soil Aeration: 

 Db. W. a. Cannon and Dr. E. E. Free ... 178 



Scientific Events: — 



The Work of the American Museum of 

 Natural History; Higher Education in 

 Washington; Grants for Scientific Worh 

 from the Loutreuil Fund 181 



Scientific Notes and News 183 



University and Educational News 186 



DiscvySsion and Correspondence: — 



The Limit of the Spectrum in the Ultra- 

 Violet: Professor Theodore Lyman. The 

 Foundations of Dynamics and Dadourian's 

 Analytical Mechanics: Professor H. M. 

 Dadourian. The Synchronic Behavior of 

 Phalangidce: Professor W. M. Wheeler. 

 More Complete Titles : Professor Henry H. 

 Donaldson 187 



Scientific BooJcs: — 

 Lane-Claypon on Milk and its Hygienic 

 Relations: Dr. C. M. HHiLiARO. Pether- 

 iridge on Fungoid and Insect Pests: H. L. 

 Bolley 190 



Special Articles: — 

 Is Species-specificity a Mendslian Charac- 

 ter: Dr. Jacques Loeb 191 



The American Physical Society: Professor 

 A. D. Cole 193 



Societies and Academies : — 



The Biological Society of Washington: Dr. 

 M. W. Lyon, Jr. The Botanical Society of 

 Washington: Dr. H. L. Shantz 195 



BIOLOGY AND PREPAREDNESS i 



The association of ideas suggested by 

 the words "biology" and "preparedness" 

 probably marks the beginning of a new 

 epoch in history. The careful considera- 

 tion of the sequence of events that have led 

 to the formal act of linking together these 

 two words should supply material for an 

 interesting chapter in history, and should 

 furnish an impulse strong enough to re- 

 awaken in the minds of those who have al- 

 ready left hope behind them rational expec- 

 tations for a slow but steady progress of 

 civilization. 



Science, as one of the chief witnesses to 

 this fortunate union, is relieved of any 

 necessity for explaining that while certain 

 by-products may liberate destructive forces, 

 her aims and methods tend beyond perad- 

 venture to conserve both life and energy. 

 In view of the critical times in which we are 

 living, this fact by itself is not even half- 

 way satisfying. The human animal needs 

 the stimulus of positive hope and the knowl- 

 edge of actual accomplishment; and these 

 will be added to our most treasured posses- 

 sions when once we shall begin, after cen- 

 turies of indifference, to make preparations 

 for rational living. 



During the last two years we have not 

 only changed our general attitude towards 

 life, but have been made most bitterly 

 aware of the disappointments sure to fol- 

 low dreams of incredible Utopias, or visions 

 of universal peace. We have paid a high 

 price for our failure to emphasize the 

 greater importance of preparing to live ef- 



TiTsc; ,-„*„ J, ;, e v,- .. ^^ , 1 Eead in symposium on "Biology and National 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for t, . ^ , , \. j- ^i a ° -kx 



Id be sent to Professor J. McKeen Cattell. Garrison- Existence, meeting of the American Naturalists, 



on-Hudson, N. Y. New York, December 28, 1916. 



