March 9, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



233 



the country and of the world, can be etfected 

 by the Association for the Advancement of 

 Science through the recognition of such spe- 

 cialization as spontaneously occurs, through 

 grants for the solution of particular problems, 

 and through assistance in finding adequate 

 publication for the results that may be obtained 

 from engineering researches. 



A. E. Kennelly 

 Cambridge, Mass. 



REPORT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

 PATHOLOGY 



The Committee on Eesearch in Pathology 

 recommends : 



1. Nature of Work to Be Aided. — In the 

 awarding of grants that preference be given 

 to problems of etiology, immunity, functional 

 pathology and chemical pathology, as repre- 

 senting the most profitable lines of investiga- 

 tion at present. 



2. Laboratories or Individuals to Be Aided. 

 — ^It is believed advisable to give grants pref- 

 erably to laboratories presided over by a 

 director of known training and ability in in- 

 vestigation, the funds of which are insuiScient 

 to meet the needs for special studies. This 

 does not necessarily rule out an exceptional 

 man in a laboratory indifferently manned, 

 but it must be remembered, as a general 

 proposition, that laboratories which need the 

 money most are, on account of poor equip- 

 ment and the lack of adequate staff, least pre- 

 pared to use it to advantage. The best policy 

 is to give where most can be accomplished and 

 not where money is most needed. 



It is undesirable to give money solely to en- 

 courage research in a general way by younger 

 men under direction of the laboratory head. 

 The aid should be for a definite problem of 

 recognized importance and should be prefer- 

 ably to men of wide experience as investi- 

 gators, and as far as possible to heads of de- 

 partments, who will take an active part in 

 the work, aided perhaps by their assistants. 



In addition to departments of pathology, 

 those of bacteriology, protozoology and immu- 

 nology, or clinical medicine possessing well- 

 equipped laboratories for investigation along 

 any of the lines before mentioned shall be 



considered as conducting research in pathol- 

 ogy and eligible for grants. The sole condi- 

 tions for the award of a grant should be (1) 

 The formulation of a suitable problem; (2) 

 the proposal of definite methods for its solu- 

 tion; (3) the possession of facilities adequate 

 for the successful prosecution of the pro- 

 jected investigation. 



3. Amount of Grants. — ^In view of the posi- 

 tion taken in Section 2 it is recommended 

 that grants of relatively large sums (several 

 hundred dollars) be given to a few labora- 

 tories rather than smaller sums scattered more 

 widely. These larger sums would ensure, pre- 

 sumably, an adequate return and would offer 

 a greater incentive to concentrated work on 

 important problems. 



4. Cooperation. — It is considered desirable 

 for the committee to keep in touch with other 

 organizations, as the Rockefeller Institute for 

 Medical Research and the Research Com- 

 mittee of the American Medical Association, 

 offering grants for research in medicine in 

 order (a) to avoid duplication of grants, (fe), 

 to exchange lists of applicants, (c) to profit 

 by the experience of these organizations. 



5. Puhlicity. — It is considered inadvisable 

 to issue a general request for applications. 

 The publication in Science and the Journal 

 of the American Medical Association of the 

 report of the committee should place the 

 matter before the proper audience and lead to 

 requests from individuals, presumably heads 

 of departments most interested in such aid 

 and best prepared to take advantage of it. 



Theodore C. Janeway, 



Eugene L. Opie, 



H. Gideon Wells 



Richard M. Pearce (chairman). 



University of Pennsylvania, 



Philadelphia, Pa. . 

 Peyton Rous (secretary). 



Rockefeller Institute, 



New York City 



REPORT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

 MATHEMATICS 



In view of the proposed plan to form re- 

 search committees with the direct coopera- 

 tion of various scientific organizations, the 



