234 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1158 



subcommittee on mathematics decided not to 

 attempt to present a formal report at this 

 time. I desire, however, to take advantage 

 of this opportunity to emphasize the fact that 

 mathematical research is probably no less de- 

 pendent upon financial support than research 

 in the other scientific subjects. 



It is true that the mathematical investi- 

 gator seldom needs costly equipment beyond 

 good library facilities, but what he gains in 

 this direction he loses as a result of the fact 

 that his most important discoveries frequently 

 require very extensive development before 

 they are fully appreciated even by the mathe- 

 matical public. In some scientific fields dis- 

 coveries of the greatest popular interest can be 

 announced eflFectively in a few words, and 

 hence the publications necessary to meet the 

 direct needs of the investigator in these fields 

 are comparatively inexpensive. 



The lack of funds for the publication of ex- 

 tensive mathematical treatises and memoirs 

 has had very baneful consequences. In the 

 case of treatises on modern subjects the scien- 

 tific value often increases much more rapidly 

 than the size of the treatise. If an author 

 who is perfectly competent to prepare a trea- 

 tise of six hundred pages on such a subject is 

 compelled to limit himself to fouj hundred 

 pages, he usually finds it necessary to omit 

 the developments which are most original and 

 which would reflect most honor on the author 

 and on the country in which the work is pub- 

 lished. 



The intrinsic scientific value of mathemat- 

 ical memoirs is usually not very seriously af- 

 fected by brevity in presentation. On the 

 other hand, this brevity tends to reduce the 

 immediate influence of these memoirs, since it 

 increases enormously the difliculties met by 

 those who try to master them. The mathe- 

 matical reader is often compelled to waste 

 much time in trying to decipher what the 

 author could have exhibited clearly if he had 

 had a few more pages at his command. As 

 compared with European publications Amer- 

 ican mathematical literature includes a com- 

 paratively small number of extensive memoirs. 



The most expensive element tending to im- 



prove research conditions is the providing of 

 sufficient free time for the investigator. In 

 this respect mathematics does not present a 

 problem which differs materially from that 

 presented by other subjects, unless it is as- 

 sumed that the very abstract nature of his 

 subject makes it unusually difficult for the 

 mathematician to utilize odd moments. At 

 any rate, I hope I have succeeded in making 

 clear that American mathematical research 

 could be greatly improved by more liberal 

 financial support, and I presume the impor- 

 tance of mathematical developments needs no 

 emphasis before a body of scientists. 



G. A. Miller, 



Chairman 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



Dr. J. H. Long, dean of the school of phar- 

 macy and professor of chemistry at North- 

 western University, has been elected presi- 

 dent of the Chicago Institute of Medicine for 

 the year 1917. 



The Royal Geographical Society of London 

 has elected Dr. Charles Doolittle Walcott, 

 secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a 

 corresponding member. 



Dr. J. J. E. Macleod, professor of physiol- 

 ogy, school of medicine, Western Reserve Uni- 

 versity, has been granted leave of absence to 

 act as professor of physiology in McGill Uni- 

 versity, Montreal, during the months of Feb- 

 ruary and March- 



Professor Waldemar Lindgren, of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has 

 gone to Chile in connection with geological 

 work on some of the coppter proi)erties. 



The honor of knighthood has been conferred 

 on Professor Jagadish Chandra Rose, of Cal- 

 cutta, known for his work in physics and 

 physiology. 



Professor A. IST. Whitehead has been elected 

 president of the Rritish Mathematical Society. 



Major P. A. MacMahon has been elected 

 president of the Royal Astronomical Society 

 in succession to Dr. R. A. Sampson. 



Dr. Smith Ely Jelliffe, of New York City, 

 has been api)ointed editor of the New York 



