58 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1045 



Arthur V. White, of the Conservation Com- 

 mission of Canada. This gives the United 

 States one consulting engineer and Great 

 Britain a second. The work has involved ex- 

 tensive investigation relating to the regulation 

 of the levels of the Lake of the Woods, and 

 the utilization of the waters tributary to that 

 lake. Water power and water supply, navi- 

 gation, fishing and agriculture are the chief 

 interests concerned. Minnesota is vitally in- 

 terested in this investigation inasmuch as about 

 11,000 square miles of the drainage basin of 

 the Lake of the Woods lie in this state. 



A dam controlling the level of the Lake of 

 the Woods is located in Canadian territory. 

 The shores of the lake on the Canadian side, 

 particularly in the vicinity of the dam, are 

 very high, but on the Minnesota side the slope 

 of the land toward the lake is only a few feet 

 per mile. 



Settlers have been complaining to the 

 United States government that the lake has 

 been materially raised and that much of their 

 land is being flooded. The first complaints 

 were made more than twenty years ago. Dur- 

 ing the wet year of 1905 renewed protests were 

 sent to the Department of State, but all efforts 

 at securing settlement through diplomatic 

 channels failed, until finally, soon after the 

 appointment of the International Joint Com- 

 mission in 1910, this question of the regula- 

 tion of the levels of the Lake of the Woods 

 was referred to this commission. 



The International Joint Commission is a 

 permanent tribunal with powers of adjudica- 

 tion, created by treaty between Great Britain 

 and the United States. While the work of this 

 commission thus far has concerned primarily 

 the use of boundary waters along the Cana- 

 dian frontier, the powers conferred by the 

 treaty are very broad and include, in fact, the 

 decision of practically all matters of dispute 

 between citizens of the United States and 

 Canada, referred to this body by their respec- 

 tive governments. 



All obstructions or diversions of boundary 

 waters affecting the natural level or flow of 

 such waters on either side of the line must 

 receive the approval of this commission. 



One of the important questions decided by 

 the commission during the past year was that 

 of the application of the power companies at 

 Sault Ste. Marie, for approval of the obstruc- 

 tion, diversion and use of the waters of the 

 St. Marys' Eiver for the development of 

 power. Another important question now under 

 investigation by the commission is that of the 

 pollution of boundary waters. 



THE AMERICAN AMBULANCE HOSPITAL 

 IN PABIS 



Western Reserve Univeesity is the flrst 

 to respond to a suggestion made by ofiicers of 

 the American Ambulance Hospital in France, 

 that leading American medical schools send 

 to France corps of men to take charge of one 

 of the hospital's services of 150 beds. The 

 medical board of the American Ambulance 

 Hospital, through Dr. Joseph Blake, has re- 

 quested Dr. Crile to be the leader in the pro- 

 posed plan. The expedition will be financed 

 by the trustees and friends of the university 

 and the Lakeside Hospital and left for France 

 on December 30. 



The American Ambulance Hospital was es- 

 tablished by the trustees of the American Hos- 

 pital at Paris almost immediately after the 

 outbreak of hostilities. Ambassador Myron T. 

 Herrick was actively interested in the project 

 and the building of the Lycee Pasteur at 

 Neuilly was secured. The present capacity of 

 the hospital is 450 beds, divided into services 

 of 150 beds each. The suggestion made by the 

 medical board is that several of the leading 

 medical schools of the United States send out 

 staffs to take charge in succession of one of 

 the hospital services of 150 beds, with opera- 

 ting rooms and equipment, for periods of three 

 months each. According to the proposed plan 

 the corps from the several universities would 

 follow one another without interruption of 

 service. The officials of the Ambulance Hos- 

 pital believe that the opportunity is unrivalled 

 for humanitarian service and for clinical ex- 

 perience and medical research. 



Dr. du Bouchet is the executive head of the 

 hospital and represents the institution with 



