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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1053 



centration in his work. He desires no 

 vacations except for bug-hunting and col- 

 lecting. His idea of a good time is to have 

 a day off for work with his microscope. 

 He is a biologist because the tendency 

 within him is too strong to be resisted. He 

 feels that he was born for one work only. 

 In a peculiar sense he has had the baptism 

 of science — he has "renounced the Devil 

 and all his works, the vain pomp and glory 

 of the world," and has devoted himself 

 with singleness of purpose to one particular 

 subject which seems to him the central 

 theme from which all others radiate. 



But this very enthusiasm and concen- 

 tration has its dangers for it is liable to 

 destroy the sense of perspective and pro- 

 portion. President Lowell has several 

 times referred to a university course, 

 whether real or mythological he does not 

 say, on the "Antennae of the Paleozoic 

 Cockroach" — a highly specialized course, 

 it must be admitted, and yet probably no 

 more so than many others to be found in 

 our universities. Our opinions regarding 

 the value of any subject are greatly influ- 

 enced by our knowledge or ignorance of 

 that subject. There are persons who laugh 

 at all foreigners; they think "they are so 

 funny." There can be no doubt that spe- 

 cialization on any subject which is out of 

 the ordinary seems funny to those who 

 think only conventional thoughts. A great 

 biologist was once at a public reception 

 where he looked and doubtless felt much 

 out of place. A society woman tried to 

 engage him in small talk, but he replied, 

 "Madam, the Maryland oyster is being 

 exterminated." The original "Professor 

 Mooner" of the comic papers was probably 

 an old-fashioned naturalist. Intense devo- 

 tion to work is a fine thing and has cultural 

 value if properly balanced by a true sense 

 of proportion, but the effect is otherwise if 

 this concentration blots out for one the 

 rest of the universe. 



The evil effects of over-specialization are 

 shown in many ways among biologists — not 

 only in the lack of ability to understand or 

 appreciate many other lines of work, but 

 also by the very prevalent notion that the 

 biologist who engages in economic work or 

 who devotes himself to public service has 

 somehow lost caste, and also by the con- 

 trasting opinion held by some "practical" 

 biologists that ' ' academic biology should be 

 classed with embroidery. ' ' There are many 

 good biologists in economic work, but there 

 are relatively few in public life, and it is a 

 pity that it is so, for on many biological 

 problems of the highest interest to society 

 the biologist could speak with an authority 

 at least as great as that of the sociologists, 

 who are frequently more sure of our results 

 than we are ourselves, an authority greater 

 than that of the propagandists who in- 

 vent their own biology. On the other hand; 

 there are a few great leaders in biology 

 who have become teachers and interpreters 

 to the plain people, men who like Huxley, 

 Galton, Metchnikoff and Forel have dared 

 to apply the teachings of biology to social 

 problems, and there are more biologists 

 who would do this if they were not re- 

 strained by the fear of losing caste among 

 extreme specialists. 



But, after all, concentration and narrow- 

 ness are by no means characteristic of biol- 

 ogists and are probably to be ascribed to 

 the weakness of human nature rather than 

 to the influences of biology. 



2. A second quality which is more truly 

 distinctive of the biologist is to be found in 

 his powers of observation and imagination. 

 Other sciences also train both of these 

 faculties, but in a peculiar sense the liviag 

 world is an eternal challenge and stimulus 

 to the powers of observation and construc- 

 tive imagination. 



No one can have failed to notice the great 

 interest which all persons show in living 

 objects. Men, women and children will 



