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SCIENCE 



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



merely in body, but also in spirit to all of 

 tbem, and he is able to understand and 

 appreciate and in a measure to sympathize 

 with all men. Hate and distrust are born 

 of ignorance; knowledge brings sympathy. 

 "To know all is to pardon all." Only a 

 broader knowledge of and sympathy with 

 our fellow men can end class and race 

 antagonisms and guarantee a lasting peace. 

 The study of biology, in broadening the 

 sympathies of men and in cultivating es- 

 thetic appreciation, occupies a unique place 

 among all the sciences. 



These elements of personal culture are 

 not absolutely distinctive of the biologist. 

 Some persons wander into biology whose 

 inherited tendencies are too strong to be 

 overcome by its discipline; some good men 

 in other fields are biologists gone astray; 

 but in general these qualities are charac- 

 teristic of the biologist. 



n. CONTRIBUTIONS OF BIOLOGY TO CIVILIZATION 



1. First among all the contributions of 

 science to civilization stands the emanci- 

 pation of man from various forms of bond- 

 age. Science has to a large extent freed 

 civilized man from slavery to environment ; 

 it has well-nigh annihilated time and space, 

 it has levied tribute upon practically the 

 whole earth to supply his wants, it has 

 taught him how to utilize the great re- 

 sources of nature and to a large extent it 

 has given into his hands the control of his 

 destiny on this planet. 



In this conquest of nature all sciences 

 have been represented and it is difficult to 

 apportion exactly the credit due to each. 

 This is well illustrated by the various claims 

 which are being made at present as to who 

 built the Panama Canal. It is claimed by 

 Colonel Koosevelt, by the army and navy, 

 by the engineers, by the doctors and sani- 

 tarians, and one ought not to forget the 

 workmen from the United States and the 



Jamaica negroes, though they are saying 

 little about it. That biologists can put in 

 a strong claim can not be doubted when we 

 reflect upon the former French attempt to 

 build the canal and the ravages of malaria 

 and yellow fever which helped to defeat 

 that enterprise. I suggest as a topic for a 

 general debate at the meetings of the 

 American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science at the Panama-Pacific 

 Exposition next summer this question, 

 "Who built the Panama Canal?" I am 

 sure that biology will be able to show that 

 it is entitled to a large share of the credit. 



The contributions of biology to civiliza- 

 tion are not generally regarded as equal to 

 those of physics, chemistry or engineering, 

 and yet they are many and great and are 

 constantly increasing in importance. In- 

 deed, the debt of civilization to biology is 

 absolutely incalculable, as may be appre- 

 ciated when one mentions merely the names 

 of some of the biological sciences, as for 

 example, agriculture, animal breeding, bac- 

 teriology, experimental medicine, pathol- 

 ogy, parasitology, physiology, sanitation. 

 All of the great advances in these fields in 

 recent years are the results of the study of 

 living things, whether that study was done 

 in a biological laboratory or not, and they 

 are therefore the contributions of biology 

 to culture. Indeed, the very continuance 

 of civilization depends upon biology; there 

 were civilizations of the past which went 

 down under the onslaughts of pestilence 

 and famine, as well as of war, and if our 

 civilization is to advance it must rely upon 

 biology to teach improved methods of ward- 

 ing off disease, of increasing and conserving 

 the food supply and of improving the 

 human breed. 



2. But the highest service of science to 

 culture has been in the emancipation of the 

 mind, in freeing men from the bondage of 

 superstition and ignorance, in helping man 



