400 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1054 



to enter the medioal schools. The zoological 

 courses should not be abridged and popular- 

 ized in order that time may be saved for other 

 pursuits, or that the science m'ay seem more 

 attractive to college youth. Courses in anat- 

 omy and physiology which duplicate the work 

 of the medioal school, and courses in " med- 

 ical zoology," ought not to be substituted for 

 the strictly zoological university courses. The 

 science of zoology is of such great service to 

 students of medicine that it deserves a large 

 place in their undergraduate studies. With 

 medical anatomy, it constitutes " a subject es- 

 sentially one and indivisible " ; and the pen- 

 alty for its neglect is inadequate preparation 

 for medical practise. 

 Committee: H. McE. Knower, Chairman, 



F. T. Lewis, 



W. H. Lewis 

 St. Louis, Missouri, 

 December 29, 1914 



In the following summary, the chairman of 

 the committee has rearranged the main points 

 of the above report in groups, to correspond to 

 the four questions proposed 'at the beginning ; 

 so that a more definite idea may be secured of 

 the manner in which these are answered. In 

 assembling the answers to the different ques- 

 tions the exact sense of the report itself has 

 been retained. In answering questions 3 and 

 4 'an effort has been made to indicate what we 

 may reasonably expect to include in the first 

 year, amd what should be advised in addition. 



I and II. The first two questions formu- 

 lated by the committee are answered in the 

 negative ; that is, a one-year's course is not 

 regarded as sufficient, and a uniform, stand- 

 ardized course seems undesirable. An intro- 

 duction to the subject through special courses 

 in selected " medical zoology " is also disap- 

 proved. 



ni. (a) In regard to the third question ; it 

 has seemed necessary to urge a more thorough 

 knowledge of the morphology of lower forms 

 of animals and their life histories. While the 

 anatomists in adopting this statement as given 

 in the report, undoubtedly expect the physio- 

 logical aspects of these mechanisms to be con- 



sidered as necessary accompaniments of such 

 first-hand familiarity with animals, it is 

 urged in the report that the introductory col- 

 lege QOUTse shall not be " primarily physiolog- 

 ical." It is earnestly desired that the work 

 shall involve a rigorous grounding in compar- 

 ative morphology, especially of lower forms, 

 which furnishes not only the best basis for 

 human anatomy, but is a very essential pre- 

 liminary for comparative and human physiol- 

 ogy. 



(5) It is urged that the theoretical and phil- 

 osophical considerations which accompany the 

 course shall follow a practical acquaintance 

 with animals, rather than that special animal 

 structures shall serve chiefly as illustrative 

 material for lectures on general biological 

 theories, with a neglect of a thorough study 

 of la series of animal forms. 



(c) The additional principles which should 

 govern the planning of the introductory 

 courses, beyond those just stated, are: 

 The selection of suitable teachers. 

 The undesirability of 'attempting to establish 

 a uniform preparatory course, or courses 

 especially limited to applications to medi- 

 cine. 

 The acquirement of skill in the use of the 

 microscope, and of correct scientific method 

 of work in connection with the work of the 

 course. 

 The beginnings of embryology and cytology. 

 IV. As to the last question, number 4, the 

 report does not attempt to decide what pro- 

 portion of the recommended preparation for 

 anatomy can be obtained by a student in the 

 first year's course. This must be indicated 

 by the zoologists. It seems evident to a stu- 

 dent of present conditions, however, that 

 most of the work desired in cytology and com- 

 parative, general histology; comparative anat- 

 omy of vertebrates; or systematic zoology 

 will have to be elected by students looking 

 forward to medicine, after they have taken 

 the introductory course. It is to be hoped 

 that the elements of vertebrate embryology 

 will be included in that course. Some of this 

 work may well be done in one of the excellent 

 summer laboratories. 



