552 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1058 



mens, and by preserved specimens. The paper was 

 discussed by Messrs. Hitehcoek, Vaughan, Gold- 

 man and Townsend. 



The 536tlL meeting of the society was held in 

 the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, Saturday, 

 February 20, 1915, called to order by President 

 Bartsch at 8 p.m., with sixty-five persons present. 



Dr. Charles Monroe Mansfield, of the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry, on recommendation of the coun- 

 cil, was elected to active membership. 



Under the heading of Brief Notes, General Wil- 

 cox made observations and inquiries concerning the 

 color of the eyes of certain turtles. His remarks 

 were discussed by W. P. Hay. Dr. Howard de- 

 scribed the successful campaign carried on against 

 mosquitoes in New Jersey. 



Under the heading Exhibition of Specimens, 

 Wm. Palmer exhibited the tip of the tongue of a 

 sulphurbottom whale and considered the probable 

 use of its peculiar shape. Messrs. Bartseh, Hay 

 and Lyon took part in the discussion. 



The regular program consisted of an illustrated 

 lecture by H. C. Oberholser, entitled, "A Natural- 

 ist in Nevada." Mr. Oberholser gave an account 

 of a biological survey of parts of Nevada made 

 by himself and others some years ago. He de- 

 scribed the geologic, geographic and climatic char- 

 acters of the route traversed by his party. He 

 mentioned in particular the plants, the mammals, 

 birds and reptiles observed and collected by the ex- 

 pedition ; and pointed out how they were influenced 

 in kind and numbers by the unusual geographic 

 and climatic conditions found in Nevada. He 

 showed many excellent views of the country and of 

 the animals and plants encountered. 



Mr. Oberholser 's paper was discussed by Messrs. 

 Hay, Bartseh, Bailey, Lyon, Goldman, Wetmore 

 and Wm. Palmer. M. W. Lyon, Jr., 



Hecording Secretary 



THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



At a special meeting of the society, held No- 

 vember 3, 1914, at the public library. Dr. J. Walter 

 Fewkes read a paper on "Vanished Eaces of the 

 Caribbean." The aborigines who, in pre-Colum- 

 bian times, inhabited the West Indies, represent 

 a vanished race, for with the exception of very 

 incomplete historical accounts and a few highly 

 modified living survivors, archeologieal remains 

 only are left from which to determine their cul- 

 ture. The Antillean culture belonged to the stone 

 age, and while it had attained a considerable de- 

 velopment; it was quite unlike that of any other 



area in the New World. These islands were 

 peopled from the neighboring continent, but the 

 peculiar types of stone objects which occur on the 

 islands indicate that the culture they represent 

 originated where it was found. This culture was 

 of two types, one in the Greater Antilles and 

 the other in the so-called Carib Islands. These 

 differ mainly in the forms of stone implements, 

 pottery and other artifacts. For instance, 90 per 

 cent, of the stone implements of the Greater An- 

 tilles have the form of celts, while the majority 

 of implements from the Lesser Antilles are axes. 

 This difference in the culture was noticed by Co- 

 lumbus and the early chroniclers. The inhabitants 

 of the Lesser Antilles were called Caribs, the 

 others Arawaks. The Caribs were preceded by an 

 agricultural people whom they conquered in pre- 

 Columbian times. All the islands from Cuba to 

 Trinidad once had a highly developed population, 

 which remained until later times only in the 

 Greater Antilles. It is probable that the abo- 

 rigines of the Lesser Antilles came from South 

 America, but those of the Greater Antilles from 

 Central America. 



At a meeting of the society, held November 17, 

 1914, in the public library, Eev. Dr. John Lee 

 Maddox, chaplain in the United States Army, 

 read a paper on "The Spirit Theory in Early 

 Medicine." The primitive theory is that disease 

 and death are abnormal, the work of malevolent 

 spirits or of witchcraft. Many modern remedies 

 and practises are the direct descendents of old- 

 time methods and drugs intended to cure the pa- 

 tient by driving out an evil spirit through fear or 

 disgust. Bitter medicines* originated in revolting 

 doses intended to disgust the demon. Massage 

 originated in the beatings and poundings through 

 which the evil spirit was to be frightened out of 

 the patient. Bleeding, cupping and trephining 

 were originally intended to facilitate its exit. 

 Through long centuries, even with an incorrect 

 theory, it was learned that certain drugs and reme- 

 dies had a beneficial effect upon certain diseases. 

 Thus the correct practise developed long before 

 the correct theory. As examples of standard rem- 

 edies derived from Indian doctors, he instanced 

 ipecac and quinine. In the discussion Dr. Fewkes 

 drew illustrations from the Hopi Indians, Mr. 

 Mooney from the Cherokee, and Dr. Moore from 

 the St. Lawrence Island Eskimo. Dr. E. L. Mor- 

 gan and others also spoke. 



Daniel Folkmar, 



Secretary 



