March 13, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



387 



THE PKEMEDICAL CONFERENCE 



The Cincinnati Conference of Academic In- 

 stitutions and Medical Colleges on Premedical 

 Education was held at the University of Cin- 

 cinnati, January 16-17. The occasion marked 

 the installation of Dr. Christian E. Holmes as 

 dean of the Medical College. The inaugura- 

 tion address was given by Dr. Wm. H. Welch, 

 of Baltimore, his subject being " The Develop- 

 ment of Medical Education in America." Dr. 

 Welch was later entertained at a banquet. 



Representatives of many of the medical and 

 academic institutions of the Middle West con- 

 ferred on the requirements of premedical edu- 

 cation with a view to bettering and standardiz- 

 ing the preparatory work. Among those who 

 addressed the conference were Pres. Charles 

 W. Dabney, Drs. Wm.,H. Welch, Charles Dean 

 Bevan, John A. Witherspoon, N. P. Colwell, 

 Henry B. Ward, Michael F. Guyer, Lauder W. 

 Jones, Brown Ayres, Edgar Brandon, Dean 

 Christian E. Holmes, Paul G. Woolley, Harry 

 Marshall and others. There were present the 

 secretary, two ex-presidents and the president 

 of the American Medical Association. 



A committee consisting of Professors 

 Michael F. Guyer (chairman), Harry N. 

 Holmes, Lauder W. Jones, Henry McE. 

 Knower and E. L. Eice drew up the following 

 resolutions, which the conference adopted: 



In view of the ideas expressed in this conference, 

 be it 



Besolved, That the representatives of the vari- 

 ous colleges confer with their respective faculties 

 to ascertain : 



1. What courses of a premedical nature are 

 offered by them in chemistry, physics, biology and 

 languages. 



2. What changes, if necessary, can be made to 

 establish uniformity of essentials in premedical 

 training. 



3. Whether it is possible to reduce the total time 

 now required to obtain the M.D. degree by elimi- 

 nating duplication of work existing in graded 

 schools, high schools, colleges and medical schools. 

 Your committee is of the opinion that this is feas- 

 ible. 



4. What arrangements are made for granting 

 the bachelor's degree after satisfactory comple- 

 tion of two or three years' college work and one 

 or two years in a Class A plus medical school. 



Be it further resolved, That the action taken by 

 the various faculties be reported to Paul G. 

 Woolley, University of Cincinnati, chairman of the 

 general conference committee, and that this com- 

 mittee may, at its discretion, call another general 

 conference of the colleges interested in this move- 

 ment. 



It was generally agreed that physics, biol- 

 ogy, chemistry and modern languages have an 

 unquestioned place in the premedical educa- 

 tion. Eeprints containing the discussion and 

 addresses can be obtained on request from the 

 university. 



The delegates inspected the medical college 

 laboratories and the new $4,000,000 city hos- 

 pital, which Dr. Holmes is just bringing to 

 completion. The plans for the new medical 

 college building, on the hospital site, were 

 exhibited. 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 



The forty-ninth meeting of the American 

 Chemical Society will be held in Cincinnati, 

 Ohio, from Tuesday, April 7 to Friday, April 

 10, inclusive. A meeting of the council will 

 be held at the Hotel Sinton on Monday even- 

 ing, April 6. The Hotel Sinton has been 

 chosen as headquarters. 



The general meetings and the meetings of 

 divisions will be held at the University of 

 Cincinnati. 



The transportation committee has arranged 

 a number of interesting visits to local indus- 

 trial plants. It is a well-known fact that 

 Cincinnati has a very large variety of indus- 

 tries which are strictly chemical or very closely 

 allied. This committee has already arranged 

 trips to the Filtration Plant, Proctor & 

 Gamble's, the home of Crisco and Ivory Soap; 

 Globe Soap Co., Diamalt Co., Andrew Steel 

 Works, Boldt Glass Co., the New Cincinnati 

 Hospital, the largest and most modern city 

 hospital in the world; Machine Tool Plants, 

 Eookwood Pottery, Lloyd Brothers, W. S. 

 Merril Chemical Co., and many others. 



In addition to these inspection trips the com- 

 mittee is planning to devote Friday, April 10, 

 to visit adjacent industrial plants — an all day 

 excursion. It is the plan during the morning 



