Sele NCE 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 
OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 
EDITORIAL CoMMITTEE: S. NEwcomB, Mathematics; R. S. WooDWaRD, Mechanics; E. C. PICKERING, 
Astronomy ; T. C. MENDENHALL, Physics ; R. H. THuRSTON, Engineering ; IRA REMSEN, Chemistry ; 
JOSEPH LE ConTE, Geology ; W. M. Davis, Physiography ; HENRY F. OSBORN, Paleontology ; 
W. K. Brooks, C. HART MERRIAM, Zoology ; S. H. ScuDDER, Entomology ; C. E. BESsEy, 
N. L. 
Physiology; J. 8S. BILLINGS, 
BRITTON, Botany; C. S. Minot, Embryology, Histology; H. P. Bowpitcn, 
Hygiene ; 
WILLIAM H. WELCH, Pathology ; 
J. MCKEEN CATTELL, Psychology ; J. W. PowELL, Anthropology. 
Fripay, JANUARY 25, 1901. 
CONTENTS : 
The Origin, Scope and Significance of Bacteriology : 
PROFESSOR WM. T. SEDGWICK........-...-5..02+0- 121 
Certain Stroboscopic Phenomena in the End-on Pro- 
jection of a Single Wave: PROFESSOR CARL 
TSAR Soonacadasboapancabseansneoboodaacadueshaansbeccboceaee 128 
The International Geodetic Association: ISAAC 
\AVTRSSIONT pqoosoospooacanaononsononoosoonbaosaDooagqqo00050 129 
The Albany Meeting of the Geological Society of 
America (II.): PRoFEssor J. F. KEmp........ 133 
Anthropology at Baltimore: PROFESSOR FRANK 
EUS SIG Tila eeten nectar smeciea- sess sejess sate satcscaeccie aactees 139 
Leland Stanford Junior University. ......0c0.c.0ceceeee 142 
Scientific Books :— 
Schafer’s Text-Book of Physiology: G. N. 1.8. 
Frenkel’s Die Lehre vom Skelet des Menschen: 
PROFESSOR THOMAS DwiGHT. Bolton on the 
Evolution of the Thermometer: J. l.H. Books 
WRC CEVUE Okan esteice cere ne sa ajeteloijeemy osietset« aetaenets Be 
Scientific Journals and Articles. .........00eeceeeseeeees 147 
Societies and Academies :— 
Section of Astronomy, Physics and Chemistry of 
the New York Academy of Sciences: DR. WM. 
S. Day. The Chemical Society of Washington : 
Dr. W. H. Krue. The Philosophical Society of 
Washington ; ©. Ki. WEAD.....0.50...0.cec0e0seeeeee 148 
Discussion and Correspondence :— 
Whose Fault at the U. S. Naval Observatory: DR. 
FRANK H. BIGELOW. Potassium Nitrate in 
Wyoming: PROFESSOR WILBUR C. KNIGHT... 150 
Current Notes on Physiography :— 
Southern Wisconsin; The Islands of Southern 
California ; Deecke’s Italien; Norway: PRo- 
ESSOR W. Mi. DAWIS.....--2-0--c0-sen0+sesscoeseessees 152 
United Slates Board on Geographic Names............ 153 
Scientific Notes and News...........-sec0e ceceseeeceeeee 154 
University and Educational News ......1..s0scecsseeeees 159 
MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended 
for review should be sent to the responsible editor, Pro- 
fessor J. McKeen Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y 
THE ORIGIN, SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF 
BACTERIOLOGY.* 
BACTERIOLOGY is a child of the 19th cen- 
tury. It is the offspring of chemistry and 
biology, enriched by physics with the gift 
of the achromatic microscope. 
By the end of the first quarter of the 
century, natural philosophy, natural his- 
tory and chemistry had almost wholly dis- 
placed the magic and alchemy of the Middle 
Ages and the Renaissance. Natural law 
was the explanation indicated by natural 
knowledge for natural phenomena, and in 
most cases a natural explanation of these 
phenomena was either discoverable or con- 
ceivable. The Copernican theory, as de- 
veloped by Galileo, Kepler, Newton and 
their successors, accounted satisfactorily 
for the obvious structure and operation of 
the solar system. The researches of Vesa- 
lius and Harvey, and their successors, had 
made comprehensible the anatomy and 
physiology of the animal body. The earth, 
in response to the inquiries of Hutton and 
Lyell, was yielding up the record of its 
slow but sublime history, its very rocks 
bearing eloquent testimony to their nat- 
ural origin., “The lightning of heaven, the 
thunderbolt of Zeus, interrogated by our 
own Franklin, had confessed its affinity 
* Address delivered by the president before the So- 
ciety of American Bacteriologists, Baltimore, Decem- - 
ber 27, 1900. 
