298 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 61. 



tion the action of the SocietJ^ Profs. Morgan 

 and Conn were appointed on this committee. 



Messrs. Lncas, Morgan, Gill, Stiles and 

 Macloskie were appointed a committee to 

 nominate officers for the ensuing year. 



The Society then listened to the address 

 of the President, ' The Formulation of the 

 Natural Sciences,' and to the following 

 paper: 



Note on the Laboratory Teaching of Large 

 Classes, by Buet G. Wilder, M. D., Pro- 

 fessor of Physiology, Vertebrate Zoology, 

 and Neurology, Cornell University. 

 To my great regret a year ago the simul- 

 taneous meeting of the Association of Amer- 

 ican Anatomists prevented my participa- 

 tion in the discussion of this topic. Our 

 experience at Cornell has been both exten- 

 sive and successful. In 1880 for verte- 

 brate zoology, and in 1886 for physiology, 

 was introduced the actual examination and 

 dissection of representative forms and im- 

 portant organs by members of large classes 

 of general students numbering from 40 to 

 181. For the sake of distinguishing these 

 comparatively brief and superficial exercises 

 from the laboratory work to which they 

 serve as an introduction, the word Praeti- 

 cum is employed ; but I first heard it from 

 the lips of Prof. Shaler many j'ears ago, and 

 he perhaps got it from the Germans. 



The following practical points are to be 

 noted : 



1. The advantages of Japanese napkins 

 over towels. 



2. The convenience of placing the text 

 and plates of directions upon a two-sided 

 rack running lengthwise of the middle of 

 a table and secured by a clamp at each end 

 so as to be easily removed. 



3. The cheerfulness mth which these 

 general students repay to the Treasurer of 

 the University the cost of the material and 

 supplies, amounting to about $3.00 for each 

 of the courses. 



4. The almost uniform interest mani- 

 fested in the work even by those who may 

 shrink from it at first. Not more than one 

 in five hundred has sought to be excused. 



5. The possibility of preparing and stor- 

 ing the material for such large classes. For 

 example, this fall each of the class of 186 

 has dissected the eye, brain and heart of 

 the sheep and the viscera and certain mus- 

 cles of a cat. For brains Dr. Fish's forma- 

 lin mixture is satisfactory, but the hearts 



■ of cats are prepared with alcohol, as de- 

 scribed by me before this Society in 1885 

 and 1890. 



6. The desirability of requiring as much 

 as is now done here at the practicums in 

 both physiology and vertebrate zoology for 

 admission to the University. Although 

 elementary physiology has been an en- 

 trance requirement here since 1877, the 

 extent of practical familiaritj^ with organ- 

 isms is very slight. Nevertheless I believe 

 it can be increased by general and per- 

 sistent effort. 



After the reading of the above paper, Dr. 

 Stiles requested that the Society elect a 

 representative to meet with similar repre- 

 sentatives appointed by the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution and the American Ornithological 

 Union, to consult with and advise the 

 American member of the International Com- 

 mission on Codes of Nomenclature. Prof. 

 Cope was duly elected. 



The President then announced to the So- 

 ciety the death, since the previous meeting, 

 of James D. Dana and John A. Ej'der. 



The Society then adjourned. 



SECOND SESSION, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 

 9.30 A. M. 



President Cope called for the report of the 

 Nominating Committee, which was sub- 

 mitted, and the following officers were elect- 

 ed for the ensuing year : President, W. B. 



