July 6, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



ship lapse. The Association, howev^T, 

 took action at the recent meeting that will 

 give even to those who are unable to attend 

 the meetings a definite and adequate return 

 for membership. The Council unanimously 

 decided to send Science free of charge to all 

 members of the Association next year and 

 to publish in it official notices and proceed- 

 ings. This action will increase the member- 

 ship of the Association and the interest of 

 the members in its work, while at the same 

 time extending the influence of this Jour- 

 nal, and promoting the cause to which both 

 the Association and the Journal are de- 

 voted — the advancement and diffusion of 

 science. 



The Association took another important 

 step in establishing a section of physiology 

 and experimental medicine. Since the 

 foundation of the Association and even 

 since the division into sections eighteen 

 years ago a group of sciences has devel- 

 oped with remarkable activity. Physiology, 

 experimental psychology, anatomy, embry- 

 ology, histology, morphology, pathology, 

 bacteriology and their applications have 

 hitherto been ignored by the Association. 

 Yet they represent one-half of the work of 

 the German Association. An increase in 

 membership and a new impetus will un- 

 doubtedly follow the recognition of sciences 

 whose great advances and beneficent in- 

 fluences are seen on all sides. 



The leng-thening of the term of service of 

 the treasurer to five years was the only 

 other amendment made to the constitution. 

 This was an obvious improvement, the 

 treasurer being as a matter of fact a per- 

 manent officer, though he has hitherto been 

 elected from year to year. Several impor- 

 tant recommendations were made by the 

 Council, an account of which -will be found 

 in the report of the general secretary pub- 

 lished below. 



It is a cause for congratulation that the 

 permanent funds of the Association were 



inci'eased last year by over forty per cent. 

 Mr. Emerson McMillin's qualification as a 

 patron provided §1000, and the permanent 

 secretary was able to hand over to the treas- 

 urer $1500, of which $500 resulted from 

 the falling in of the dues of life members, 

 and $1000 represented savings due chiefly 

 to the eiiiciency of the permanent secretary. 

 He was able to add a further sum of $1000 

 at the present meeting. In spite of this in- 

 crease, certainly great when recorded as a 

 percentage of the accumulation of many 

 years, the permanent funds are lamentably 

 small. Only when 100 patrons, each con- 

 tributing $1000, have been secured will 

 the Association be able to make appropria- 

 tions for research equal to those of the 

 British and French Associations. 



The small amount available, the interest 

 on the permanent funds amounting to $233, 

 was used in the way most likelj^ to produce 

 valuable results and strengthen the Associa- 

 tion. It was divided among four commit- 

 tees, to be spent under their auspices in 

 special researches. The committees are : on 

 anthropometry ; on the quantitative study 

 of biological variations ; on the cave fauna 

 of North America, and on the relation of 

 plants to climate. When it is generally 

 known that the small sum of $50 a year 

 will provide for a research under the aus- 

 pices of a committee of the Association it 

 seems certain that the money needed will be 

 forthcoming. 



In accordance with a good departure the 

 general committee at Columbus, in selecting 

 New York as the place of meeting for the 

 present year, recommended Denver for next 

 year, and this recommendation was unani- 

 mously adopted. Invitations of great cor- 

 diality were presented, and it was the general 

 opinion that an ' American ' Association 

 should meet farther to the west than hith- 

 erto. A good meeting at Denver is certain, 

 while at the same time the influence of the 

 Association will be exerted in a region 



