SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 387. 



family resembles that of the astronomy of 

 Hipparchus. Detached facts have been col- 

 lected, hypotheses have in many cases been 

 formed as to their relations and the laws 

 governing them. In reference to any one 

 of them the near or remote future may 

 produce a Newton to demonstrate the fun- 

 damental law by a rigorous mathematical 

 analysis. Meanwhile any laborer in the 

 particular field who has the patience or 

 skill to make an observation or an analysis 

 or perhaps a contribution to pure mathe- 

 matics may be entitled to his share in the 

 triumph. Though the amount contributed 

 be small there is a great satisfaction in feel- 

 ing that your labors have been the means of 

 adding something to the world's store of 

 knowledge. 



Mankind is no longer striving to evolve 

 a universal science, or an all-embracing sys- 

 tem of philosophy. We now recognize the 

 fact that the same frontier which bounds 

 our knowledge bounds also our ignorance, 

 and as the area of the known increases, in 

 the same ratio do the points of contact with 

 the unknown. Every problem solved calls 

 into being new ones for future struggles, and 

 whether or not the univex'se is infinite, it is 

 at all events for our purposes inexhaustible, 

 so there is no lack of employment for all 

 who may have the ambition to enter the 

 field. 



This society is especially designed to fur- 

 ther the cause of science in the colleges and 

 universities. As I understand the matter 

 its most important function is that of offer- 

 ing encouragement and recognition to those 

 who are about entering the arena of active 

 life. We make no distinction between pure 

 and applied science. Our purpose is to 

 strive for the advancement of knowledge 

 and the conquest of nature. The earnest 

 student of truth will find his highest re- 

 ward in the satisfaction which attends the 

 discovery and recognition of the funda- 

 mental laws of nature and the essential 



unity of all, with the consciousness that he 

 has contributed something, however small 

 the amount, towards a proper understand- 

 ing of her mysteries. 



C. L. DOOLITTLE. 



University of Pennsylvania. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF A LABORATORY 



COURSE OF PHYSICS IN THE 



STUDY OF MEDICINE.* 



Many medical colleges include in their 

 teaching a course of physics, consisting of 

 lectures illustrated by experimental dem- 

 onstrations of important principles. Few 

 give a laboratory course in which qualita- 

 tive and quantitative experiments are made 

 by the students themselves. In order to 

 ascertain approximately how many medical 

 colleges in the United State give laboratory 

 courses of physics, letters were recently sent 

 by the writer to about thirty-five medical 

 institutions asking for information on the 

 subject. Colleges were selected which by 

 reason of standing, endowment, equipment, 

 number of students, etc., were likely to em- 

 ploy the best and most modern methods 

 of teaching. Answers from thirty were 

 received. Only three colleges give the 

 course in question. Some express regret 

 that the course is not given, others hope to 

 see it established. 



The medical colleges which give the 

 course are: 



Barnes Medical College, St. Louis, Mo. 



Dartmouth Medical College, Hanover, New 

 Hampshire. 



Medical Department, University of Virginia, 

 Charlottesville, Va. 



To this number should be added: 



Tlie College of Physicians and Surgeons, Colum- 

 bia University, New Yoi'k City. 



There are at present approximately 160 

 medical colleges in the United States, of 

 which only 122 are so-called regular 

 schools, the others being homoeopathic, 



* Read before the Society of the Alumni of 

 Bellevue Hospital, February 5, 1902. 



