1U34 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 417. 



speculators. • Independ science from politics 

 and religion. Condemn rivalry between sci- 

 entists living in hostile countries. Consti- 

 tute a court of arbitrament where consults 

 be answered, contentions for priority settled, 

 and complaints of subservients nullified by 

 their superiors attended to. 



2d. To protect investigators settled in coun- 

 tries where proper means he wanting. 



Afford them money, laboratories, books and 

 instruments. Establish illustrated publica- 

 tions and print the works of any solicitor, 

 whatever his nationality may be, provided that 

 his writings be important. Scientists are 

 generally obliged to waste their money in order 

 to satisfy editors. Erect libraries and found 

 agencies where scientific books and instru- 

 ments be sold at the very lowest prices. 

 Science must not remain within the grip of 

 speculators (trading editors and book-sellers). 



The Carnegie Institution must not benefit 

 the United States only. Its views must be 

 more absolute; it must protect also those who 

 sacrifice themselves for truth in poor or igno- 

 rant countries. Genius is not the exclusive 

 property of the inhabitants of a nation. Es- 

 tablish international competitions, rewards, 

 explorations, laboratories, museums, observa- 

 tories. - 



3d. To depurate science. How to. facilitate 

 that. 



Make science more popular. Translate 

 many books. Attack the abuse of the nomen- 

 clature of natural history (excess of newly 

 discovered species, subspecies, varieties, upper 

 families; unnecessary innovations, an exag- 

 gerate dedication to nomenclature with a view 

 to satisfy vanity). Study such nomencla- 

 tures as to enable everybody to understand 

 technieisms.* Attack the abuse of useless 

 neologisms and their duplication. Unify as 

 much as possible the languages, measures, 

 unities and conventional signs. Publish bib- 

 liographies and distribute them freely and 

 gratuitoiisly through the world. 



4th. To advance science hy a selection of 

 studies. 



* A. L. Herrera, ' jSToiivelle nomenclature des 

 gtres organises et des mingraux,' M4m. Soc. 

 'Antonio Alzate,' 1900-1902. 



Point out the more general and important 

 topics. Set degrees to the value of investiga- 

 tions, repealing that propensity to an isolated 

 and invariable consideration of details (newly 

 discovered subspecies, histological cuts, new 

 stars, lower specialties). 



In short, the Carnegie Institution shall not 

 devote itself to discover, but to facilitate the 

 means of discovering to genuine scientists, 

 whatever their nationality may be, constitu- 

 ting itself supporter of the often abused 

 rights of the disinterested investigator or 

 wanting inventor. 



A.. L. Herrera, 

 Chief of the Commission of Parasitology, 

 Professor of Biology at the Normal 

 School. 

 Bettemitas 8, JIexico, D. F. 



SHORTER ARTICLES. 



THE FIRST USE OF MAMMALS AND MAMMALIANS. 



In the Popular Science Monthly for Sep- 

 tember, 1902, I have stated that ' the fibcst 

 writer to use the English word mammals to 

 any extent was Doctor John Mason Good,' 

 but could not refer to any of his works earlier 

 than 'The Book of Nature' (1826). His 

 ' Pantologia ' was not accessible at the time, 

 but since has been put on the shelves of the 

 library of the U. S. National Museum and 

 on reference to Volume VIII. (1813), I find 

 he formally introduced the English name then, 

 under Mammalia, in the following words : 

 " In English we have no direct synonym for 

 this term; quadruped or four-footed, which 

 has usually been employed for this purpose, 

 is truly absurd, since one of the orders have 

 [sic.'] no feet whatever, and another offers 

 one or two genera, that cannot with propriety 

 be said to have more than two feet. We 

 have hence thought ourselves justified in ver- 

 nacularizing the Latin term, and translating 

 mammalia, mammals, or breasted-animals." 



In Volume XII., in the articles Quadru- 

 ped and Zoology, Good also used the word 

 ' Mammals ' apropos of the classification of 

 Linnseus and in other places * and, also, in 



* The volumes of the ' Pantologia ' are not 

 paged, the alphabetical arrangement having been 

 thought to supersede pagination. 



