SCIE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 



Friday, October 11, 1907 



CONTENTS 

 Preliminary Medical Education: Peofessor 

 J. H. Long 457 



Scientific Books: — 



James's Pragmatism: Peofessob R. M. 

 Wenley. The Croshy-Broion Collection of 

 Musical Instruments: Chaeles K. Wead 464 



Societies and Academies: — 



The American Mathematical Society: Peo- 

 fessor F. N. Cole. Society for Experi- 

 mental Biology and Medicine: Peofessor 

 William J. Gies. American Philosophical 

 Society 469 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Smelter Smoke: J. K. Haywood. The Arti- 

 ficial Production of Mutants: De. W. J. 

 Spillmax. An Alleged Diphtheritic Anti- 

 toxin: Professor A. M. Bleile 476 



.Special Articles : — 



Heart Rot of Sassafras sassafras caused hy 

 Femes Ribis: Peeley Spaulding. Note on 

 the Movement of Moisture in Soils: De. 



W. J. HUMPHEEYS 479 



Botanical Notes: — 



A New Edition of Engler's Syllabus; A 

 New Laboratory Manual; More Agricul- 

 tural Botany; Studies in Plant Chemistry: 

 Professoe Chaeles E. Bessey 481 



The Density of the Ether: Sir Oliver Lodge 482 



The American Electrochemical Society 483 



Scientific Notes and News 484 



.University and Educational News 487 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 -reyiew should be sent to the Editor of Sciencb, Garrison-on- 

 Kv,n.=in. N. Y. 



PRELIMINARY MEDICAL EDVCATION'^ 

 Among medical men interested in the 

 advance of their profession few questions 

 are attracting more attention at the present 

 time than is that of the character of their 

 professional education, and going a step 

 farther, it might be said that opinion is 

 now pretty well settled on this point that 

 the important part of the medical educa- 

 tion is the beginning of it, or perhaps 

 better, the preparation for it. 



Questions of the relations of medical 

 education to medical practise have been 

 discussed by college faculties, medical 

 societies, state boards of examiners and 

 other bodies, and out of all their discus- 

 sions some tangible results are beginning 

 to follow, as shown by the rapidly increas- 

 ing requirements for entrance to or gradua- 

 tion from medical schools, which are now 

 insisted upon by those in authority. Re- 

 cently, through its Council on Medical 

 Education, the American Medical Associa- 

 tion has begun to take a very active part in 

 the discussion, and will undoubtedly exert 

 a great influence in shaping opinion. The 

 association has had for years a committee 

 on education, but as the membership 

 changed from year to year, little of real 

 value was accomplished. In 1904, how- 

 ever, a permanent body known as the 

 Council on Medical Education was created, 

 the functions of which are to determine the 

 actual condition of this branch of profes- 



^ Based on a Report to the Council on Medical 

 Education of the American Medical Association, 

 presented April 29, 1907. 



