608 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 799 



would never recover from! Some knowl- 

 edge of Latin is essential ; a more extended 

 knowledge is highly desirable as an acces- 

 sory aid to memory. 



Advanced English I place fifth in my 

 list, giving it a lower place because a 

 knowledge of English is presupposed. But 

 in including it I mean to advise the more 

 advanced and critical knowledge of the 

 language ; a knowledge which permits us to 

 speak and write it fluently and elegantly. 

 A knowledge which has enlarged our vo- 

 cabulary and has made us widely ac- 

 quainted with English literature and its 

 development— a knowledge which has de- 

 veloped the reading habit and which makes 

 us familiar -with other people's thoughts 

 and habits of thought. If I were to teach 

 English to prospective medical students, I 

 should also lay great stress upon the daily 

 theme upon current events. 



German and French I place sixth and 

 seventh in my list as valuable chiefly by 

 enabling us to become conversant with the 

 literature and scientific progress of other 

 nations and peoples. One or more foreign 

 medical journals a week help one amaz- 

 ingly to keep pace with foreign progress. 

 German and French are valuable, too, as 

 enabling us to communicate at first hand 

 with foreigners if we study abroad, or with 

 our foreign patients in practise at home. 

 Few persons, not physicians, realize how 

 greatly our foreign population is increas- 

 ing. I remember at my clinic one day, 

 when I was late, and four children had 

 been kept for me to examine, that one was 

 an Italian, one a Russian, one a Greek and 

 one a Syrian! 



Economics and sociology would come 

 eighth and ninth in the procession, both of 

 immense importance to the medical man ; 

 tenth and eleventh, at the risk of being 

 called an iconoclast, I should rank drawing 

 and painting, and shorthand writing, and 



to round out the dozen, let us add public 

 speaking. 



These subjects will not, of course, oc- 

 cupy the student's whole time while in col- 

 lege. Place is left for other elective 

 studies. In these other elective fields the 

 student can roam according to his fancy. 

 The suggested studies form the basis of 

 his work; the supplementary excursions 

 furnish variety. Nothing is lost from the 

 broadening effects of his college course, 

 but much is gained from its concentration. 



And now, before I release you for your 

 short respite of well-earned leisure, let me 

 quote to you the words of Kipling to the 

 students in a London Hospital, and say 

 that I need not "stretch your patience by 

 talking to you about the high ideals and 

 lofty ethics of a profession which exacts 

 from its followers the largest responsibility 

 and the highest death rate— for its prac- 

 titioners—of any profession in the world. 

 If you wiU let me, I will wish you in your 

 future what all men desire— enough work 

 to do and strength enough to do the work. ' ' 

 Habold Williams 



Tufts College Medical School 



ATH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE INVES- 

 TIGATION ON ELECTRICAL STANDARDS 



The International Electrical Conference, 

 which met in London in October, 1908, passed 

 certain resokitions with regard to electrical 

 units and standards, but left to an interna- 

 tional conunittee, which was established at 

 that time, the duty of completing the specifi- 

 cations for the concrete electrical standards, 

 and of deciding upon a new numerical value 

 for the Weston normal cell which could be 

 adopted internationally. 



As is well known, the value for the Clark 

 standard cell (1.434 volts at 15° C.) which 

 was adopted by the Chicago Electrical Con- 

 gress in 1893, was not accepted by Germany. 

 After further experimental investigations, 

 Germany adopted the value, 1.4328 volts at 

 15° C. England, America, France and some 



