February 9, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



23& 



line through the Simploii Tunnel, after hav- 

 ing been advertised for April 1, 1906, is nov? 

 reported as being postponed until May 1. 

 After having been for a considerable time 

 under discussion, the mode of traction between 

 Brigue and Domo d'Ossola — i. e., on 40 kilo- 

 meters (about 25 miles) — is reported to be 

 electrical, in accordance with a decision re- 

 cently made by the Federal Department of 

 Swiss railroads. The Swiss system of trac- 

 tion now in use on the railroad Berthoud- 

 Thoune, in the Canton of Berne, will be ap- 

 plied with up-to-date improvements on the 

 Simplon line. The first two electrical engines, 

 when delivered at the end of the year, will first 

 be tried on the Italian electrical lines of the 

 Valteline. Electrical traction on Swiss rail- 

 roads is a new thing ; but it seems only natural 

 that Switzerland, so rich in ' white coal,' be- 

 gins to utilize its wealth of water, and super- 

 sedes, by the power derived from it, the enor- 

 mous quantity of coal imported from Germany, 

 France, Belgium and England. This new trial 

 of electrical power on such an important new 

 line will be watched with keen interest. If 

 successful, the new mode of traction will cer- 

 tainly be employed all over the country, and 

 there may be openings for our manufacturers 

 ~ at home in that line." 



jT/ie Journal of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciaiion states that the German national com- 

 mittee in charge of arrangements for the ap- 

 proaching International Medical Congress, to 

 be held at Lisbon in April, will present the 

 following two proposals at the Lisbon congress 

 and urge their adoption : " 1. The organization 

 of an international bureau for the general 

 medical congresses, which will act during the 

 intervals between the congresses. The mem- 

 bers of the bureau to be the presidents of the 

 past and approaching congresses and the mem- 

 bers of all the national committees. This 

 central office should have its headquarters in 

 Paris, and its task will be to preserve con- 

 tinuity and order in the arrangements of the 

 congresses, especially in the making out of 

 the programs, regulating the sections, appoint- 

 ing topics for discussion and selecting speak- 

 ers to present the various themes, and the 



honorary presidents, working always in co- 

 operation with the committee of organization 

 of the congress. Motive : The need for some 

 international body to serve as a court of ap- 

 ' peal in matters affecting these international 

 congresses has long made itself felt, to prevent 

 or smooth away differences that may arise 

 between the committee of organization and 

 the representatives of the special sciences. At 

 the same time, such an international body 

 would serve by regulating the relations be- 

 tween the great general congresses and the 

 international specialist congresses, and also 

 with the mediO:.! congresses in the different 

 countries. 2. The general international med- 

 ical congresses should be held not oftener than 

 once in five years. Motive : It is generally 

 acknowledged that the international congresses 

 have lost in prestige of late years. This is 

 due principally to the brief interval between 

 them. In case they occurred only once in five 

 years the preparations for them would prob- 

 ably be more carefully made, and more energy 

 would be devoted to the solving of scientific 

 problems, these forces now being drained away 

 by their being called on so constantly for scien- 

 tific gatherings of such kinds. Besides this, if 

 the international congresses were not held so 

 frequently, it would be easier to find suitable 

 places at which to hold them." Waldeyer and 

 Posner are chiefly responsible for the drafting 

 of these resolutions. They are to be submitted 

 to the various national committees for discus- 

 sion in the hope that something tangible will 

 result in the way of the desired reforms. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 



At the midyear meeting of the board of 

 trustees of Syracuse University, Chancellor 

 Day reported an increase in attendance at the 

 university of 325 over last year, and the pur- 

 chase of the Eenwick ' castle.' Plans for a 

 men's dormitory on College Place, to cost 

 $100,000, were accepted. It was also decided 

 to expend $100,000 for the erection of a new 

 chemical laboratory. The board decided that 

 the ' castle ' be converted into a college of 

 pedagogy. 



