June 7, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



891 



In the academic institutions of Germany 

 and Austria, broad and liberal space is now 

 allotted to instruction and research-work in 

 the history of medicine, natural sciences, 

 and particularly in that of cultural plants 

 and domestic animals. It is an officially 

 acknowledged, fostered and encouraged 

 subject of teaching and study; and there is 

 now hardly any German university, how- 

 ever small, where it would not find a com- 

 petent representative. Only a year ago 

 (1905) an institute for the study of the 

 history of medicine, in connection with a 

 full professorship, was established at the 

 University of Leipzig, the chair being occu- 

 pied by Professor Sudhoff, who teUs me 

 that thus far there has been an average 

 attendance of from fifteen to twenty-five 

 students in his courses. This institute will 

 regularly issue scientific publications from 

 the beginning of next year (1907). 



Berlin has two professors for the history 

 of medicine — Pagel and Schweninger — it 

 having been customary for many years for 

 students of medicine to be allowed to choose 

 their theses from this field, which has been 

 done by many of them with evident success. 

 Regular courses are offered there, besides, 

 in the history of epidemic diseases, of anat- 

 omy, of chemistry, of astronomy, of cul- 

 tural plants. In the last-named subject, 

 four courses are tabulated this winter — one 

 of general character, and three special ones 

 relating to the cultural plants of Africa, 

 and to those of the German colonies and 

 the tropics, respectively. The University 

 of Vienna has likewise two representatives 

 of medical history (Neuburger and v. 

 Toply), general courses and a special 

 course on the history of physiology 

 (Kreidl). Innsbruck possesses a specialist 

 in the history of zoology (v. Dalla-Torre). 

 An extraordinariat for the history of medi- 

 cine has been founded at Wiirzburg (Helf- 

 reich) ; and courses on the subject are pro- 



vided for at Bonn, Gottingen, Breslau, 

 Heidelberg, Tiibingen, Munich, Marburg, 

 Kiel, Rostock (with even three teachers), 

 further at Graz in Austria; and at Basel, 

 Ziirich and Bern in Switzerland. 



On November 13, 1906, the cornerstone 

 of the German Museum of Masterpieces of 

 Natural Science and Technics, in Munich, 

 was laid, — the last creation born from this 

 young historical spirit. A question much 

 ventilated now, in the circles of Germany 

 interested, is the plan of a comprehensive 

 museum for the history of medicine, illus- 

 trating its development, from the times of 

 prehistoric man down to the present day, 

 in anatomy, surgery, hygiene, endemic dis- 

 eases and other phases.^ Such a medical 

 museum, fully deserving of the name, as 

 yet exists nowhere. The medical faculty 

 of the University of Paris moved a resolu- 

 tion to this effect some years ago, but the 

 scheme has not yet been carried out.. The 

 only institution that has thus far made any 

 attempt in this direction is the Germanic 

 Museum of Niirnberg, whose very beautiful 

 collections, however, are restricted rather 

 to pharmaceutical than to purely medical 

 antiquities. The first temporary exhibi- 

 tion relating to medical history was held 

 in Diisseldorf in 1898, on the occasion of 

 the annual assembly of the German nat- 

 uralists and physicians; and similar tend- 

 encies developed at the Russian congress 

 of physicians at Moscow in 1900, with 

 greatest success.^ 



- See a paper by Sudhoff, ' Zur Grimdstemlegung 

 des Deutsohen Museums von Meisterwerken der 

 Naturwissenschaft imd Technik,' Begrilssende Ge- 

 danken und Ausblicke (reprint from Miinchener 

 Medizinische Wochenschrift, No. 46, 1906). 



' Compare report on address by B. Reber, ' Uber 

 Notwendigkeit und Wert von Sammlungen betref- 

 fend die Gteschiohte der Medizin,' in report on 

 78. Versammlung Deutscher Naturforscher und 

 Arzte (reprint from Miinchener Medizinische 

 Wochenschrift, No. 47, 1906, p. 8). 



