Fridat, December 23, 1910 



CONTENTS 



The Work of the Council on Pharmacy and 

 Chemistry of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation : Pbofessob J. H. Lono 889 



The Twofold Function of the University: 

 Pbofessob Fbank Allen 901 



A Comparison between Fraternity and Non- 

 fraternity Expenses at the University of 

 Illvnois: De. C. H. Fobstth 911 



Mr. Carnegie's Trust Fund for Promoting 

 Peace 913 



Scientific Notes and News 914 



University and Educational News 916 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Calendar Reform : Pbofessob Cyril G. 

 Hopkins. Amceba meleagridis : Db. Philip 

 B. Hadlet 917 



Quotations : — 



Women and Scientific Research 919 



Scientific Books: — 



Schuster's Introduction to the Theory 

 of Optics: Pbofessob Henbt Cbew. 

 Sohwarz's Causal Geology: Pbofessob 

 Feakk D. Adams. Titchener's Text-book 

 of Psychology: Pbofessob Joseph Jastbow 920 



Louis Agassiz's Later Vietcs on the Classi- 

 fication of Fishes: Db. L. Hussakof .... 925 



The Synthesis of Formaldehyde by Light 

 without Chlorophyll: Pbofessor A. P. 

 Matthews • 926 



Special Articles: — 



The Distribution of some Pennsylvania 

 Fishes : Da. Henbt W. Fowlee 926 



The Convocation Week Meetings of Scientific 

 Societies 927 



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

 review should be se:>t to the Editor of Science. Garrison-en. 

 HndsoD, N, Y. 



ON TBE WORK OF TEE COUNCIL ON PBASr- 

 MACY AND CHEMISTRY OF THE AMER- 

 ICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION' 



Among the many reforms which have 

 sprung up in the last few years and have 

 grown in a modest way one may be men- 

 tioned which, while of great practical 

 value to the public, has appealed first and 

 directly to medical men only, and has 

 therefore been generally overlooked by the 

 people at large. To understand the gene- 

 sis of this reform a few words of history 

 will be necessary. 



"We do not have to go back very far to re- 

 call a time when a marvelous faith was 

 placed in the power of drugs to cure or 

 alleviate all manner of ills. Many of these 

 drugs were of the crudest description, and 

 were often extracts or tinctures of various 

 barks, roots or leaves of somewhat uncer- 

 tain composition, used alone or in combina- 

 tion with certain inorganic, and a few or- 

 ganic salts. The use of these things was an 

 inheritance and also a development from 

 older usages, going back to the materia 

 medica of the disciples of Galen, on the one 

 hand, or to the mineral chemistry of the 

 followers of Paracelsus, on the other. In 

 spite of the advance of knowledge the 

 pharmacopoeias of the nineteenth century 

 contained a great deal of rubbish, the 

 weeding out of which has been a difficult 

 task. 



In consequence, however, of the rapid 

 advance of knowledge a gradual distrust 

 of the value of the great majority of drugs, 

 and indeed of drugs in general, began to 

 appear among medical men. The situation 

 was described as one of therapeutic nihil- 



' A paper read before the Evanston Scientific 

 Association, XoTember 4, 1910. 



