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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 839 



ports as an argument for the exactness of 

 chemical science. As a rule, however, the 

 disagreements relate not so much to the 

 observations as to their interpretation. 

 Of course it is useless to expect investiga- 

 tors to agree upon the question as to 

 whether or not formaldehyde is present in 

 the plant, until they first can agree in re- 

 gard to the tests for formaldehyde which 

 shall be considered as conclusive. Again 

 while this general subject is primarily a 

 chemical one, yet many of the investiga- 

 tors have been men trained rather in other 

 fields of work. It would seem that the 

 chemist, or better, perhaps, the chemist and 

 the botanist working conjointly, ought to 

 be able to make surer progress in such in- 

 vestigations. The problem is an exceed- 

 ingly complex one. Its solution involves 

 many reactions at present but little under- 

 stood — such as the nature of catalytic and 

 enzymic action and the formation of asym- 

 metric compounds. It is probable also 

 that other forces not yet investigated may 

 enter into the reactions by which these 

 compounds are formed. Stewart^' has 

 even suggested that it is "not improbable 

 that the rotation of the earth or terrestrial 

 magnetism or the motion of the earth 

 around the sun may have some effect." 

 There is no doubt, however, but that pro- 

 gress is being made. It is also undoubt- 

 edly true that many of the researches now 

 being carried on in our laboratories will be 

 found to have a more or less direct bearing 

 upon the general question ; and it has been 

 partly my object in discussing this topic to 

 emphasize this fact in order that the results 

 of our investigations, whenever applicable, 

 may be directed towards the solution of 

 this problem. 



William McPherson 

 Ohio State Univeesity 



" " Stereochemistry," London, 1907, p. 535. 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL 



HISTORY 

 Dr. Hermon C. Bumpus has resigned the 

 directorship of the American Museum of Nat- 

 ural History and has accepted the position of 

 business manager to the University of Wis- 

 consin. This announcement was made on 

 January 20 by Mr. Seth Low, chairman of a 

 special committee of the trustees appointed to 

 consider the administration of the museum. 

 He gave out the following statement : 



Director Bumpus notified the trustees of the 

 American Museum of Natural History at a special 

 meeting held yesterday afternoon that he had 

 accepted an appointment as business manager for 

 the University of Wisconsin. Accordingly lie pre- 

 sented his resignation as director, which was 

 accepted. The administrative difficulty in the 

 museum is thus terminated. 



The questions raised as to the respective duty 

 and authority of various officers in the museum 

 seemed to the board important enough to be 

 referred to a special committee, which was ap- 

 pointed on November 30, 1910, to give a hearing 

 to the director and to consider his criticisms. 

 The committee, which consisted of Anson W. 

 Hard, Adrian Iselin, Jr., Percy R. Pyne, Felix M. 

 Warburg and Seth Low (chairman), went into 

 every criticism very thoroughly. They found 

 nothing to justify the sweeping statements which 

 had been made, and the specific criticisms of 

 President Osborn, when sifted, were found to be 

 either unimportant or not sustained. The com- 

 mittee and the board believes that the adminis- 

 tration of President Osborn has been wise, effi- 

 cient, far-sighted and public-spirited, and that the 

 financial management has been sound and con- 

 structive. 



TEE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF 

 WASHINGTON 

 It was announced on January 20 that Mr. 

 Andrew Carnegie had added $10,000,000 to 

 the endovsonent fund of the Carnegie Institu- 

 tion of Washington. The institution was 

 established in 1902 with a gift of $10,000,000, 

 and Mr. Carnegie recently added $2,000,000. 

 These gifts consist of preferred bonds of the 

 Steel Corporation bearing five per cent, in- 

 terest and their market value is considerably 

 above their par value. Mr. Carnegie's gifts tO' 



