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[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 843 



and the etiology of the common infectious 

 diseases is as important, or the acquisition 

 of such knowledge of as much disciplinary- 

 value, as the study of the life history of the 

 denizens of the deep as now required in 

 many if not most biological courses. The 

 world looked with wonderment at the 

 hitherto unparalleled success in avoiding 

 preventable diseases by the Japanese army 

 at the time of the Russo-Japanese war. 

 Up to this conflict it is affirmed that for 

 every man killed with a bullet in war four 

 died from infection, while in the Japanese 

 army for every man who died from infec- 

 tion four were killed with bullets. The 

 explanation of this victory over all the ex- 

 perience of the past was found to be the 

 training of the Japanese soldiers in the 

 principles of bacteriology. It should be 

 clearly understood that this marvelous 

 success was due simply to the application 

 of knowledge which Europe and America 

 had brought forth and which the Japanese 

 had applied. Would it not be quite as val- 

 uable in civil life to have the people versed 

 in the simple facts and principles of a 

 science that would enable them intelli- 

 gently and designedly to avoid infection, 

 strengthen the efforts of the sanitarian, 

 and enable the agriculturist to restore fer- 

 tility to the soil, as to have them possessed 

 of a knowledge of things far remote 

 from their immediate environment? It is 

 not my desire to belittle any course of in- 

 struction, for all knowledge is valuable, 

 but I do wish to record the opinion that a 

 science like bacteriology, which plays such 

 an important part in the immediate phys- 

 ical well-being of every individual, should 

 have a place in the curriculum of the 

 schools for the masses. 



Because bacteriology is a technical sub- 

 ject with numerous avenues of usefulness 

 there is the greater need, in order to pre- 

 vent errors in its adaptation, for efficient 



instruction concerning it in both popular 

 and technical schools. The prevention of 

 its false application will attain its maxi- 

 mum success after the diffusion of knowl- 

 edge concerning microorganisms. Knowl- 

 edge is power, and when the people are 

 versed in the fundamental principles of 

 this science they will avail themselves of 

 such information to improve their condi- 

 tion economically and to avoid the dangers 

 of infection. 



The position occupied by bacteriology in 

 general education will depend largely 

 upon its teachers. At the present time it 

 has not been granted, with few exceptions, 

 a place in the currieulums of popular 

 educational institutions. Sanitarians and 

 others have endeavored to educate the 

 people in its principles by imparting iso- 

 lated facts. This is having a certain 

 beneficial effect, but unfortunately the 

 recipients are unable to adapt this frag- 

 mentary knowledge to new conditions. At 

 present the masses depend for their guid- 

 ance in this subject upon the results ob- 

 tained in professional laboratories and the 

 teaching in technical schools. As bacteri- 

 ology had its origin in the findings of 

 those seeking the cause of important phe- 

 nomena, it is to be expected that, for a 

 time at least, its fountain head will con- 

 tinue to be in the results forthcoming from 

 such researches. As these investigators 

 are largely its teachers, we are brought to 

 a discussion of methods for teaching it in 

 professional schools. 



I am led to touch upon this subject from 

 the point of view of students, as I have 

 known them, who have received their ele- 

 mentary training in bacteriology in differ- 

 ent places. Every one who has to deal with 

 post-graduates in this subject appreciates 

 fully the difficulties encountered in prop- 

 erly orienting the subject-matter taught to 

 beginners in order to produce the desired 



