SCIENCE 



Feidat, March 24, 1911 



CONThNTS 

 The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: 

 The Controversy ietween Materialism and 

 Vitalism: Can it be ended? Professor Wm. 



E. RiTTER 437 



Investigations of the Carnegie Institution . . 441 



Charles Bugh Shaw : Dr. J. R. Mdelin 449 



The University of Illinois Movement for a 

 University Constitution 450 



Scientific Notes and News 451 



University and Educational News 454 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Larval Species: Dr. Harrison G. Dtak, 

 Frederick Knab. The Germ-cell Deter- 

 minants of Chrysomelid Eggs: DR. H. L. 

 WiEMAN. The Pythagorean Theorem: R. 



F. Deimel, Mayo D. Hersey 455 



Quotations: — 



The Tenure of Professorships ; The Status 



of the Professor 457 



Scientific Books: — 



McClung on the Conduction of Electricity 

 through Gases and Badioactivity : Pro- 

 fessor R. A. MiLLiKAN. putter's Die 

 Ernahrung der Wassertiere und der Stoff- 

 haushalt der Gewasser : DR. C. Juday .... 460 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 

 Section E : Dr. Frank F. Gkout 461 



Societies and Academies: — 



The American Mathematical Society: Pro- 

 fessor F. N. Cole. The American Philo- 

 sophical Society. The Botanical Society of 

 Washington: W. W. Stockberger. The 

 Philosophical Society of Washington: R. 

 L. Fakis 469 



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

 revieT shonld be se=t to the Editor at Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. T. 



TBE AMEEICAN ASSOCIATION FOB TEE 



ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 

 THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN MATERIAL- 

 ISM AND VITALISM: CAN IT BE ENDED ?^ 



In order that this discussion may be 

 profitable, it must rest on an unequivocal 

 meaning of some sort for the words "ma- 

 terialism" and "vitalism." It will, of 

 course, be impossible to give definitions 

 that will be altogether satisfactory to 

 everybody, perhaps to anybody, even the 

 writer. Every one may, however, be 

 counted on to accept some definition as a 

 basis of the discussion, if he thinks the 

 question raised is worth discussing at all. 



Since my main desire is in behalf of 

 clear thinking and remunerative work in 

 biology to-day, my effort at defining the 

 terms will specially regard present tenden- 

 cies and methods in our science rather than 

 lexicographical authority and historical 

 usage; though the historical aspect must 

 not be wholly ignored. 



By materialism I shall mean the belief 

 that all biological phenomena may be com- 

 pletely explained by referring them to the 

 material elements of which organisms are 

 composed. The term "mechanism" as 

 used to-day, not in practical zoology, but 

 in philosophical biology is, I think, exactly 

 synonymous with materialism. At any 

 rate, I shall consider such to be the case. 



It is less easy to formulate a definition 

 of vitalism. I understand the term to 

 mean the belief that organic phenomena 

 can not be fully explained by referring 

 them to the material elements of which 

 organisms are composed, but that some- 



^ Address of the vioe-president and chairman of 

 Section F — Zoology. 



