March 31, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



491 



physiological condition is that where heat loss 

 hy radiation just balances that produced and 

 there is little or no use for perspiration and 

 its evaporation. In other words, is not the 

 physiological process of perspiration exhaust- 

 ing and only necessary because the atmosphere 

 is too hot to permit of removal of heat by 

 radiation without the aid of positive physio- 

 logical effort? 



In Atwater's and Benedict's experiments 

 the data given should show the amount of 

 water eliminated to the air from the breath 

 and through the skin, This represents a defi- 

 nite number of calories absorbed and should 

 show under the conditions the relation of the 

 amount of heat removed by evaporation to 

 that removed by radiation. 



These suggestions are made, as you can see, 

 by a novice in hygiene but they may possibly 

 throw a little side light on the problem. 



Louis Cleveland Jones 



university fellowships 



To THE Editor of Science: In Science of 

 February 10, just at hand out here, there ap- 

 pears a letter by Dr. S. N. Patten upon which 

 I would like the privilege of commenting. 



The letter divides itself into two main con- 

 tentions. 



First, by means of a table of present occu- 

 pations, an attempt is made to show the pros- 

 perity of a group of " fellows," thereby dem- 

 onstrating the value of fellowships. To prove 

 the point the investigation would have to be 

 conducted along lines similar to those recently 

 followed in another connection by Professors 

 Purman, of Stevens Institute, and Cooley, of 

 Michigan.^ As it is, the surface indications 

 presented by this table lead — ^through the 

 legitimate inferences which may be drawn — 

 to a conclusion diametrically opposite to the 

 one there stated. 



Of the 183 fellows listed as living and of 

 tnown occupation, 27 belong to a group com- 

 prised of literary workers, social workers, min- 

 isters and students. To assume any of these 

 wallowing in a wealth of financial returns 

 loffers difficulty to the imagination. 



^ Proc. Soo. for the Prom, of Eng. Ed. 



The second group, 138, consists of 31 teach- 

 ers in normal and secondary schools and 107 

 instructors and professors. Lacking specific 

 knowledge as to these individual cases it is 

 fair to reason that these men are no better off 

 than the average of similar ages in their pro- 

 fession. From a knowledge of the prevailing 

 conditions it would be proper to assume that 

 $1,200 would not be far from the average sal- 

 ary of this group. Under present-day condi- 

 tions this looks more like " starvation " to me 

 than, perhaps, it does to one who pictures to 

 himself living on an equal salary at the same 

 age, under the conditions of thirty years ago. 



This disposes of all save 18 experts and 

 business men. Lacking specific evidence, it is 

 fair to presume that this 10 per cent, is finan- 

 cially more prosperous than the other 90 per 

 cent. 



I hope that Professor Patten will complete 

 his table, adding, for instance, the individual 

 ages and salaries. This would give a chance 

 for comparison with an equivalent group of 

 non-fellows; at all events, it would transfer 

 the matter from the realm of speculation to 

 that of hard fact. 



But it is the second of Dr. Patten's conten- 

 tions which interests me more. He lays down 

 the dictum that it is " rapidity of promotion 

 and not lack of it that ruins promising in- 

 vestigators." To sustain this he gives a 

 couple of inconclusive instances. In neither 

 case are the returns, upon which to base final 

 judgment, yet in. 



To test his statement I jotted down a list of 

 American scholars whose names occurred to 

 me oifhand, for one reason or another. Then 

 I looked up their date of birth and of call to 

 full professorship. The table follows, and the 

 only name on my list omitted below is that 

 of William James, whose call was deferred to 

 his forty-third year because he started out in 

 the field of anatomy and physiology and when 

 he shifted to philosophy had his apprentice- 

 ship term as assistant professor to serve all 

 over again. 



Does this list bear out the conclusion that 

 an early call or rapidity of promotion is the 



