928 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLII. No. 1096 



whieli five years or fifty years ago seemed 

 as remote from all human interests as the 

 observation attributed to Thales, that a 

 bit of amber rubbed with a piece of silk 

 would repel pith-balls suspended by fine 

 filaments. Yet all magnetism and elec- 

 tricity with their infinite applications hark 

 back to this experiment by Thales and to 

 Galvani's observation of twitchings in a 

 frog's legs. 



The new physiological studies of the 

 bodily changes accompanying or produced 

 by pain, hunger, fear, and rage already 

 promise a new interpretation of human be- 

 havior, and therefore a new policy for 

 human society in regard to those emotions 

 which, from primitive times to the present 

 day, have been the source of enormous 

 evils to mankind. The bodily changes 

 which in man accompany these powerful 

 ^notions have only recently been in part 

 made known ; but it has already been made 

 out with regard to a group of these altera- 

 tions in the bodily economy that they may 

 be regarded as responses adapted to pre- 

 serve the individual, and to promote his 

 bodily welfare or his efficiency. The emo- 

 tions which a man fighting experiences call 

 into sudden and potent action the muscular 

 and nervous forces which he needs for both 

 offense and defense. Hunger is a highly 

 protective sensation. Fear stimulates mus- 

 cular and nervous exertion, so long as the 

 frightened animal can flee; but, if the ani- 

 mal is cornered, fear turns to fury, which 

 develops the extraordinary strength of des- 

 peration. The successful study to-day of 

 these bodily changes and reactions pro- 

 phesies a better understanding in the 

 future of the moral forces which make for 

 rational conduct, and of the public policies 

 in regard to war and peace which, long 

 pursued, may gradually affect the sum of 

 human misery or of human happiness. 



The present terrible condition of Europe 



and the coincident sufferings of much of 

 the rest of the world give fresh significance 

 to the following remarks of Louis Pasteur 

 at the inauguration of the Pasteur Insti- 

 tute at Paris in 1888 : 



Two contrary laws seem to be wrestling with 

 each other nowadays — the one a law of blood and 

 of death, ever imagining new means of destruc- 

 tion, and forcing nations to be constantly ready 

 for the battle-field; the other a law of peace, work 

 and health, ever evolving new means of delivering 

 man from the scourges which beset him. The one 

 seeks violent conquests ; the other the relief of hu- 

 manity. The latter places one human life above 

 any victory; while the former would sacrifice hun- 

 dreds and thousands of lives to the ambition of 

 one. . . . Which of these two laws will ultimately 

 prevail God alone knows. 



The whole civilized world observes with 

 delight that the profession of medicine, in- 

 cluding surgery and the profession of pub- 

 lic health and sanitation, stands out dis- 

 tinctly among all the intellectual callings 

 as being steadily and universally devoted 

 to curing the sanguinary ills of war, al- 

 leviating human sufferings from disease 

 and foUy, and extending for mankind the 

 domain of health and happy life. These 

 professions employ all the resources of 

 physics, chemistry and biology for merci- 

 ful ends both in peace and in war. The 

 martial professions, on the other hand, em- 

 ploy many scientific discoveries and inven- 

 tions, originally made for peaceful uses, 

 as means of destruction and death. Biol- 

 ogical science has great advantage in this 

 respect over physical and chemical. It 

 can not so frequently or easily be applied 

 to evil ends. 



The development of public sanitation 

 practise during the past fifty years has 

 taught democratic communities important 

 lessons on the just subordination of indi- 

 vidual interests or rights to collective in- 

 terests or rights, whenever the fulfilment 

 of individual desires imperils the collective 



