I04 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XX. No. 498 



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THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. 



Iw response to an invitation issued by President G. Stan- 

 ley Hall of Clark Universit.y, a preliminary meeting of psy- 

 chologists from various institutions was held at that univer- 

 sity, Worcester, Mass., on July 8. 



The meeting was presided over by Professor G. S. Fuller- 

 ton of the University of Pennsylvania. After a general 

 expression of opinion as to the form of organization, it was 

 determined to refer the entire matter to a committee consist- 

 ing of President Hall of Clark University, Professor Fuller- 

 ton of the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Jastrow of 

 the University of Wisconsin, Professor James of Harvard 

 University, Professor Ladd of Yale University, Professor 

 Cattell of Columbia College, Professor Baldwin of the Uni- 

 versity of Toronto. 



This committee was authorized to determine the place, time, 

 and programme for the next meeting and then to report a 

 plan of organization. 



It was the sense of those present that these gentlemen 

 should constitute a council to be renewed by frequent elec- 

 tions and should choose from their own number an executive 

 committee to direct the more urgent affairs of the association, 

 and that the first three gentlemen named should act tempo- 

 rarily as such committee. 



Sessions were held in the afternoon and evening, at which 

 papers were read by Professors Jastrow, Sanford, and 

 Bryan, and Doctors Nichols, Krohn, and Gilman. It was 

 decided in response to an invitation from Professor FuJlerton 

 to hold the next meeting of the association in Philadelphia, 

 at the University of Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 

 10 A.M. 



Professor Jastrow was appointed secretary to provide a 

 programme for that meeting. He invites all members to 

 submit to him at Madison, Wisconsin, titles of papers with 

 brief abstracts and estimates of time required for presenta- 

 tion. 



The original members who were either present at this 

 meeting or sent letters of approval and accepted member- 



ship, are as follows: Frank Angell, Leland Stanford, Jr., 

 University; J. Mark Baldwin, Toronto University; W. L. 

 Bryan, Indiana University; W. H. Burnham, Clark Univer- 

 sity; J. McK. Cattell, Columbia College; Edward Cowles, 

 McLean Asylum; E. B. Delabarre, Brown University; John 

 Dewey, University of Michigan; G. S. Fullerton, University 

 of Pennsylvania; E. H. Griffin, Clark University ; G. Stanley 

 Hall, Clark University; J. G. Hume, Toronto University; 

 J. H. Hyslop, Columbia College; William James, Harvard 

 University; Joseph Jastrow, University of Wisconsin; W. 

 0. Krohn, Clark University; G. T. Ladd, Yale University; 

 Herbert Nichols, Harvard University; William Noyes, Mc- 

 Lean Asylum; G. T. W. Patrick, University of Iowa; Josiah 

 Royee, Harvard University; E. C. Sanford, Clark Univer- 

 sity; E. W. Scripture, Yale University ; Lightmer Witmer, 

 University of Pennsylvania; H. K. Wolfe, University of 

 Nebraska. 



The following additional members were elected : Dr. T. 

 Wesley Mills, McGill College, Montreal; Hugo Milnsterberg, 

 Harvard University; A. T. Ormond, Princeton College; Ed- 

 ward Pace, Catholic University, Washington; E. B. Titch- 

 ener, Cornell University. 



Professor Jastrow asked the co-operation of all members 

 for the section of psychology at the World's Fair, and invites 

 correspondence upon the matter. 



THE PEST OF FIFLD-MICE IN THESSALY AND 

 LOEFFLER'S SUCCESSFUL METHOD OF COM- 

 BATING IT.' 



BY MEADE BOLTON. 



The valley of Thessaly was recently threatened with en- 

 tire destruction of its growing crops by swarms of field-mice, 

 which had suddenly appeared in such alarming numbers 

 that the farmers and the government were at their wits' ends 

 to discover efficient means to combat the pest. Several dif- 

 ferent poisons were tried at public expense, and it was also 

 attempted to drown the mice out in some places; but owing 

 to the difficulties of application and the inefficiency of these 

 methods, it was found greatly desirable to look for other 

 means. Pasteur was applied to by one of the large land- 

 owners for cultures of some microbe which could be used to 

 destroy the mice, and Pasteur promptly referred his corres- 

 pondent to Loeffler in Greifswald, who had discovered a 

 bacillus which would answer the purpose. Pasteur's answer 

 was sent to the government at Athens, and as the attention 

 of the government had already been called to LoefBer's 

 work by the Grecian ambassador at Berlin, Loeffler was re- 

 quested to send cultures to be used in the infested districts. 

 Fearing that the tests would not be made in such a manner 

 as to secure success, Loeffler informed the Grecian ambassa- 

 dor, that, although he was willing to give the cultures, he 

 would prefer to make the experiment himself, provided his 

 expenses were paid. 



On April 1 Loeffler received notice that if he would come 

 the Grecian government was willing to pay his expenses 

 and those of an assistant. So, after being informed that 

 the mice were of the kind^ that he had found susceptible to 

 infection with his bacillus, Loeffler and his assistant. Dr. 

 Abel, set out with a supply of cultures on April 5 from Ber- 

 lin, and arrived in Athens April 9. On going to the patho- 

 logical laboratory he was shown some of the mice from 

 Thessaly, and to his chagrin he found they differed from the 



' Ceutralblatt fiir Baoterlologle und Parasitenkuude Bd. XII., No. 1. 

 2 Arvlcola arvalls. 



