August 19, 



3.] 



SCIENCE. 



201 



University ov Califoenia. 



Willis Linn Jepson : Botany, Flora of Western 

 Middle California. 



Columbian TJniveesity, Washington, D. C. 



Cabell Whitehead : Chemistry, A Stndy of the 

 Tellnrides : their Formation and Chemical Properties. 



New York University. 

 William Lawrence A. Dalton : Psychology, Ex- 

 perimental Studies in Association and Memory. 



TEE BEGINNINGS OF LABORATORY TEACH- 

 ING IN AMERICA. 



The American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science celebrates this year 

 its fiftieth anniversary. The epoch thus 

 commemorated is notable in more than one 

 way as that of a scientific awakening in 

 this country. The foundation of the Asso- 

 ciation; the welcome given to Agassiz, whose 

 first lectures were delivered at the Lowell 

 Institute in 1846 ; the enthusiasm greeting 

 the astronomical pilgrimages of O. M. 

 Mitchell, to quote but a few out of many 

 indications, show an aroused public senti- 

 ment with regard to natural science. 



In no way is this movement more strik- 

 ing than in the effect upon scientific teach- 

 ing in the colleges. For many years this 

 had been nearly at a standstill. The meth- 

 ods seem to have been everywhere much 

 the same. Instruction was by text-book 

 and lecture. The lectures were illustrated, 

 the illustrations of the spectacular sort. 

 The magnitude or brilliancy of a lecture 

 experiment was often as highly valued as 

 its actual illustrative character. Thus the 

 compound blowpipe and the mammoth 

 batteries of Robert Hare were eagerly wel- 

 comed by Benjamin Silliman, with a keen 

 appreciation of efiects, and he points with 

 a just pride to the hugeness of the electro- 

 magnet constructed for Yale College under 

 the direction of Joseph Henry. 



The Yale catalogue of 1822 announces 

 that " The junior class attends a course of 

 experimental natural philosophy; and the 



senior class the courses in chemistry, 

 mineralogy, geology and the principles of 

 natural philosophy." 



All these courses were under the charge 

 of Professor Silliman, and the above formula 

 remains practically unchanged in the cata- 

 logues for upwards of twenty-five years, or 

 until after the founding of the Scientific 

 School. Other college catalogues, Amherst, 

 Bowdoin, Brown, Harvard, Princeton, tell 

 a similar story. 



At Dartmouth, as at Yale, the necessity 

 of providing for medical students required 

 the maintenance of a somewhat high scien- 

 tific standard, and a brief summary of 

 the progress of chemical teaching at Dart- 

 mouth probably gives an idea of the best 

 opportunities of the day. 



Lectures on chemistry were given at 

 Dartmouth before the opening of the pres- 

 ent century, the lecturer holding the double 

 title — varying somewhat from year to year 

 —of professor (or lecturer) on chemistry 

 and medicine. 



In 1820 James Freeman Dana is professor 

 of chemistry, mineralogy and the applica- 

 tion of science to the arts ; in 1822 pro- 

 fessor of chemistry, mineralogy, pharmacy 

 and legal medicine. The number of depart- 

 ments under control of one man sufficiently 

 indicates the paucity of the courses. 



In 1825 Professor Dana published an 

 ' Epitome of Chemical Philosophy.' This 

 appears to be the first mention of a text- 

 book in chemistry, though these were 

 probably in use before. In 1833 Turner's 

 Chemistry was used, and then successively 

 Kane's, Fownes' and Silliman's. Through 

 much of this period a small fee is 

 charged students attending the chemical 

 lectures, which are given in connection with 

 the text-book. 



In the catalogue for 1851-52 the state- 

 ment is made that ' the chemical laboratory 

 is amply furnished with apparatus and 

 chemicals for illustration of lectures in that 



