September 22, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



165 



SOIENTIPIC KESEARCH WOEK IN AMERICA. 



BY ALBERT SCHNEIDER, UNIYEBSITY OP ILLINOIS, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. 



I THINK it quite necessary to point out some of the 

 difficulties encountered in successfully undertaking any 

 scientific research work in America. In the first place 

 we, as a nation, are too jj^actical and short-sighted to 

 make thorough scientists. We are too much engrossed 

 with the present to undertake anything which promises 

 only a probable reward in the distant future. In the 

 second place, we lack sufficient scientific training. Boast 

 as we will, we must admit that Germany, France, Eng- 

 land, and even Russia, are a long way in the lead in schol- 

 arship. From this lack of training we must content our- 

 selves with going over the ground already gone over by 

 European scholars. Nor is this because of our "infantile" 

 condition. There is no plausible reason why the Amer- 

 ican mind should not be as ready of comprehension and 

 understanding as any other. We have incipient philoso- 

 phers who might become equal to or superior to any in 

 the world. The great trouble is that they imagine them- 

 selves superior while they are yet in the embryo stage, 

 and as a natural result become fossilized embryos. This 

 is not always the case, but it is true in the majority of 

 cases. Another great drawback is the uncertainty of 

 holding a position when once taken. This deadens in- 

 terest and absolute.y prevents the possibility of under- 

 taking any work which must of necessity be long- 

 continued. In Germany the j)rofessor is almost certain 

 of holding his position a life-time if he so desires. As far 

 as his position is concerned he is almost an absolute mon- 

 arch. The nature of his work is never inquired into by 

 the laity. He is given a piosition because it is known from 

 his preparation and training that he is fully competent. 

 This enables him to begin a work which may require gen- 

 erations for its completion. Lastly the management and 

 directorship of scientific laboratories and experiment sta- 

 tions is too often placed in the hands of men wholly in- 

 competent, considered from a scholarly standpoint. They 

 can not comprehend the nature of scientific research work 

 nor understand the benefits that might be realized there- 

 from. 



These, in brief, are some of the main difficulties which 

 beset our scientific research work. It is not my purpose 

 to belittle intentionally the work we do or have done. 

 Nor do I believe the prosj)ects for the future to be gloomy 

 and hopeless. America is destined (in time) to lead the 

 world in science and all other branches of learning. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



^*^Correspondeiits are requested to be as brief as possible. The 

 writer's name is in all cases required as a proof of good faith. 



On request in advance, one hundred copies of the number con- 

 taining his communication will be furnished free to any corres- 

 pondent. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with 

 the character of the iournal. 



Temperature m Storms and High Areas. 



In the August number of the Meteorologiache Zeitschrift, 

 p. 314, Dr. Hann complains that I have " obviously and 

 wholly misunderstood " {offenhar ganz missversianden) a 

 table he has recently published. As I have copied a jjart 

 of this table in Science, AprU 14, 1893, j). 204, I must ask 

 indulgence to exjjlain matters. My statement is "I give 

 here the temperatures in both maxima andminima during 

 the colder months," the original table indicates that these 

 maxima and minima were at Sonnblick and not at the 

 base. I take pleasure in adding this statement. It seems 



almost impossible to comprehend this position that Dr. 

 Hann has taken. Are we to understand that these condi- 

 tions are very different at 3100 m. from those at the same 

 time at sea level? This is exactly what has been repeat- 

 edly shown, namely, that the temj^erature change is about 

 a day ahead at the high station, and the pressure change 

 about half a day behind, and for this reason it is impos- 

 sible to directly comjoare pressure and tem^^erature at 

 high stations, but Dr. Hann has strongly combatted this. 



However this may be, there is still one other point to 

 be considered. Fortunately, in the original tables there 

 are given the pressures at sea level at the exact times, at 

 which these maxima and minima of pressure ocoured at 

 Sonnblick. These are 7 74. 5™ ""and 754.2""" .respectively, 

 while the base temperatures are 2.=0 C and -O.^'S C.resijec- 

 tively, that is, during the prevalence of very high pres- 

 sure at sea level the temperature is 2.88 C (5.°0P) higher 

 than during pressures 20.3™ ^. (0.80 in.) lower. This is con- 

 trary to the usual law over the whole temjjerate regions 

 of the earth and shows a serious error in these investiga- 

 tions. 



It seems to me this point is one of the easiest that can 

 be settled in the whole science of meteorology. I hold 

 my position strenuously right here, for this may be a key 

 for solving one of the most serious puzzles that has been 

 found in meteorology since it has made any pretense to 

 being a science. The proposition seems very simple and, 

 in fact, almost trivial, but it is in reality vital. If Dr. 

 Hann insists that his studies are correct, then it devolves 

 upon him to exjslain this serious contradiction. It would 

 appear that he does see the difficulty and tries to explain 

 it, but I submit, that, in doing so, he has not removed it 

 at all. H. A. Hazen. 



Washington, D. C, Sept. ii, 1893. 



Sharks in Fresh Water. 



In the issue of Science for August 25 is a question by 

 Mr. G. H. Ames, which has not been answered. As the 

 subject in question is one of quite general interest, I take 

 pleasure in giving the desired information. 



It is well known to ichthyologists that sharks do live in 

 fresh water, and it is remarkable that such forms are rep- 

 resentatives of a family whose species are to a large ex- 

 tent pelagic — the Galeids or Carchariids; they belong to 

 a group very generally known as the genus Carcharias, 

 but believed by others to be divisible into several genera. 

 Numerous accounts have been published of the occurrence 

 of members of this group in fresh water in various 

 parts of the world; it is sufficient to refer to several read- 

 ily accessible, viz.: Nature. V. 13, pp. 107, 167, 1875, and 

 V. 29, pp. 452, 573, 1884. It is further noteworthy that a 

 shark and a sawfish (Pridin) frequently reside together 

 in fresh waters of widely distant regions, as in the Philir)- 

 pine Islands, Australia and Lake Nicaragua. 



The existf,nce of a shark in Nicaragua was recorded by &/ 

 Oviedo a few years after the discovery of that country / 

 and had frequently been referred to subsequently. It 

 did not receive a published name, however, till 1877, 

 when it was described as Eulamia nicaraguensis by GiU 

 and Bran^ford (Proc. Acad. Nat. Se. Phila., 1877, p. 191). $/ 

 A tew years afterwards the species was again described / 

 and figured by Llitken (as Carcharias nicaraguensits). and it 

 was stated that the name Carchariar: lacusfris had been pro- 

 posed for it by Oersted as early as 1848, but never ijub- 

 lished. (See Vid. Meddelelser fra Naturhist. Forening, 

 Copenhagen, 1879-80, js. 65, etc.) 



Further details may be found in the works cited. 



Theo. Gill. 



Cosmos Club, Washington, Sept. lo. 



