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Meeting of May 3 at the Museum of 

 Natural History 



The meeting was called to order by First Vice-president 

 Dr. Alfred Gundersen at 8:15 p.m., with thirty-four members 

 present. Since no minutes or business were presented, the meet- 

 ing proceeded at once to the scientific program. 



Dr. William J. Robbins, Director of the New York Botanical 

 Garden, gave an interesting illustrated talk on the effect of 

 thiamin on plant growth. The following is an abstract by Dr. 

 Robbins: "Thiamin (vitamin Bi) or thiazole (one of the two 

 intermediates of thiamin) is necessary for the growth of excised 

 tomato roots. The tomato root synthesizes the intermediate 

 pyrimidine but not the thiazole. The attached root depends 

 upon the top of the tomato plant for thiamin (or thiazole) as 

 well as sugar. Some fungi and Torulae which do not grow in 

 solutions of mineral salts and sugar do so if minute quantities of 

 thiamin or its intermediate are added to the medium. It is 

 concluded that probably all organisms require thiamin. Some 

 synthesize it from the basic materials of the medium, others 

 can not. Those which can not must be supplied with the inter- 

 mediate thiazole, the intermediate pyrimidine, both intermedi- 

 ates or the thiamin molecule as such, depending upon their 

 synthetic power." 



J. S. Karling 

 Corresponding Secretary 



Meeting of May 18, 1938 



The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. by the cor- 

 responding secretary at the New York Botanical Garden, with 

 eighteen members present. Dr. J. H. Barnhart was elected 

 chairman pro tem. The minutes of the previous meeting were 

 read, and prior to their adoption Dr. B. O. Dodge pointed out 

 that recently the minutes of the regular Club meetings had been 

 unnecessarily brief. In the discussion that followed the idea was 

 generally expressed that additional comments on the character 

 of the scientific program should be included. 



The following candidates were unanimously elected to active 

 membership in the Club: Mrs. Elizabeth G. Hartman, 30-31 

 Hobart St., Woodside, L. I., and Mr. George H. Peters, 175 E. 



