74 Report of the President 



The activities of our museum and distributing center of 



living bacteria have grown very rapidly during the year, partly 



„ . , . , perhaps as a result of the fact that the 



Bacteriological £ . f , . _ . , . 



Society of American Bacteriologists met at 

 Museum . ._ . _ . _ , 



the Museum in January and the members 



had an opportunity to see at first hand what the Museum is 

 in a position to do for them. The laboratory has now 634 

 different strains under cultivation, representing 410 named 

 types. Up to December 1, 1911, we had distributed 571 

 cultures, and between December 1, 191 1, and December 1, 

 1912, 1,072 cultures. During the past year (December 1, 1912, 

 to December 1, 1913) we sent out 2,886 cultures. Two 

 hundred and twenty-two different institutions in America and 

 Europe have availed themselves of the unique facilities of our 

 collection. The present demands are such as to tax severely 

 the resources of our laboratory and have been met only by the 

 zeal and devotion which Mr. Kligler, who has entire charge of 

 the collection, has given to his task. In addition to the 

 routine work of the laboratory, he has under way a comparative 

 study of the colon-typhoid group of bacteria and an investiga- 

 tion of the chemistry of certain bacterial pigments. 



A course of special lectures to members, on the Principles 

 of Healthy Living, was given during the autumn under the 

 n * it f auspices of the department, in which 



Walter B. James (Trustee of the Museum 

 and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the College of Physicians 

 and Surgeons) spoke on "The Body and Its Surroundings," 

 H. C. Sherman, of Columbia University, spoke on "Food," 

 T. A. Storey, of the College of the City of New York, on 

 "Exercise and Rest," F. S. Lee, of Columbia University, on 

 "Fresh Air," and Curator Winslow on "The Control of 

 Germ Diseases in the Household." 



Curator Winslow attended the Fourth International Con- 

 gress on School Hygiene at Buffalo, in August, as a delegate 



_ . « . ... from the Museum, and described the 

 Outside Activities uuu u a u ^ -a 



work which has been done by the de- 

 partment to further health education in the public schools. 

 The three albums of photographs and charts which have been 

 prepared for this purpose were exhibited at Buffalo, and 



