14 WHY AND HOW WE STUDY BIOLOGY 



these pages have only begun to suggest some of the activities that 

 will grow out of our study of biology. Most of these are things we 

 can do out of school hours and they certainly are worth while from 

 every viewpoint. 



The value of city surveys. Not all of the outdoor work is 

 collecting, nor is the country the only place to make a field trip. 

 We have spoken of studies in vacant lots and tree surveys in a city. 

 Of still more practical importance are sanitary surveys which tell 

 us of the sanitary conditions of our neighborhood. What are the 

 conditions in the meat stores ? Are the goods there kept under 

 sanitary conditions? Are the streets of your city well watered 

 and cleaned? Are the garbage and ash collections regular and 

 sufficient? Are the schools well lighted, properly heated, and 

 effectively swept ? Are there efficient and well-kept playgrounds, 

 baths, and parks? All these and more can be worked out in the 

 field by a group of pupils of biology, thus proving that biology has 

 a part in citizenship. A group of young people have more than 

 once rid a town of mosquitoes or flies, just by makiDg a survey, 

 discovering the sources of these pests, and then proceeding to 

 eradicate them by the methods which they learned in biology class. 



Practical Exercise. How many of the above-mentioned things can be done 

 by the members of your biology class ? Give reasons why they can or cannot 

 be done. 



The use of the laboratory. It is said that on one occasion, John 

 Hunter, a well-known Scottish physician, who was a teacher of 

 Jenner, and lived from 1728 to 1793, was present at a discussion 

 concerning the digestive system of birds. The meeting broke up 

 without any decision and at the next meeting several persons 

 brought quotations from the works of such old philosophers as 

 Aristotle, Hippocrates, and Galen to prove their previous state- 

 ments. But John Hunter brought in a dissected bird and showed 

 the organs in their natural position. This naturally settled all 

 arguments. 



Unfortunately we cannot do all of our work out of doors. We 

 must use the laboratory, and of course we must take the authority 

 of books. It goes without saying that if we were to spend our 



