March 24. 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



475 



opinion is strengthened by that of Ehrlich, 

 who, on the ground of the uniformity of the 

 elliptical shape, concluded that it had been 

 preformed in the individual. As to the cause 

 of the anomaly, Ehrlich did not commit him- 

 self. In conclusion, I wish to state the fol- 

 lowing views about the case: 



1. The variation recorded occurred in a 

 healthy individual. His good general physical 

 condition, the normal number of red and white 

 cells, the normal quantity of hsemoglobin, 

 and tlie absence of megaloblasts, megalocytes 

 and normoblasts, preclude the idea of any 

 known blood disease being connected with 

 the phenomenon. 



2. The anomaly was probably one of con- 

 genital or developmental origin. Ewing holds 

 this view for reasons stated above. It is un- 

 fortunate that no family history could be ob- 

 tained to throw light upon this point, except 

 that a brother of the subject had normal cor- 

 puscles. 



3. In the light of Weidenre:ch's work, it is 

 possible that the elliptical shape was an arti- 

 fact. Ehrlich and others, including Professor 

 Bleile and myself, do not hold this view. It 

 would be strange that such a remarkable varia- 

 tion would occur so uniformly over so long a 

 period. (As was stated in the former article, 

 my observations extended over a period of four 

 months, and the corpuscles were discovered 

 two months before a systematic study was 

 begun.) 



4. It is possible that this variat'on was ante- 

 cedent to the onset of pernicious anemia or 

 some other blood disease. That would make 

 the deformity none the less remarkable, for 

 there were absolutely no symptoms, at any 

 time, of any incipient illness. 



5. So far as the writer has been able to 

 ascertain, this is the first case of the kind 

 recorded. However, Ewald, of Strassburg, 

 writes that he thinks a similar observation 

 was made at Konigsberg twenty or thirty 

 j'ears ago. I have not been able to find any 

 written record of such an observation. 



Melvix Dresbach. 

 Department of Physiology, 

 Ohio State University. 



QUOTATIONS. 



COMPULSORY GREEK AT CAMURIUUE. 



The University of Cambridge has declined, 

 by a considerable majority, to make Greek an 

 optional, instead of, as at present, a compul- 

 sory, subject in the previous examination. 

 The decision was not unexpected; and prob- 

 ably now the whole question will enter on a 

 new phase. Though sympathizing with the 

 aims of the proposers of the graces, we have 

 already expressed the opinion that it was per- 

 haps a mistake to raise so great a question as 

 the place of Greek in higher education upon 

 the comparatively minor issue of the regula- 

 tions for a pass examination, in which all that 

 has to be considered is a minimum of attain- 

 ment. This, as Professor Butcher has pointed 

 out, is not the way to estimate the value to 

 the community of any branch' of academic 

 learning, be it Greek, mathematics or science. 

 But in the present examination-ridden condi- 

 tion of higher education in England our edu- 

 cational authorities seem unable to think of 

 learning or study except in terms of examina- 

 tion, with the result that, in Professor Butch- 

 er's words, when it is desired to modify the 

 existing relation of Greek to university studies, 

 ' a single examination is tinkered, without any 

 regard to its bearings on the university course 

 as a whole.' There has been very little at- 

 tempt to lay down definite lines of study, and 

 then consider the preliminary examination at 

 entrance in its relation to different curricula. 

 Because the exaction of a minimum attain- 

 ment in Greek is now found to press hardly 

 upon certain students without any correspond- 

 ing advantage of literary culture, it was pro- 

 posed at Cambridge to give an unrestricted 

 option to all candidates, with no distinction 

 between students of literature and of science, 

 of different lines of study and of different 

 curricula. The more limited proposal re- 

 jected a short time ago by the University 

 of Oxford at least recognized the principle 

 of adjusting the entrance examination to 

 certain lines of academic study; but it was 

 too limited and partial in its scope, and its 

 adoption would have gone but a very little 

 way forwards a solution of the problem. 

 What is wanted now in the interests of higher 



