NOTES AND LITERATURE 



BIOMETRICS 



Recent Contributions to Theory. — For obviously necessary rea- 

 sons biometric work in the past has fallen, and for a considerable 

 time in the future will continue to fall into two sharply sepa- 

 rated categories. The first of these is the development of mathe- 

 matico-statistical methods for dealing with biological material. 

 The second is the concrete application of these methods to bio- 

 logical problems. Developments of higher mathematical theory 

 will never be in and for themselves of particular interest to the 

 great majority of biologists. Their only interest to the biologist 

 exists in what they are practically good for; if there is de- 

 veloped any new mode of thinking or of investigation which will 

 help to solve a problem it is of importance to know about it so 

 that use may be made of it. The same consideration applies in 

 regard to the applications of biometrical theory. To the biologist 

 who is not cultivating this particular field of research the results 



to make significant contributions, expressible in terms intelligible 

 to any non-mathematically trained person, to the solution of 

 significant problems. There can be no doubt that valuable con- 

 tributions to biology are being made by workers in biometry. 

 Further, it is believed that this fact would be more generally 

 recognized than is now the case, were the methods and results 

 stated in a terminology less strange and repellent to the average 

 biologist than is the mathematical. In accordance with this 

 belief it will be the aim of these notes to set forth as clearly as 

 may be and in a non-technical way the significant advances in 

 biometrical research. Recent contributions to biometric theory 



the application of biometric methods to the solution of con- 

 crete biological problems will be discussed in subsequent notes 

 The degree of trustworthiness of anv reasonim- t'm.n sM- 



