34 Memorial Number. 



of a general character. Shock, cardiac arrhythmias, therapeutics 

 of self-repair, hemolysis, thyroid therapy, edema are among the 

 subjects upon which he wrote, but probably the most original and 

 helpful of his general papers is his well-known Harvey Lecture, 

 1906, on "The Factors of Safety in Animal Structure and Ani- 

 mal Economy." He applied this engineering term in a convincing 

 way to describe the reserve powers possessed by many of the 

 mechanisms of the body. Doubtless the general conception in- 

 volved had occurred to many others, but no one before him so far 

 as I know, had developed the idea so comprehensively and made of 

 this provision a leading factor in the adaptation of the economy to 

 its environment. The happy phrase that he employed served to 

 precipitate the loose thought upon the subject, and its frequent 

 recurrence since in medical literature is proof that the conception 

 which it expresses has found wide acceptance in scientific circles. 

 It is evident that his own thoughts were turned in this direction 

 by the work of Chittenden upon the minimum protein diet. 

 While he accepted, of course, the facts demonstrated by this ob- 

 server in regard to the possibility of maintenance upon a low pro- 

 tein diet he was not willing to believe that a minimum diet is also 

 an optimum diet in relation to the various metabolic stresses to 

 which the body may be subjected. The experiences of the great 

 war may serve to show that he was correct in taking this position. 



To do full justice to the influence exerted upon contemporary 

 medical research by Meltzer's work would require a careful analysis 

 of the entire medical literature of the period, for, as I have tried 

 to indicate, his sympathies were very broad and his activity was 

 great. In some measure, either as interpreter or contributor this 

 influence was felt at many of the points of contact between medical 

 science and medical practise. The border land between these sub- 

 jects was in fact his special field of work. He had the spirit and 

 ideals of the scientist, and knew at first hand what research work 

 really means. He had experienced the labor and care and de- 

 votion required of those who aspire to increase knowledge. On 

 the other hand he had a personal realization of the difficulties and 

 necessities of medical practise and so was especially fitted to act as 

 a sort of liaison officer between the two great wings of the medical 

 army, the investigators who have the difficult task of discovering 



