SCIENCE. 
261 
SCIENCE: 
A Weekly Record of Scientific 
Progress. 
JOHN MICHELS, Editor. 
Published at 
229 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 
P. O. Box 3838 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1880. 
The editorial on the American Society of Micro- 
scopists has called forth a reply from Professor 
Hitchcock, who, as editor of the American Monthly 
Microscopical Journal , publicly raised the ques- 
tion of the necessity for the dissolution of the Society. 
Professor Hitchcock now states that when he spoke 
of the leaders being incompetent, as a cause of the 
want of success of the Society, he did not refer to the 
Presidents who have held office, but to some people, 
whom he does not name, who were active in the or- 
ganization of the Society. 
We accept this explanation, as it removes an 
unnecessary personal question from the discus- 
sion, although it is not clear why mention should 
be made of these delinquents now, if the Society 
has never been in their power. 
Other minor reasons may now be dropped, as 
Professor Hitchcock states that his objection to 
the Society is fundamental, and does not alone rest 
on the side issues he described so fully. 
In another portion of this issue we publish a state- 
ment bearing on this matter, which will appear next 
month in the American Naturalist , an advanced 
sheet of which has been kindly furnished to us. 
This is written by Dr. R. H. Ward, of Troy, the 
first President of the Society. Dr. Ward puts the 
case in his usual clear and forcible manner, and 
the simple merits of the case, from a scientific point 
of view, are stated with precision. 
It now appears that nearly half of the delegates? 
who created the Society, were opposed to its organi- 
zation as a separate body ; a part of these have since 
formed a “ cabal,” and like the original inhabitants 
of the Cave of Abdullah, are restless and discon- 
tented, determined on the destruction of the Society, 
rather than to promote its success. 
Dr. Ward authoritatively calls upon the mem- 
bers of the Society for unity of purpose and action ; 
he gives excellent reasons for keeping the Society 
intact and maintaining its independence and free- 
dom ; but if the peaceful work of the Society can 
be continued only by the sacrifice of the opinions 
of the majority to those of the turbulent minority? 
then he is willing to let the sacrifice be made. 
In a word, Dr. Ward says, cease the squabbling 
and get to work. 
We quite endorse Dr. Ward’s advice, and are 
equally indifferent respecting the name of the orga- 
nization ; the reasons he gives for not amalgamating 
with the A. A. A. S., will carry conviction to 
those not influenced by personal or petty consider- 
ations. Why should the Society cancel its freedom 
of action, become a mere sub-section of another 
Society, and be hampered with a set of rules and 
regulations which are most undesirable, and from 
which there can be no escape ? 
We might add that the A. A. A. S. is becoming 
already overloaded with its sections and sub-sec- 
tions, and if the work to be done at its meetings 
increases at the present ratio, the resources of the 
Society to perform it in a week will be very heavily 
taxed. 
We find no fault with Professor Hitchcock for 
the article he prepared, as he evidently is but the 
mouthpiece of many members of the Society, and 
rather give him credit for his candid utterances. 
This undercurrent of restlessness is as old as the 
Society, and it is as well that he has given public 
expression to it ; we, however, trust that he will ad- 
mit the force of Dr. Ward’s reasoning, and as Editor 
of a Microscopical Journal, endeavor to use his 
influence to restore full harmony .to the Society, 
and remind those who prefer the sub-section of 
the A. A. A. S. to the American Society of Mic- 
roscopists, that no impediment exists to the gratifi- 
cation of their wishes ; two courses are open to them ; 
they can make use of either of the societies, or even 
attend both. 
Those interested in the progress of Physiology in this 
country will be glad to learn that, at their recent meet- 
ing, the Regents of the University of Michigan appoint- 
ed Dr. Charles H. Stowell Assistant Professor of Physi- 
ology in the Department of Medicine and Surgery. 
Dr. Stowell is a graduate of the Institution, and since 
1876, has been in charge of a flourishing laboratory of 
Practical Physiology and Histology which was then es- 
tablished at the suggestion of the veteran professor of 
anatomy and physiology, Dr. Corydon L. Ford. Dr. 
Stowell has also been delivering part of the physio- 
logical lectures, and has made some interesting obser- 
vations and experiments. B. G. W. 
