Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  l 
November,  1900  J 
Notes  and  News. 
xiii 
NOTES  AND  NEWS. 
Scientific  Research. — In  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  W. 
W.  Keen  in  his  recent  presidential  address,  the  Trustees  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  have  established  a  fund  of  $500  to  be  expended  annually 
for  the  encouragement  of  scientific  research,  no  sum  to  be  given  to  any  one 
individual  to  exceed  $roo  at  one  time.  This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  as 
it  gives  the  younger  men  of  the  profession  an  opportunity  to  investigate  sub- 
jects of  scientific  interest  with  some  small  compensation  should  they  be  suc- 
cessful. 
The  Nobee  Prizes. — We  are  accustomed  to  complain  bitterly  that  the  real- 
est  and  greatest  contributors  to  human  happiness  and  progress  receive  a  dis- 
mally small  share  of  the  material  rewards  that  the  earth  has  to  offer.  This 
favorite  grievance  of  the  world  is  considerably  less  of  a  grievance  by  the  action 
of  a  single  man,  the  Swede,  Alfred  Nobel,  who  left  an  enormous  fortune  for 
the  reward  of  just  such  achievements. 
The  Nobel  endowment  is  based  on  the  will  of  Dr.  Alfred  Nobel,  which  was 
drawn  up  in  1895.  Shortly  afterward  Dr.  Nobel  died,  leaving  an  estate  said  to 
be  worth  $10,000,000.  He  ordered,  after  various  bequests,  that  the  residue  of 
his  fortune  should  constitute  a  fund  the  interest  of  which  should  be  distributed 
annually  to  those  who  in  the  preceding  year  should  have  rendered  the  greatest 
services  to  humanity.  The  sum  total  shall  be  divided  into  five  equal  portions, 
assigned  as  follows  : 
To  the  person  having  made  the  most  important  discovery  or  invention  in  the 
department  of  physical  science. 
To  the  person  having  made  the  most  important  discovery  or  having  produced 
the  greatest  improvement  in  chemistry. 
To  the  author  of  the  most  important  discovery  in  the  department  of  physi- 
ology or  of  medicine. 
To  the  author  having  produced  the  most  notable  literary  work  in  the  sense 
of  idealism. 
To  the  person  having  done  the  most,  or  the  best,  in  the  work  of  establishing 
the  brotherhood  of  nations,  for  the  suppression  or  the  reduction  of  standing 
armies,  as  well  as  for  the  formation  and  the  propagation  of  peace  conferences. 
The  prizes  will  be  awarded  as  follows  :  For  physical  science  and  chemistry, 
by  the  Swedish  Academy  of  Sciences  ;  for  works  in  physiology  or  medicine,  by 
the  Carolin  Institute  of  Stockholm  ;  for  literature,  by  the  Academy  of  Stock- 
holm ;  finally,  for  the  work  of  peace,  by  a  committee  of  five  members,  elected 
by  the  Norwegian  Stortung.  Nationality  shall  not  be  considered,  so  that  the 
prize  may  accrue  to  the  most  worthy,  whether  he  be  a  Scandinavian  or  not. 
It  is  expected  that  a  monetary  value  of  at  least  $100,000  will  be  reached  for 
each  prize,  which  is  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the  interest  shown  in  those  cir- 
cles which  will  furnish  the  competitors. 
The  Legation  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  at  Washington,  has  recently  made 
public  for  the  first  time  the  conditions  surrounding  the  award.  The  three  cor- 
porations awarding  the  Nobel  prizes  are  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  at 
Stockholm,  founded  in  1739  \  tae  Swedish  Academy  at  Stockholm,  founded  in 
1786,  of  both  of  which  the  King  is  the  protector,  and  the  Carolin  Institute  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery,  of  Stockholm. 
