456         Association  for  Advancement  of  Science.    { A™e'vtemhe^hS 
of  doing  something  to  lessen  the  increasing  number  of  fatal  cases  of  poisoning  due 
to  carelessness  or  to  a  lack  of  correct  knowledge  of  our  poisonous  plants,  and 
as  a  result  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  in  November,  1894,  appointed  Mr.  V. 
K.  Chestnut  as  an  assistant  in  the  Division  of  Botany,  to  take  charge  of  such 
a  line  of  work.  In  addition  to  the  chemical  and  physiological  investigations 
which  have  since  been  in  progress,  it  has  seemed  desirable  to  distribute  at  once 
some  simple  but  authoritative  account  of  our.commonest  poisonous  plants.  In 
the  prosecution  of  this  work  a  novel  method  of  securing  correct  information 
about  actual  cases  of  poisoning  has  been  adopted.  Through  newspaper  clip- 
ping bureaus  the  Division  of  Botany  receives  notices  of  all  the  cases  of  poison- 
ing that  are  recorded  in  the  principal  newspapers.  Then,  through  the  persons 
mentioned  by  name  in  these  articles  or  through  the  local  postmaster,  they  get 
into  correspondence  with  the  physician  in  charge  of  the  case,  secure  a  specimen 
of  the  plant  which  is  responsible  for  the  poisoning,  and  place  on  file  a  complete 
record  of  the  symptoms,  treatment  and  results.  By  this  means  they  have  se- 
cured a  large  amount  of  authentic  and  valuable  information,  additional  to  the 
published  statements,  the  partial  benefit  of  which  is  given  to  the  people  in  this 
publication,  and  the  remainder  of  which  will  be  used  from  time  to  time  in  more 
detailed  publications  on  the  poisonous  qualities  of  particular  plants. 
The  plants  which  have  been  considered,  about  fifty  in  number,  include  most 
of  the  important  poisonous  species.  Each  'is  illustrated,  wherever  necessary, 
by  an  original  drawing  from  authentic  specimens,  and  is  briefly  described  in  a 
popular  way.  This,  together  with  the  liberal  use  of  common  names  and  a 
brief  outline  of  the  geographical  distribution,  will  doubtless  enable  individuals 
in  different  localities  to  recognize  any  of  the  plants. 
AMERICAN  ASSOCIATION  FOR  THE  ADVANCE- 
MENT OF  SCIENCE. 
The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement 
of  Science  was  held  in  Boston,  August  22  to  27,  1898.  This  year  the  Asso- 
ciation held  its  meeting  also  in  the  place  of  its  birth,  for  it  was  in  Boston,  in 
1848,  that  the  American  Association  met  for  the  first  time,  being  really  the  out- 
come of  the  American  Association  of  Geologists  and  Naturalists.  The  organi- 
zation to-day  is  divided  into  nine  sections. 
On  Monday  morning,  August  22d,  at  10  o'clock,  the  meeting  was  formally 
opened  in  Huntington  Hall.  On  the  platform  was  a  large  and  distinguished  com- 
pany, including  not  only  well-known  scientists  from  home  and  abroad,  but  also 
the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  the  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese  and  other  clergymen.  From  abroad  were  Prof.  Desire  Charnay,  of 
Paris  ;  Dr.  A.  Sasse,  of  Zaandam,  Holland  ;  Prof.  Benjamin  Howard  and  Mr. 
Conrad  W.  Cooke,  of  London. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Prof.  Wolcott  Gibbs,  the  retiring  Presi- 
dent. At  his  request  Bishop  William  Lawrence,  of  the  Diocese  of  Massa- 
chusetts, offered  prayer.  Professor  Gibbs  then  introduced  Governor  Wolcott, 
to  extend  the  greetings  of  the  Commonwealth. 
Mayor  Gurney  and  President  J.  M.  Crafts,  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology  also  made  brief  addresses. 
