the twentieth anniversary of the new york botanical garden

JUNE 18,19151 SCIENCE 891

reason for this splendid showing is the use of the antityphoid inoculation. If instead of its being only vo'luntary in the British army it had been compulsory as in our own army, the results would have been even better. And yet a blatant band of men and women both in England and our own coun- try are doing all they can to oppose the use of this life-preserving remedy !

Let us now in conclusion take a general review of the surgical progress I have SO

inadequately slietched. During the horrible days of Par&, Bell,

Simpson, and our own Civil War there was still gradnal improvement, but no funda-meqltal change occurred for three centuries after Par6 introduced the ligature and banished the boiling oil.

But about the n~iddle of the nineteenth century, and especially in its last quarter, experimental research took the field. Everything that could be put to the test of accurate experiment in medicine and sur- gery was thoroughly investigated phys-ically, physiologically, chemically, micro-scopically, biologically, bacteriologically. I~aboratories were founded and research worliers vied with each other in countless investigations. A flood of light waq thrown upon every problem. And see the result in the long list I have just read to you ! Medi-cine proper, obstetrics, all the specialties, sanitation and hygiene, furnish equally im-pressive calendars of progress-principally the rcsnlt of experimental research.

Chief among these experimental re-searches were those of Pastenr (01whom I have said fa r too little for want of time) anil of T~ister. They inaugurated a wholly new era in surgery.

Then followed the battle for the germ theory and antiseptic surgery, ending in final victory. Meantime a new science, bacteriology, was born.

Sext came the wide extension and appli-

cation of the new surgery to almost all the surgical ills that flesh is heir to. The wonderful results to both life and limb that I have recounted have naturally followed.

Even amid the disabilities and obstacles of war itself Lister's work has been a boon beyond price.

While the soldier and the scientist have been busy devising ever more frightful engines of destruction to maim and i,o kill, we surgeons have been equally busy devis- ing means for saving thousands of lives and lirnbs in civil life, and even amid the car- nage and savagery of war.

Surely our hearts should be lifted in gratitude to God for giving ns such splendid powers of reasoning, experiment and re-search-all for the service of our felIom men.

IT. W. KEEN -----

THE TFENTIETIT ANNIPEI1SABY OF TEIE NEW POBK BOTANICA4T, GAEDEN

T H E twentieth anniversary of the appro-priation by the City of Ncw York of 250 acres of land in Bronx Park for the use of the New Yorli- Botanical Garden will be commemorated a t the garden during the ~ c e k commencing September 6, 1915. Botanists from all parts of North America are invited to attend. The f ollowing program is planned :

Xondng, Sep ten~ber G

Assemble a t the Garden as convenient i n the morning.

1:30 : Lunch a t the Garden. 2 :30: Addresses of m~eleoli~e and an account of

the history of the Gardcn. 3:30-5 :30: Inspectioil of a portion of the

grounds and buildings. 5:30-7 : Visit to the Zoological Park.

Tuesday, Septe?nber 7

10:30-1 : Session for the reading of papers. 1 : 30 : Lunch a t the Garden. 2:30-I-: Session for the rcading of papers. 4--6: Inspection of portions of the buildings and

grounds.

892 SCIENCE [N. 8. VOL. XLI. NO. 1068

Wcdnesdny, Scpfem ber 8

Salt Water Day on Staten Island, for a study of the coastal flora.

Lunch a t 1:30, mith subsequent opportunity for scientific oratory.

Tkursdn?l,September 9

10 :30-1 : Pess~on f o ~ the rendmg of papers. I :SO: Lunch at the Garden. 2:SO-4: Session for the reading of papel?. 4-6: Inspection of portions of the grounds anrl

buildings.

Friday, X r p lember 10

Visit to the pine 1)arlens of New .Tcrscy, unil(xr the guirlancc of the Torrey Rotanical Club.

~Scrturdny~Scptcmber I1

V i ~ i t to the Blooklyn Botanic Garden and an excursion to some Long Tsland locality.

Other excursions of niorc special eliaracter will be organized if opportunity offers.

TZlE COR,XRI,L AfEDICAL SOCTETP OF NEW F O X K G7TY

OF F e h ~ ~ i a r y4, 1915, twenty members of the teaching staff of Cornell University Mcd- ical College i n New P o r k City met a t the college building and orgasiized the Cornell Neclical Socicty. The objects of this society, as statcd i n its constitution, are

to foster a better aeqnaint:~nceship among its members, to create an atmosphere of helpful and sympathetic criticism of tho o~iginal ~vork done in all departments of the Cornell Uni~ersity Medical College, and to promoto the best interests of the college as an edurational :tnd lesearch institution.

F o u r meetings, consisting of a scientific pro- gram f o l l o a ~ d h~ a smoker, are t o be held ench year i n the months of October, December, l'ebruary and April.

F o r tlie purpose of keeping i n closer touch with tlie alumni of the college an annual day is to be observed i n May, at which t ime

tho regular college duties being suspended by vote of the faculty, the socioty shall conduct scientific de~noustrations in the varlous laboratorios of the college and in the hospital wards.

I n the evening of this day tho society, alumni and f r ienb of the college #hall give a dinner at

which the graduating class sl~all be the guests of tlie society.

The first reguIar meeting of the society this year was lielrl i n BIarch and was attcnded by fifty sl~embers of the teaching stafr; the second, held in April, was attended by sixty men, most of whoni had become members.

TIlc first annual day was lield Friday, May 21. Tlle regular claqsea, except those for the fourth year, wcrc held, bu t a special program T T ~ Sprepared for t1ie visiting alumni. About sixty :tlunmi visited tIie collcge, sornc of tlicrn coming from a distance.

The first annual dinncr was attended by 126, Tllc pre6itlcnt of the socicty, Dr. John A. TTart-well, pre4ii(ed and toasts mere responded i o by Drs. W. Gilman Thompson, Graham I;llslr, I'ranlr S.l l ea ra , for thc faculty; by Dr. Arthur &f. Tl'riqllt, class of 1!)05, for the alumni, and Mr. Douglas Palmer, fo r the graduating class.

The organizaiio11 of such a socsicty has fully ju5tificd the belief of its originators that it woi~ld seroc a useful prrrpose. The meetings alreatly held have demonstratc>d the advantages of briilging the memhers of the various do-partrrlcr~ts into closer contact wit11 the ~vo'k bcinp clone in clepartnicnts other t h u s their own and clf arousing i n the allirnrii a n interest i n thp progycss whicli has beers made since thcir graduation.

EOTEL XESERPATIONS F O R TJTE XdN FXll NC1,YCO 2IBI;JTIXG OF Ti7E

AMEIZICAX ASSOCIA TION

TIII~Pacific Coast Comlnittee of the A n ~ c r - ican Association respectfully suggests t h a t those who plan to attend the Sall Franeiqco mct,tiizg of the association during the week beginning August 2 should consider making thcir llotrl reservation^ a t oiice. A deposit arnonnting to ten per cent. of the anticipated totirl cost of the scrvic*r should accompany the request for tl?c reservation. This sum mill be c~rrditrd ilpon the hotel account.

The liotcls on the appended list are eom-fortable and conveniently located. There are many other excellellt hotels i n S a n Francisco and vicinity, and printed inforination concern- ing them niay be sccured by acldressing Adr.