The San Francisco call., 1910-01-24
LOEB ASSUMES Ills
NEW DUTIES JULY |
Sayant Confirms News of De-
cision to Join Rockefeller
Institute of New York
Created Sensation in Scientific
World With Book on
Theory of Life

RERKELEY, Jan. 23.-Prof. Jacques
Loeb. physician, psychologist and biolo-
gist whose researches, particularly in
regard TO the origin of life. have raised
him to position of authority and
eminence in the world of science and
who has been connected with the Uni
versity of California for the last seven
wears. confirmed today the news that
he had decided to leave Berkeley and
had accented the management of the
department of experimental biology
for medical research at the Rockefeller
institute in New York.
Il will assume my new duties July l,
when my years appointment at the
University of California expires" he
said. Apart from this 1 have nothing
further to say.
In the departure of Professor Loeb
the faculty feels that the university is
losing one of its strongest men. Since
coming here his work has attracted
wide attention, that on The Dynamics
of Living Matter creating a sensation
among scientists the world over. He
studied deeply into the general physical
constitution of living matter and the
the course of his researches along this
line succeeded in creating life through
artificial fertilization. His expert
ments were made on the unfertilized
egg of the sea urchin.
REFUTED FORMER THEORIES
The subject of creating life from
inanimate matter drew the savant into
the realm of heredity, and among his
volumes is one refuting theories on
heredity originated by De vries and
until then accepted as standard
While at the university he published
more than 200 volumes and reports.
most of them dealing with the prob
lem of the discovery of the germ of life.
OF late years he has been writing to a
large extent in German and French in
order to supply the demands in Europe
for his works. The estimation in which
European scientists hold Professor
Loeb was shown while he was on a
trip in Europe recently when he was
fairly showered with degrees Cam
bridge university honored him with the
degree of doctor of science and the
universities of Geneva and Leipzig con-
ferred .on him degree of doctor of
medicine
With the definite announcement of the
departure of Professor Loeb the faculty
is wondering as to who will be his sue
ceSSOf. so exalted Is the position he
holds that it is thought there will be
a great deal of difficulty in finding one
who will come near measuring to the
standard he has set.
TWO NAMES MENTIONED
DR.. i. w. Bancroft, assistant pro-
fessor of physiology. who has been
longest in the service of the university
and who has done some original re-
search work that has attracted consid-
erable attention, is named among some
as the one who will fill the vacancy
Another possible successor is Prof. T.
Brailsford Robertson, graduate of OK
ford university and a new member of
the faculty. Though yet young man
Professor Robertson is looked upon as
having few equals in the field of ex-
perimental biology and physiology.
The general belief is, however, that
his successor will be picked from an
eastern or European university and will
be selected by Doctor Wheeler on his
return from Berlin, where he is now
lecturing.
1t is commonly believed that Pro
fessor Loeb is now at work investigat-
ing the thory of death. He has made
reference to it from time to time, and
the general impression is that he will
his next volume. He raised the point in
one of his publications, pointing out the
ase of the giant redwoods in Califor-
MIA, the germs of which live for thou
sands of years.