Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-07
Conquest by Science

In referring TO the reasons for hold
~. w. w. Campbell. In speech be-
fore IN. american Association FOR the
Advancement OF Science. said that In
directly the exposition was the out
Gene OF one OF the numerous conaucsts
hy science which have been carried out
in recent years. The exposition is be
ing hello 70 celebrate the opening OF
the Panama Canal. but the digging Of
the canal woulG never nave been pos
siDie without the application OF science
20 certain preliminary problems which
the promoters of the project had to
face. And the solution of these prob
lens hoTan almost with the beginning
Of modern scientific knowledge. Ma
,ar!al antf yellow fever Infection was
the stumbling" block which had dis
courarcG others who had attempted to
make n water passage between Tho At
lantic and the Pncihc. and II was In
the conquest OF these that pure and
applied science demonstrated to the
world thu. /, was factor TO I've re-
garGed with great deal of respect.
Back OF Pastcur, Lister and Koch. to
whom the civilized world owes debt
greater than almost ans other, were
such men as Vcsa!!us. who began his
anatomical dissections about 1880:
Harvey. who discovered the circula-
ton of the blood about 1916: Hooker.
who introduced the microscope, about
1865; Lecuwenhcck. who discovered
protozoa in 1878 and bacteria In 1857
and others OF less Importance. After
the contributions of Pasteur, Lister
and Koch IN bacteriology, came the in
vestlGations OF Reed and others upon
yellow fever infection. and OF Laveran,
Manson and Ross upon malarial int
lection. Later came Drs. LaZear and
Carroll, who Investigated yellow fever
IN Cuaa i'm 1890. Their lives were often
risked In their experiments. and, f1nal-
~. Dr. Laaear gave his life In An eff
fort to find the cause OF the fever.
When the United States began to
make plans for the canal. 1t made care
full Investigations and found that OF
the eighteen engineers sent by France
to what is now known as canal zone,
but one was alive at the end OF thirty
days, and twelve OF the thirty-si
nurses sent with the original medical
corps lost their lives, while the labor
ers died by the thousands But LaZear
had shown the way, and before con-
struction was begun. the knowledge
for which he had given his life was
applied to conditions as agents of this
government found them. Even had 1t
been possible to complete the canal
In spite OF malaria and yellow fever.
the ships passing through it would
have carried the dread disease into
every port of the world, and the canal
would have been more n menace TO
the world than 4 benefit.
While Or. Campbell deplores the APP
plication Of science to the killing ana
Gripping OF men In the present war.
he points to the progress I'm medical
science which has made IL possible 10
save n larger proportion of the wound
cd than has heretofore heen possible.
He believes that science should not be
blamed for the part which It's practi-
chi application IS playing In the war.
Iio says. "a conhaEration may burn a
great city; but the inhabitants of that
city do not ask that fire. the most
uaeful servant OF the human race. shall
he banished from their daily lives"
He points out that the scientific spirit
lis all but unknown among the Turks,
the Moroccans. the Mohammedans in
general, tho Tindus, tho Egyptians
and the Chinese, and these unscientiiic
nations are threatened with absorp-
tion by their more scientific neigh
bors. According to this theory, the
test of the strength OF nations in
fuencc Ia its scientific attachments,
and II is by this method that tho con-
quests OF tho future will be made