Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 77.djvu/227

Rh the direction of a member of the scientific staff, who is at the same time devoting his life to research in his own special field of natural history. At present the staff is organized as follows: Professor Dr. Mayer and Dr. Gross, morphology; Dr. Burian, comparative physiology; Dr. Henze, chemistry; Dr. Gast, the museum. One of the founder's first associates, Professor Dr. Eisig, now enjoying the benefit of the station's pension system, is still pursuing his life-work upon the annelids. The veteran secretary, Hermann Linden, assists in looking after the voluminous correspondence, and the local business with the city authorities, the railway, post and customs. A trained engineer and assisting machinists care for the electric motors, steam-engines, pumps and complicated network of gas, salt-and fresh-water pipes. In an especially equipped workshop a trained mechanic makes the instruments for experimental investigations. Dr. Lo Bianco developed beyond rivalry the department for the supply of animals and plants, either living for exhibition in the aquarium, or for the many workers in the various laboratories, or as perfectly preserved specimens for museums and investigators all over the world. Since the recent death of Dr. Lo Bianco his former assistant Sig. Santorelli has taken charge of this department. For collecting there is a fleet of well-manned boats, including the steamers Johannes Müller and Francis Balfour supplied with steam winding reel for the dredges and trawls, and all sorts of nets and other necessary apparatus.

In 1885 Dohrn elaborated a plan of a floating laboratory for the extension of the work in marine biology. For this purpose a war-ship is too expensive to maintain and too ill adapted to the needs of investigation besides generally involving political and other interests distracting to biological research. An ordinary steamship would not be much better, so Dohrn planned a specially constructed and well-equipped