The result of this policy is that we have to-day a central scientific library in which are catalogued all the scientific books of the government.  Books needed by the several bureaus for frequent reference are placed where they can be used conveniently, and the card catalogue indicates where they are, so that they can readily be found.  In this way it has been possible to avoid much needless and expensive duplication.  The library now contains 26,652 bound volumes.

We were extremely fortunate in the men whose services we secured in the early days, and the volume of research work turned out was unexpectedly large.  The question of how best to arrange for the prompt publication of our results became urgent, and in the end we answered it by publishing the Philippine Journal of Science, now in its eighth year and with an assured and enviable position among the scientific journals of the world.

In the early days before we knew what we now know about the preservation of health in tropical countries there was a deal of sickness among government officers and employees.  While the army was more than liberal in helping us meet the conditions which arose, it was of course very necessary that we should establish our own hospital as soon as possible.

On October 12, 1901, the so-called “Civil Hospital” was opened in a large private dwelling, obtained, as we then fondly imagined, merely as a temporary expedient.  Together with two adjoining and even smaller buildings it continued to be our only place for the treatment of ordinary medical and surgical cases until September 1, 1910!  I can here only very briefly outline the causes of this long delay.

At the outset the building was large enough to meet immediate needs.  At the time when it began to grow inadequate there was a plan on foot for a large private institution, in which the government was to secure accommodations for its patients, and a hospital building was actually erected, but interest in this project waned, the private backing which was believed to have been assured for it failed, and the whole scheme went by the board.  Then plans for a great general hospital were called for.  A very large amount of time was consumed in their preparation and when they were finished the expense involved in carrying them out was found to be far beyond the means of the government.  Ultimately I was charged with the duty of securing other plans involving a more moderate expenditure.  Again long delay necessarily ensued.  When semi-final plans were submitted, the consulting architect insisted on a series of arches along the sides of the several ward pavilions which were doubtless most satisfying from an artistic point of view, but would have shut off light and fresh air to an extent which I could not tolerate.  A three months’ deadlock was finally broken by his acceding to my wishes, but in October, 1906, just as the completed plans were finally ready to submit to the commission,