CHAPTER XVIII.
The Cooerdination of Scientific Work When Americans landed at Manila, they found no government institutions for the training of physicians and surgeons and no hospital in any sense modern or indeed worthy of the name.
There did exist the equipment of what had been called a municipal laboratory, outfitted for a limited amount of chemical work only.
When the Philippine Commission arrived on the scene, it fell to my lot to draft the necessary legislation for placing scientific work on a firm foundation, and, later, as secretary of the interior, to exercise ultimate executive control over practically all such work carried on under the insular government.
The complete initial lack of adequate hospital facilities and of means for making chemical and bacteriological investigations had been promptly remedied by the establishment of army hospitals and an army laboratory.

Although these could not be placed fully at the service of the public, they nevertheless bridged the gap for the time being, and in formulating laws and making plans for the future I was inclined to say, "Blessed be nothing," as we were not hampered by useless employees or archaic equipment, but were left free to make a clean start.
I had thoroughly learned one lesson at the University of Michigan while a member of its zooelogical staff.

We had a zooelogical laboratory in which were conducted the zooelogical half of a course in general biology and numerous other courses in animal morphology, mammalian anatomy, comparative anatomy and embryology.

There was also a botanical laboratory in which all of the botanical work of the institution was carried on.

This did not involve any overlapping, but there was overlapping of the work of the zooelogical laboratory and that of the medical department, which had an anatomical laboratory, a histological laboratory, a pathological laboratory and a so-called hygienic laboratory.