From: Don Davis (dmd1@lehigh.edu)
Date: Feb 10, 2001
Subject: Curves on surfaces

A colleague would like to know a reference regarding the
following topic: What is the maximum number of disjoint,
pairwise non-homotopic, non-null-homotopic simple closed
curves that can be placed on an orientable surface of
genus g?  Actually, he would be satisfied with a proof
that this maximum number is finite for each g.  He
believes that he can prove this finiteness result by
induction on g, but would like something to refer to.

Don