Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-17
u. S. AWAKENs TO NEED
OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
MANY Have Overlooked Value OF
Investigators Of Science to
Worlds Progress.
COLLEGES LEAD MOVEMENT
Universities OF America Producing
Men Who Arc "Pottcring" Day and
Night in Laboratories to Advance
Civilization.
ny p,R1<HuHsT WHITNEY.

NEW YORK. August ia man
pottering about in a slightly odorous
laboratory among test tubes and re-
forts has not been the subject OF much
great American fiction. The popular
ncUrc is more likely 10 be the hust-
ling young salesman who lands an
4. order for 10000 boxes or simpsons
r'Soap. II any thought is given to the
.lDrobahly connected with some passing
comment on nuts" though little
Investigation might easily show that
.tthe success Of the marvellous cleaning
preparation was almost entirely at
cributahle To the tircless researches of
tina; same nut"
ono OF those neglected figures be-
came Interested u good many years
ago in a country tradition in Glouces-
=;ershire, ENGLAND. 10 the effect that
sdairy maids who contracted cowpoX
s,hrouEh milking did not take small
spoX. III those days smallpox was a
after Edward .lenncr had transferred
his observations OF tho country tradi-
lion TO his laboratory and test tubes
the greatly dreaded disease lost much
OF its terror Jcnncr's undramatic re-
searches save 10 the world the theory
OF vaccination.
" fnstur's rottcrfnEs Epochal.
Pasteur pottered around his lahora-'
/. tial processes of fermen tation and
= modern surgery rests upon his discov-
. cries. young surgeon in Glasgow.
= Joseph Lister another young man who
tt!nkered with test tubes, had an
: opinion that germs which caused in
lection of wounds came from the out
side He applied Pasteur's principles
: TO the treatment. and from that begin
= ming modern surgery took its rise.
Z The application OF these instances to
: conditions in the United States is par
ticulariy appropriate at the present
time. The war has shown this coun-
try and. indeed, the world. with the
possible exception Of Germany, just
how vital 10 humanity is research in
, the field Of Industrial and physiolog zeal
chemistry. PruSsian military strength
lay as much in her laboratories as in
her general STAFF. All the world suf-
4 fered for dyestuns when Germany was
shut off from the world. and chiefly,
because Germany alone had fostcred
and encouraged research.
War Opened Americans Eyen.
Such marked consideration for re-
search was bound to be felt in Ger
many and in the world, and America
felt Il acutcly when she went TO war.
for she had allowed Germany to do
her chemistry for her. This is one Of
the war, and it is interesting to note
that there is a stir among American
universities. an intention to make the
,country sufficient 10 herself in re-
search.
Our own government has pursued a
,wilful course Of blindman's bluff in
.thiS direction. To paraphraSe an old
saw her motto has ever been, Mil
lions for commerce. but not cent for
research" Hence. i. has remained for
The American college to proceed as
best 1t could upon the far too few do
nations of its alumni and of the oc-
casional ph!lanthropist.
Harvnrd'S Great Program.
One great university. Harvard has
foreseen this condition and is endeav-
oring 20 prepare against the future
through the launching of camDa gin
Tor an endowment fund OF $4,000. 600.
The campaign Will start in the fall
and Al least 1000. 600 will be devoted
to the development OF the university's
chemistry department.
Recently a comparatively young man
at Harvard University contributed
some valuable discoveries to the pres
sing food problem. Another Harvard
professor is in the laboratory applying
the principles that gave synthetic indi-
60 70 the world.
Food From the Air.
:. He is observing the process by which
the Plant transforms carbonic oxide
gas and water into carbohydrate.
turns that into sugar, and then into
starch, in which form Il can be per
manent!y preserved. This man in
other words, - trying 20 discover A
method by which food can be produced
cut or sunshine, air and water. \ few
discoveries OF that sort, and the coun-
try viii not longer be thrown into
pan n 10y rumoTa of failure of the