Evening star., 1950-10-31
In the Year 1000 A.D.
By Alvin S. Mccoy
North American Newspaper AlIiones

North American Newspaper Alones
KANSAS CITY, Oct. 31.-To
find out what science may hold in
store for men in the next so years
: of broadening knowledge and 'ac-
celebrating progress, the Kansas
City section of the American
Chemical Society preparing to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of
it's chartering-asked the leaders
- Of American science.
While agreeing generally that
more progress would be achieved
in understanding of that greatest
mystery of altman himself and
the life process-than in comic
strip jockeyings aboard rockets to
distant planets, many were willing
to hazard more specific educated
guesses in their respective fields
of specialization.
For instance, DR.. Edward Bar
ton, chairman, department of
chemistry and chemical engineer
ing, State University of Iowa, Iowa
City, Iowa, and charter member
OF the Kansas City section, con-
fined his forecasts to the field of
water and sanitation:
las the population increases it
is becoming more difficult to get
an abundant supply of pure wa
ter in all parts of the country.
Those who live near large bodies
OF fresh water have an advantage
over those living farther inland.
Efforts will be made to conserve
water by building reservoirs to
take care of such situations as
developed recently in New York
City and by building pipelines to
parts of the country where both
ground water and surface water
are available, as for example, the
Los Angeles area in California.
More and more inland cities will
depend upon pipelines from the
larger bodies of fresh water-as.
for example, suburban districts
near Chicago. No economical proc
ess seems possible to convert sea
water into drinking water supply.
Progress in Sanitation.
More stress will be laid on the
adequate disposal of sewage so
that bodies of fresh water, either
streams or lakes. may be pro-
tected. 1t may not be possible to
restore streams to their original
purity: but, with adequate meth
ods OF sewage disposal and ade-
ouate methods of publication, wa
ter supplies will be protected.
In sanitation much has already
been done to reduce the incidence
Of water-bor diseases. The sani-
tation of water supplies is so
closely connected with sewage
treatment and water sanitation
that we may expect complete
elimination of water-borne dis
eases throughout much of the
world"
DR.. Ray @. Brewster, chairman,
department of chemistry. Uniyer-
sity of Kansas, Lawrence, said his
forecast for organic chemistry "is
ather conservative, so I believe It
will not be far from the truth"
Entirely new discoveries will
certainly be made in the next so
years, but it is quite likely that
our greatest progress will be at
tanned through the development
OF things already known. Three
such developments seem rather
obvious.
New Uses for Chemicals.
Il. During the next half-cen-
tury organic chemists will greatly
expand their list of compounds
produced by their predecessors.
Useful applications of these new
substances, as we'll as of the null
titude of compounds which we
now have but for which no use
has been found, will be truly
amazing.
"Just as sulfanilamide and DDT
were known for several decades
before any one established the
anti-streptococcic activity of the
one or the insect-repellent prop
erty of the other, so many old
and new compounds will be found
suitable for a great many useful
purposes.
In the year 1000 AID, the de-
velopment of synthetic medicinal
substances for the treatment of
disease will have progressed so far
that men of that day will look
upon the 1850 achievements,
which we consider so advanced,
and in which we rightly take
great pride, as marking but the
opening phase of the application
OF synthetic chemistry to the
making of important medicinal
agents.
"Clinically useful substances for
the control or cure of arthritis,
pernicious anemia, Emphatic leu
kemia. and even cancer will in
all probability be available two
generations hence.
20. In industrial fields the de-
velopmentS of organic chemistry