SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH 243 



growth of microscopic life in organic materials, there can be 

 no putrefaction where all living germs have been destroyed, 

 by heat or other means, and where new germs cannot obtain 

 access. The chemical processes which underlie so many 

 industries have all been built upon the fundamental theory 

 of chemical combination, which was elaborated during the 

 latter half of the eighteenth and the first half of the nine- 

 teenth century. The generalizations of physical science 

 regarding the indestructibility of matter and energy are 

 similarly important. 



We all recognize with Leonardo, that " science gives 

 certainty and science gives power. " We also recognize that 

 only by painstaking effort can scientific knowledge be 

 obtained. We commonly fail to recognize the nature of the 

 scientific studies which have preceded the discovery of many 

 facts applicable to our daily lives. The scientific discov- 

 eries of the past constitute the foundations of life in civilized 

 communities as well as of modern industry; and the scien- 

 tific discoveries of the present will, if we do our share, be as 

 vital in the lives of future generations. We should eliminate 

 from our minds the terms pure and applied science. This 

 distinction is a false one, because no line of separation exists. 

 On every hand, discoveries of a theoretical and general 

 nature are of practical value; and, conversely, practical 

 achievements are a continual stimulus to further investiga- 

 tions along theoretical lines. These in turn influence prac- 

 tice in new and wholly unexpected ways. 



Any research that promises substantial additions to 

 knowledge is worth doing in the present, because in the past 

 such work has often yielded results undreamed of at its 

 inception. The history of science urges us to the continua- 

 tion of theoretical and non-utilitarian investigation in the 

 present, however much we may be tempted to press the 

 more obviously utilitarian lines of study. Research along 

 lines immediately useful will take care of itself, for we are all 

 convinced that it is worth while. But where the immediate 



