68 burgess: science and after- war period 



ally available the research facilities and scientific men of the capi- 

 tal. 



During the war the scientific men of the country have been 

 thrown into close association with each other, perhaps even 

 closer in many instances than in pre-war times in spite of the 

 decrease of attendance at scientific meetings and in the number 

 of such meetings ; in addition, there have been developed, as never 

 before, acquaintance and cooperation of the men of science 

 of this and the aUied countries; and not only the men of one 

 science have been thrown together but representatives of what 

 we ordinarily consider very diverse sciences have been brought 

 into close personal and professional contact. All this makes 

 for the unity of science and the broadening of scientific men. 

 It would seem desirable to make an effort to perpetuate this 

 habit of association of scientific men from dijfferent countries. 

 You will recall that in 19 14 there were projected several inter- 

 national congresses in science and engineering. Would it not 

 be well, as soon as circumstances permit, at least to revive these 

 projected congresses with such limitations as comply with the 

 conclusions reached recently in London by representatives of the 

 National Academies of the Inter- Allied Nations? 



SCIENTIFIC PUBUCATIONS 



A very important matter, that has been held generally in 

 abeyance by the war, which will soon again require the serious 

 attention of scientific gatherings, is that of the poHcies regard- 

 ing scientific pubUcations. Very definite proposals have been 

 discussed recently in England looking particularly to the avoid- 

 ance of duphcation, confusion, and other anomaUes in scientific 

 Uterature and to its more effective distribution. This question 

 again is a variant of the standardization problem and is further 

 compHcated by interests or prejudices, both national and pro- 

 fessional, of numerous societies representing often, if not com- 

 peting, yet overlapping fields of science. For any particular 

 branch of science, there are also the international aspects to be 

 considered including the question of language; and it is within 

 the bounds of possibility, for example, that there will occur a 



