CHAIRMAN'S OPENING REMARKS 



A. S. McFARLANE 



With some notable exceptions, the biological use of isotopes 

 has lagged in Europe by comparison with America, and this 

 is a matter which has to be put right if the high standard of 

 European biological science is to be maintained. A step 

 towards doing this can be made by means of conferences with 

 our American colleagues and to-day we make an important 

 start in this direction. We are helped by having the example 

 of several similar post-war U.S. conferences to follow — 

 notably the meetings held at Wisconsin in 1947, and at Cold 

 Spring Harbor in 1948, and we are additionally fortunate in 

 being the guests of the Ciba Foundation. This will be the 

 tenth conference held by the Foundation and already a high 

 reputation has been established for efficiency. You will note 

 a main idea behind their organization, namely, strict limitation 

 of membership to people who are actively engaged in research 

 in the subject under discussion. Proceedings will be recorded, 

 but nothing will be published without the approval of the 

 speaker concerned. In the privacy of this room, and in the 

 company of kindred workers, it is hoped that discussion will 

 be full and only restrained by considerations of time. 



Everyone will agree, I am sure, that such a conference is 

 held most opportunely. Almost without exception, the Ciba 

 Foundation's invitations have been accepted and difficulties 

 of travelling largely ignored. One^ is tempted to enquire why 

 leading isotope users — all of them busy people — are prepared 

 to travel vast distances to be here. What is this conference 

 likely to offer that cannot be obtained at home by reading 

 the literature? In the few moments at my disposal I would 

 like to try to answer this. 



Biological application of isotopes has brought to light many 

 surprises, with which we are all familiar, but I think most 



ISOTOPES 1 2 



