DR. WILEY'S RETIREMENT FROM THE BUREAU OF 



CHEMISTRY 



Quotations from Science and the Journal of the American 



Medical Association^ 



DR. WILEY'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT ACCOMPANYING HIS 

 RESIGNATION, MARCH 14, 1912 



On the 9th of April, 1883, I took the oath of office and entered 

 upon the discharge of my duties as chief of the Bureau of Chem- 

 istry, in the Department of Agriculture. For the past twenty-nine 

 years I have en^eavored to discharge these duties according to the 

 dictates of my conscience, the knowledge at my command and the 

 obligations of my oath. In retiring from this position after so 

 many years of Service it seems fitting that I should State briefly the 

 causes which have led me to this step. Without going into detail 

 respecting these causes, I desire to say that the fundamental one 

 is that I believe I can find opportunity for better and more effective 

 Service to the work which is nearest my heart, namely, the pure food 

 and drug Propaganda, as a private Citizen than I could any longer 

 do in my late position. 



In this action I do not intend in any way to reflect upon the 

 position which has been taken by my superior officers in regard to 

 the same problems. I accord to them the same right to act in ac- 

 cordance with their convictions which I claim for myself. 



After a quarter of a Century of constant discussion and effort, 

 the bill regulating interstate and foreign commerce in foods and 

 drugs was enacted into law. Almost from the very beginning of 

 the enforcement of this act I discovered that my point of view in 

 regard to it was fundamentally different from that of any of my 

 superiors in office. For nearly six years there has been a growing 

 feeling in my mind that these differences were irreconcilable, and 



^ Our own comment appears in the editorial section at the end of this 

 number, page 523. 



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