STRATEGY 



which the objective is given and the means of obtaining it are 

 sought, and {b) that in which the discovery is first made and then 

 a use for it is sought. 



There exists in some circles a certain amount of intellectual 

 snobbery and tendency to look disdainfully on applied investiga- 

 tion. This attitude is based on the following two false ideas : 

 that new knowledge is only discovered by pure research while 

 applied research merely seeks to apply knowledge already avail- 

 able, and that pure research is a higher intellectual activity 

 because it requires greater scientific ability and is more difficult. 

 Both these ideas are quite wrong. Important new knowledge has 

 frequently arisen from applied investigation; for instance, the 

 science of bacteriology originated largely from Pasteur's investiga- 

 tions of practical problems in the beer, wine and silkworm 

 industries. Usually it is more difficult to get results in applied 

 research than in pure research, because the worker has to stick 

 to and solve a given problem instead of following any promising 

 clue that may turn up. Also in applied research most fields have 

 already been well worked over and many of the easy and 

 obvious things have been done. Applied research should not be 

 confused with the routine practice of some branch of science 

 where only the application of existing knowledge is attempted. 

 There is need for both pure and applied research for they tend 

 to be complementary. 



Practical problems very often require for their solution more 

 than the mere application of existing knowledge. Frequently 

 gaps in our knowledge are found that have to be filled in. 

 Furthermore, if applied research is limited to finding a solution 

 to the immediate problem without attempting to arrive at an 

 understanding of the underlying principles, the results will 

 probably be applicable only to the particular local problem and 

 will not have a wide general application. This may mean that 

 similar and related problems have to be investigated afresh, 

 whereas had the original investigation been done properly it 

 would have provided the solution to the others. Even an 

 apparently simple matter such as the practical development of 

 a discovery may present unsuspected difficulties. When the new 

 insecticide, gammexane, was adopted for use as a sheep dipping 

 fluid, very careful tests and field trials were conducted to deter- 



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