1913] Editoriais 33 ' 



agined paths for investigation. The directors of Hospitals are alive 

 to this fact, as is shown by the increasing demand for biological 

 chemists to cooperate with pathologists in the investigation of dis- 

 ease. Up to now relatively few men have been adequately trained 

 to be hospital chemists. What is required of them, and what will 

 be demanded of them more and more, is not the making of routine 

 analyses at the Suggestion of some attending physician, who in all 

 probability has but a vague idea of what he wants; but rather that, 

 unguided, they shall be able to discern in any disease process a defi- 

 nite problem for investigation, and shall be competent to establish 

 the conditions and conduct the details of suitable experimental re- 

 search thereon. In order to do this with any degree of success, a 

 hospital chemist must, in addition to his knowledge of biological 

 chemistry, have a fairly good understanding of general pathology 

 and bacteriology. It is not necessary that he be a physician, since 

 technical familiarity with the clinical aspects of disease will not be 

 reqnired of him. 



In the next decade, if not sooner, there will be a great demand 

 for this type of highly trained biological chemist. The beginning 

 of this demand is seen now in the growing number of biological 

 chemists attached to the main hospitals of our larger cities. These 

 chemists are on the same footing with the pathologists and the bac- 

 teriologists. Although at present their remuneration is not what it 

 should be, this will be remedied as soon as their value to hospitals 

 is clearly shown. This field of work should be particularly attrac- 

 tive to those who do not care for an academic career but who are 

 devoted to biochemical research and averse to commercial chemistry. 



In the fall of 191 1, when it was seriously proposed to merge the 



American Society of Biological Chemists into the American Physio- 



logical Society, we were among the many who objected to the plan 



Federation of °^ ^^^ ground that such a merger would be detri- 



American Societies mental to biological chemistry as a science and 



for Experimental as a profession — sufficient reason for dissenters, 



10 ogy ^^^^ •£ ^ mej-ger were ordered, to maintain the 



existence of an independent American Biochemical Society.^ In 



^Editorial: Biochemical Bulletin, 1911, i, p. 364. 



