﻿82 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  4 
  

  

  utility 
  to 
  the 
  Nation. 
  One 
  result 
  was 
  the 
  promulgation 
  of 
  stricter 
  

   rules 
  and 
  more 
  definite 
  instructions 
  and 
  the 
  placing 
  of 
  greater 
  limita- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  freedom 
  of 
  the 
  individual. 
  By 
  far 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  

   result 
  was 
  the 
  realization 
  by 
  the 
  higher 
  Government 
  officials 
  of 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  science 
  in 
  solving 
  problems 
  of 
  national 
  economics. 
  This 
  

   realization 
  has 
  ever 
  since 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  potent 
  influences 
  in 
  

   directing 
  Federal 
  research 
  toward 
  problems 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  public 
  

   welfare. 
  

  

  Certain 
  conditions 
  that 
  are 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientific 
  service 
  

   have 
  been 
  noted; 
  others 
  will 
  now 
  be 
  mentioned. 
  Those 
  noted 
  have 
  

   played 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  Governmental 
  research 
  

   during 
  its 
  century 
  of 
  growth 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  bureau 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  investi- 
  

   gators 
  to 
  two 
  score 
  institutions 
  manned 
  by 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  thousand 
  

   scientists. 
  Far 
  more 
  important 
  to 
  this 
  evolution 
  and 
  indeed 
  an 
  

   integral 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  advance 
  of 
  science 
  itself 
  and 
  a 
  change 
  both 
  

   in 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  investigator 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  broadening 
  of 
  his 
  ideals. 
  

   These 
  changes 
  are 
  worldwide; 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  Federal 
  

   service. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  well, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  trace 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  factors 
  in- 
  

   volved 
  in 
  the 
  genesis 
  of 
  modern 
  methods 
  and 
  ideals 
  of 
  research. 
  

  

  Three 
  facts 
  stand 
  out 
  clearly: 
  First, 
  science 
  has 
  become 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   fession 
  — 
  ^it 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  an 
  avocation 
  of 
  men 
  engaged 
  mainly 
  in 
  some 
  

   other 
  calling; 
  second, 
  science 
  has 
  become 
  organized 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  now 
  

   advanced 
  solely 
  by 
  uncoordinated 
  individual 
  effort; 
  third, 
  science 
  by 
  

   becoming 
  more 
  exact 
  has 
  become 
  more 
  useful. 
  The 
  transition 
  from 
  

   the 
  old 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  era 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  synchronous 
  in 
  all 
  sciences. 
  Medi- 
  

   cine 
  was 
  a 
  profession 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  modern 
  epoch 
  of 
  science. 
  The 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  astronomer 
  and 
  geodesist 
  was 
  professional, 
  organized, 
  and 
  

   useful 
  long 
  before 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  naturalist. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  opinion 
  

   as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  three 
  facts 
  above 
  set 
  forth 
  are 
  chiefly 
  the 
  cause 
  or 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  science. 
  Until 
  the 
  investigator 
  could 
  give 
  his 
  

   full 
  time 
  to 
  research, 
  progress 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  only 
  by 
  halting 
  steps. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  until 
  industry 
  found 
  science 
  useful 
  not 
  many 
  

   professional 
  positions 
  could 
  be 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  investigator. 
  Again, 
  

   the 
  multiplication 
  of 
  scientific 
  researches 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  demands 
  of 
  

   industry 
  called 
  for 
  better 
  organization, 
  and 
  this 
  again 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  

   advance 
  of 
  science. 
  

  

  The 
  professional 
  scientist 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  scientist 
  who 
  gives 
  his 
  

   entire 
  time 
  to 
  investigation, 
  is 
  a 
  comparatively 
  new 
  figure. 
  A 
  genera- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  two 
  ago 
  he 
  hardly 
  existed; 
  anyone 
  who 
  undertook 
  research 
  

   then 
  had 
  to 
  support 
  himself 
  by 
  teaching 
  or 
  by 
  some 
  occupation 
  re- 
  

  

  