20 president's address. 



have made our scientific observations in our leisure time. Even 

 those of us employed in our Universities soon learn from 

 those under whom we work that teaching and not scientific 

 inv'estigation is what the University demands. We learn that 

 it gives greater satisfaction if no scientific research is done, since 

 the absence of scientific investigation shows that there cannot 

 have been any leisure time in which it could be done. It is only 

 a few years ago that the Senate of the University of Sydney 

 was informed by the President of the Professorial Board that 

 only those with leisure from teaching duties did any research 

 work. The attitude of official discouragement should be re- 

 moved. It seems to me desirable that young graduates should 

 be promoted more often w^hen they do research work. Some 

 have seen those who have never made a single original observa- 

 tion placed above others who have spent three or four years in 

 research after graduation. We often find the attitude that it 

 were better that a problem be not studied at all than that we 

 should study it. I once suggested to the late President of the 

 Board of Health that it would be a fortunate day when every 

 town in New South Wales was the home of one biochemist making 

 investigations in respect to the people's food. To my surprise, 

 his answer expressed the hope that not a single biochemist 

 would meddle with the affairs of the Department of Public 

 Health. The opinion is held by many holding positions in the 

 educational and professional services that it is better that 

 scientific research should not be done at all than it should be 

 done by Australian graduates or by those trained in this country. 

 Many of the Members of this Societ}^ will have had experience 

 of the contempt for their capacity, training, and public utilitj- 

 exhibited by some holding high official stations in our University, 

 our Department of Public Instruction, our Civil Service, and our 

 learned professions. Scientific research is little I'egarded. Few 

 attempts are made by the official bodies connected with scientific 

 work to assist the progress of investigation. The research 

 student finds that it often takes longer to fight for the material 

 with which he wishes to work, in order that he may have the 

 opportunity to conduct his research, than to carry out the actual 



