PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS — SECTION B. i,() 



owino- to the l)asic nature of chemistry itself, and was t^entratly 

 only successful when the chemistry demanded was of a coiti- 

 paratively simple order. One can, for instance, hardly imagine 

 a manufacturer of rubber goods turning chemist and discover- 

 ing synthetic rubber, whereas it requires no stretch of imagina- 

 tion at all to visualise the chemist switching from the small scale 

 to the large scale and turning manufacturer. Our modern 

 millionaire chemists, like Sir George Beilby, are examples. 



The chemists who crossed the borderline, not into industry 

 but into other pure sciences, w'cre men actuated chiefly by the 

 simple love of research, and who saw there profitable fields for 

 fresh discovery and " scientific reputation." A borderline 

 science " in process of becoming" is always a fruitful field for 

 the enquiring spirit, tired of the beaten track, and relatively 

 careless of gain. And of such is the Kingdom of Science. 

 Fortunately for the world's progress, man's rise from the beasts 

 has bred a big .sprinkling, who care more for high thinking than 

 high living, and who are satisfied with a competency and an 

 inteliectual life. For the benefit of our national administrators 

 kt us hasten to emphasise that there is no fundamental incom- 

 patibility between high thinking and high living ; that the world's 

 masterpieces of art were painted on pork-chops, and that even 

 the purest of scientific palates can appreciate a little sherry in 

 the trifle! 



In the border-lines between two pure sciences it frequently 

 happened that men came over into the new territory from both 

 sides. Thus in that branch of Biochemistry which lies at the 

 junction of Chemistry and Physiology, and is still young, chemists 

 have gone over into Physiology, and physiologists come over 

 into Chemistry ; becoming then " Physiological Chemists " or 

 " Chemical Physiologists," according to their starting-points or 

 their bias. Although the investigating temperament is not one 

 Avhich depends upon its past academic education for its knowledge 

 throughout life, but is student all its days, it is still true that the 

 early bias tends to reflect itself in all the subsequent work of the 

 investigator, and early training is a matter of no small importance. 



The best work is frequently accomplished by collaboration 

 between different investigators crossing into the same territory 

 from different sciences. Each then brings the sipecialised 

 technique, ideas, and cast of mind, characteristic of his own 

 science. Sound collaboration between equals is the best way 

 of developing new sciences or of applying old sciences to new 

 problems. The very prejudices of each science can then be 

 turned to account — flint striking on flint generating the sparks of 

 truth. 



So long, then, as any science is in its infancy, it can only 

 have one mode of development — fission from existing sciences. 

 Orthodox training is not yet provided, and the science is 

 dependent wholly upon private enterprise ; upon " iforeign 

 adventurers," of whom any country may be justly proud. As 



