Section B.— CHEMISTRY, GEOLOGY, METALLURGY, 

 ML\ERALOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. 



President of the Section. — Prof. M. M. Rindl, Ing.D. 



TUESDAY, JULY 2>. 



The President delivered the following addre.ss : — 



Phytochemical Research. 



The need for the chemical and physiological investigation 

 of the toxic and medicinal indigenous plants of South Africa has 

 been the subject of many papers and addresses during the last 

 two decades. These publications, by the late Prof. MacOwan, 

 by Dr. Juritz, Prof. Marloth, and others, so eloquently review 

 , the present position of the subject, and so ably marshal the 

 arguments in favour of undertaking such work, that I can add 

 nothing new. It might be well, however, to emphasise again the 

 fact that many thousands of head of stock succumb annually in 

 consequence of eating poisonous plants, and that in dozens of 

 cases of poisoning or suspected poisoning by plants, malicious or 

 unintentional, the Public Prosecutor either declines to take action, 

 or the accused is acquitted for lack of evidence of the toxic 

 nature of the plant or extract administered. Figures are, unfor- 

 tunately, not available at all, or not sufficiently accessible to the 

 ])ublic. If statistics were collected, and if the widest publicity 

 were given through the medium of newspaper articles and lec- 

 tures, public interest might be aroused and a public opinion 

 created in connection with the question of scientific investiga- 

 tion. Much of our backwardness in the matter of scientific pro- 

 gress is due to the prevalent idea that research is only the hobby 

 of a few cranks. The recent decision of the Government to 

 afford official support and recognition to research, and to take 

 steps to ]>r(>mote the industrial development of the country, 

 again lends an enhanced interest to this problem, among many 

 others, and I have selected this subject for my address because 

 I feel that the time may now be opportune for making a few 

 positive suggestions as to how it may be successfully tackled, and 

 to point out the obstacles which beset the path of the investi- 

 gator who is thrown entirely upon his own resources. Fortu- 

 nately, much can be done with existing institutions, laboratories, 

 etc. ; an elaborate organisation, although desirable for the future. 

 is not necessary to make a beginning. 



Much of the work done hitherto has been carried out by the 

 Imperial Institute. As the Dominions Royal Commission in its 

 recent report recommends that the research functions of the 

 Imperial Institute be limited to work for India, the Crown 

 Colonies, and the Protectorates, and that the Dominions should 

 concentrate on the development of their own research institu- 

 tions, it becomes incumbent upon us to take over responsibility, 



