PRESIDENl's ADDRESS — SECTION B. 39 



The advancement of chemiitiy as a profession is seiiously endan- 

 gered by svich a practice as this. We must begin by taking omr- 

 selves and our profession seriously, if we wish to be taken seiiously 

 by the members of other professions, and admitted by them to 

 equal professional status. 



On the whole the general university curriculum for a science 

 degree in chemistry has come out well from the test of the past 

 few years. A broad and thorough training in pure inorganic, 

 organic and physical chemistry and chemical thermodynamics, 

 together with a good working knowledge of mathematics, physics 

 and modern languages (including English), has shown itself to be 

 the only satisfactory basis for any chemical career worth, having. 

 For teaching and for research in pure chemistry a training ou these 

 lines would appear to- sufl&ce. But the number of chemists who 

 are disposed to, or are fitted for, these fields of work will always 

 be limited ; and the majority will have tO' seek their living as 

 analysts or consultants or in the industrial field. For industrial 

 chemists in general some knowledge of engineering is a. great 

 advantage, as, even when they do not themselves undertake the 

 design and erection of plant, it enables them to discuss with en- 

 gineers problems which are common to both, m language which 

 the engineer understands. For those who intend to specialise as 

 engineer chemists or chemical engineers a training in engineering 

 as well as in chemistry is of course essential. In this connexion a 

 perusal of the report of the Discussion on The Training and Work 

 of the ditmical Knfjinecr, held by the Faraday Society in London 

 nearly four years ago, may be recommended. 



The consensus of competent opinion in Britain at the present 

 time is that a chemist, tO' be worthy of the name, should have had 

 a systematic day training in all important branches of chemistry, 

 extending over at least four years and leading tO' a B.Sc. degree 

 with first or second class hoiicurs in chemistry at the end of it. 

 This qualification is now accepted as a minimum for admission 

 to the Associateship of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain 

 and Ireland. That Institute will, however, admit candidates for 

 the Associateshipi who have obtained their training in evening 

 classes, provided that this training has extended over at lea-'t five 

 years, and that during that period they have been engaged in 

 chemical work in the daytime. In the United States a high stan- 

 dard of training for chemists is also required. A Committee of 

 the American Chemical Society recently reported that the train- 

 ing of a professional chemist should extend over not less than five 

 years, the final year being devoted chiefly to training in research. 

 This last is a very important provision, because success in indus- 

 trial, as in academic chemistry, depends on ability to attack 

 new problems and to strike out into new lines of thought. There 

 has been too great a tendency on the part ol British trained 

 1084.— 5 



