394 | ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1946 
in the Tropics. Limitations in the supply of blood plasma have led 
to a search for blood substitutes and this has already yielded many 
valuable results far outside the limits of the original problem. Food 
is one of the most important factors in war. This is not only a mat- 
ter of vitamins but of energy-supplying substances and minerals as 
well. Insufficiency leads to fatigue, lessened industrial efficiency, 
lowered morale, and finally to unrest, riot, and revolution. An ample 
reserve of fat ad oil is important Bounce these contain the largest 
amount of potential energy of any of the foods. We have none too 
ample a supply. Scurvy would have been a serious problem in the 
British Isles had it not been possible to furnish synthetic ascorbic 
acid in the place of the far bulkier citrus fruits for the shipments of 
which tonnage was lacking. We must meet food deficiencies in coun- 
tries now being occupied and must stamp out the infectious diseases 
which always become rampant under such conditions and plague not 
only the immediate region but by their spread endanger the whole 
world. 
When the full story of the role of science in the war effort is told, 
it will appear as an example of “teamwork and cooperation in coordi- 
nating scientific research and in applying existing scientific knowledge 
to the solution of the technical problems paramount in war,” of which 
we will all be proud. This coordination has been organized by the 
Office of Scientific Research and Development under the leadership of 
Dr. Vannevar Bush. The above quotation is taken from a letter ad- 
dressed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Dr. Bush (Science, vol. 
100, p. 542, (Dec. 15) 1944. The public is not aware of the ramifica- 
tions of this work because for reasons of security much of it has 
necessarily had to be conducted in secrecy. “Its tangible results can 
be found in the communiques coming from the battlefronts all over 
the world” (loc. cit.). Thousands of scientists in universities and in 
private industry are engaged in this work. The development of peni- . 
cillin and the attack on malaria are only two examples of the results 
of this coordinated effort in the medical field. This work, valuable in 
war, will be just as important in peace for “the annual deaths in this 
country from one or two diseases alone are far in excess of the total 
number of lives lost by us in battle during the war” (loc. cit.). 
THE SUM TOTAL 
One way of measuring the results of advancements in medical science 
is the statistical. How long did the average newborn child live in 
former times, and what is its life expectancy today? What is the life 
expectancy at other ages? How much has infant mortality been 
reduced ? 
During the industrial revolution in England when mothers began 
working in factories and were forced to leave their infants with wet 
