﻿APPENDIX 
  8 
  

  

  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  DIVISION 
  OF 
  RADIATION 
  AND 
  

  

  ORGANISMS 
  

  

  Sir: 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  report 
  the 
  initial 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   new 
  Division 
  of 
  Radiation 
  and 
  Organisms 
  entered 
  upon 
  May 
  1, 
  1929. 
  

  

  The 
  purpose 
  of 
  this 
  division 
  is 
  to 
  undertake 
  those 
  investigations 
  of, 
  

   or 
  directly 
  related 
  to, 
  living 
  organisms 
  wherein 
  radiation 
  enters 
  as 
  

   an 
  important 
  factor. 
  Through 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  thoroughly 
  

   equipped 
  ph^^sical 
  and 
  chemical 
  laboratory 
  wherein 
  the 
  spectro- 
  

   scopic 
  side 
  is 
  most 
  emphasized, 
  investigations 
  of 
  biological 
  problems 
  

   can 
  be 
  undertaken 
  more 
  effectively 
  than 
  has 
  generally 
  been 
  possible. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  men 
  of 
  diverse 
  training 
  in 
  the 
  funda- 
  

   mental, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  immediate 
  biological 
  sciences, 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  to 
  

   secure 
  the 
  fullest 
  advantage 
  of 
  modern 
  specialization, 
  which 
  gener- 
  

   ally, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  presents 
  a 
  formidable 
  handicap 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  

   border 
  line 
  fields. 
  

  

  The 
  program 
  of 
  investigations 
  falls 
  into 
  two 
  main 
  divisions: 
  

  

  I. 
  Direct 
  investigation 
  upon 
  living 
  organisms. 
  

   II. 
  Fundamental 
  investigations 
  related 
  to 
  biological 
  problems. 
  

  

  1. 
  Molecular 
  structure 
  investigations. 
  

  

  2. 
  Photochemical 
  investigations. 
  

  

  Direct 
  investigations 
  upon 
  living 
  organisms 
  will, 
  for 
  the 
  present, 
  

   be 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  plants 
  under 
  rigidly 
  controlled 
  physi- 
  

   cal 
  and 
  chemical 
  conditions. 
  Soil 
  will 
  be 
  replaced 
  by 
  nutrient 
  solu- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  known 
  constitution. 
  The 
  gases 
  supplied 
  to 
  the 
  plants 
  will 
  

   be 
  of 
  known 
  and 
  controlled 
  amounts. 
  Not 
  only 
  the 
  temperature 
  and 
  

   humidity 
  but 
  the 
  intensity 
  and 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  light 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  measured 
  

   and 
  varied 
  during 
  the 
  experiments. 
  

  

  Understanding 
  of 
  biological 
  problems 
  is 
  greatly 
  hampered 
  by 
  the 
  

   lack 
  of 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  complicated 
  mole- 
  

   cules 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  living 
  organisms, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  lack 
  of 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  simpler 
  chemical 
  reactions 
  brought 
  about, 
  or 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  to, 
  by 
  radiant 
  energy. 
  The 
  most 
  promising 
  possibility 
  for 
  

   adding 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  molecular 
  structure 
  is 
  offered 
  by 
  spec- 
  

   troscopic 
  investigations; 
  that 
  is, 
  through 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  radiation 
  

   arising 
  from 
  the 
  internal 
  vibrations 
  of 
  the 
  molecules 
  themselves. 
  

   The 
  study 
  of 
  photochemical 
  phenomena 
  requires 
  both 
  spectroscopic 
  

   and 
  chemical 
  equipment. 
  

   102 
  

  

  