434 THE NEW WORLD OF SCIENCE 



Scientific and Industrial Research," by George Ellery 

 Hale and others ; Number 2, " Research Laboratories in 

 Industrial Establishments of the United States of 

 America," compiled by Alfred D. Flinn; and Number 3, 

 " Periodical Bibliographies and Abstracts for the Scien- 

 tific and Technological Journals of the World," compiled 

 by R. Cobb. It may be added in this general connection 

 that the Proceedings of the National Academy of 

 Sciences constitute the official organ of the National 

 Research Council, and that in addition to the record of 

 the Council's transactions, there are here published cer- 

 tain of its scientific contributions, including reports of its 

 more important committees. 

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It is out of the question within the limits of space available 

 to enter in any complete way upon the work of the seven Divi- 

 sions of Science and Technology, mentioned in the opening 

 paragraphs of this chapter. Including, as these do, the interests 

 of physics, mathematics, astronomy, geodesy, meteorology, 

 seismology, vulcanology, engineering in all its branches, 

 chemistry and chemical technology, geology and geography, the 

 medical sciences, zoology, botany, and agriculture, anthropology 

 and psychology, it would obviously be impracticable to attempt 

 any detailed description of the scientific research work which 

 is being developed. Two considerations, however, deserve 

 explicit emphasis. 



In the first place, these Divisions are composed of scientific 

 men, selected by their peers for their reputation as competent 

 investigators in their several fields of work. These groups 

 come together and discuss with exhaustive detail the most 

 urgent needs in their own research fields and the most prac- 

 ticable methods of meeting these. The projects which they 

 then decide upon as deserving immediate attention represent 

 the most mature and well-considered opinions of the men best 

 qualified to judge. In this sense the projects to which the 



