16. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL REQUIREMENTS 



Dr. Hugh J. McLellan 



Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas 

 College Station, Texas 



Occasionally I read in the Houston Post a syndicated colunnn 

 by someone, whose name escapes me, who very often lists things 

 that people get tired of hearing. One week it might be things that 

 a policeman gets tired of hearing, the next, the things a psychia- 

 trist gets tired of hearing, etc. These columns contain a careful 

 analysis of essential misunderstandings that make relations with 

 the public a trial for the men who are engaged in a selected 

 method of earning a livelihood. 



Recently, I have been thinking of what a column would look 

 like if it were "things that an oceanographer gets tired of hearing. " 

 At the top of the list would probably be: "Our company is emi- 

 nently situated to take care of all your instrumentation needs in 

 oceanography, both present and future. Mr. Blank of our engineer- 

 ing staff will call on you early next month, and we hope you will be 

 free to discuss some of your current problems. " 



To the perhaps 15 percent of all U. S. oceanographer s who 

 spend anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of their time talking to 

 Mr. Blank these days, this is one of the few tangible results of 

 the spate of publicity which has been given to oceanography during 

 recent years. Few among us had heard this gallant offer more 

 than 2 years ago. We did hear its equivalent, however, usually 

 froiTi young physicists and engineers who were interested in ocean 

 studies. 



They usually put it this way: "Gee, what a crude way to mea- 

 sure temperature. There are modern techniques by which it can 

 be done much better and much easier. " 



In those days it was not very hard to hire some of these 

 people and to give thenn a few odds and ends to work with. Some 

 of the more stubborn among them are still, fortunately, with us. 



Yet, the reversing thermometer of 1880 vintage is still the 

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