OCEANOGRAPHY 1961 — PHASE 3 229 



Mr. Lennon. Now, is that in the field of health as related to 

 oceanography ? 



Professor Lewis. It is in the field of oceanographic projects that 

 are related to health considerations, both from the standpoint of de- 

 veloping drugs that will be useful in the treatment of disease and in 

 developing possible sources of food. 



But the significant thing, Mr. Lennon, is that these projects, even 

 though directed toward those specific ends, do contribute to the knowl- 

 edge of the ocean and therefore are a significant part of oceanographic 

 effort. 



It is significant also that these projects are in the basic research 

 area, if I may use that term, and therefore contribute much more 

 laiowledge as to the ocean environment than many of the Navy's proj- 

 ects of much larger magnitude dollarwise, but involving more ex- 

 penditures on hardware and therefore less directly related to the basic 

 science of the ocean. 



Mr. Miller. Will the gentleman yield ? 



I think. Professor, that in the over-all field of oceanography, in its 

 long-term haul, the biological phases will offset the physical phases 

 of it. 



Here is a source of food, a source of chemicals, all of which must be 

 exploited in the future to meet the population growth of the world, 

 and not only of the United States, There is the matter of pollution 

 control, that we have just barely touched on. And all of these things 

 have a direct bearing, particularly the biological phases of it, in 

 HEW, and a good many of them in the Public Health Service. That 

 is the reason they must be brought into the picture. 



As I reiterated before, our present effort has been along the line of 

 the national defense features, the physical oceanography. We have 

 to know the oceans, their tides, their depths, their currents, and their 

 geodesy. But in the long haul, in the biological phases of the ocean, 

 its fisheries and its other sources of food, food that other nations have 

 learned to exploit. 



One of the ingredients that keeps the icings on cakes from running, 

 is primarily a product of agar found in seaweed. It is harvested in 

 this country off the coast of California. It also finds its way in medi- 

 cal preparations. 



All of these things we seldom associate with the sea, but they do 

 come from the sea. And the Japanese are far ahead of us in this field. 

 There are products that come from the sea that can be used to supple- 

 ment our food that are very valuable, that in this country we have 

 never touched. 



Is that not right ? You know of this from your own experience. 



Professor Lewis. I would certainly subscribe to that, on the basis of 

 what I have read. However, I do not purport to be a scientist, and 

 my views on that are somewhat less than authoritative. 



Mr. Miller. Well, mine are, too, but I have listened to it not only 

 here, but in another capacity for a long time, and have come to firmly 

 believe it. 



So I think. Senator, this is one of the reasons why HEW sliould 

 be included in this bill. 



Mr. Lennon. Mr. Chairman, I think it is significant that the De- 

 partment of the Interior is listed in here, and certainly ought to be, 



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