334 



NA TURE 



[September 9, 1922 



structure in which it ends that causes it to stop abruptly 

 the process going on ? In other words, are there two 

 opposite processes of excitation and inhibition, similar 

 in nature but opposite in sign ? We come across the 

 old problem of duality, of some philosophical interest. 

 The question as to the existence of positive and negative 

 electricity, as in the nucleus and electrons of an atom, 

 is a cognate one, and we are reminded of the frequent 

 physiological opposition between anions and cations. 



With respect to the hope or probability of further 

 progress in the explanation of vital processes, Sir 

 Charles Sherrington directs attention to the justifica- 

 tion that what has already been done gives us in 

 believing that " further application of physics and 

 chemistry will furnish a competent key'' to many 

 mechanisms. Although we may not be able to con- 

 struct such mechanisms ourselves, we may understand 

 the principles on which they work, somewhat as a man 

 may be able to explain how an electro-motor works, 

 notwithstanding that he may not have the skill to 

 make one. There are, however, other things, more 

 particularly concerned with growth and development, 

 which we, as yet, are a long way from comprehending. 

 W hat it is that makes a living creature a united whole 

 and " how the mind is connected with its bodily place " 

 belong to these. The question is asked, "Can we 

 suppose a unified entity which is part mechanism and 

 part not ? " 



The latter part of the address is devoted to some 

 important relations of the physiology of the brain to 

 the doctrines oi psychology and sociology. We must 

 not leave out of consideration the combination of 

 individuals into social organisms, " new in the history 

 of the world." Man must feel that to rebel against 

 this great supra-individual process " would be to sink 

 lower rather than to continue his own evolution 

 upward." 



There are many apposite points brought out in the 

 discussion on the " mental " functions of the brain- 

 We know that the integrity of certain parts of the brain 

 is essential for mental activity, while what we call the 

 lower levels are non-mental. Since we step from one 

 world to another, as it were, when we pass from a 

 nerve impulse to a psychical event, we might expect 

 that there would be some striking change of structure 

 when we cross the boundary between the non-mental 

 and the mental regions of the brain. But we find the 

 " same old structural elements." " The structural inter- 

 connexions are richer, but that is merely a quantitative 

 change." Another difficult problem is the position of 

 psychical events in the energy balance-sheet of the 

 body. Do they take their place in obeying the first law 

 of energetics ? But the whole of this discussion must 

 be read in the address itself to be properly appreciated. 

 NO. 2758, VOL. Iio] 



The United States Chemical Foundation. 



EARLY in July last, President Harding instructed 

 the Alien Property Custodian of the United 

 States to demand the return of all patents, trade 

 marks, etc., which had been sold to the Chemical 

 Foundation, on the ground that " the sale was made 

 at so nearly a nominal sum that there is reason to 

 believe that this government has not faithfully ob- 

 served the trust which was implied in the seizure of this 

 property." The birth of theFoundation was the subject 

 of much abuse in German}', and now a resolution of the 

 third German-American National Conference, with Mr. 

 G. S. Viereck as chairman of the resolutions committee, 

 declares that " we greet with satisfaction the first steps 

 of the administration to correct the iniquities com- 

 mitted by the custodian of alien enemy property." 

 Meanwhile, the consternation produced among chemists 

 of the United States by the President's action will be 

 readily understood. 



The Chemical Foundation was established in 1919, 

 and purchased 4000 patents from the Alien Property 

 Custodian for a sum of 250,000 dollars. It is a privately 

 managed enterprise, with well-known men of high 

 character as voting trustees, and the president, Mr. 

 Garvan, is not salaried. The Foundation was generally 

 commended at the time of its inception, and its affairs 

 appear to have been conducted on altruistic principles 

 and without profit. Non-exclusive licences have been 

 granted in order to break monopolies and to benefit 

 consumers ; licences to the Government have been 

 free, and on others the royalties have been low. To 

 illustrate the beneficial effect of this policy, it has been 

 stated that under the German monopoly the cost of 

 salvarsan was 4-50 dollars per dose to the physician, 

 and 2-50 dollars per dose in quantity to the Govern- 

 ment, whereas now the price has fallen to 1-50 dollars 

 and about 30 cents, respectively. 



A reasonable conclusion to draw from such evidence 

 1 1 hat although the original price paid by the Founda- 

 tion for the patents may have been " nearly a nominal 

 sum " if regarded as a monopoly price, it was never- 

 theless a fair competitive price. Action is being taken 

 by the American Chemical Society, which represents 

 some 15,000 men and women working in educational 

 institutions, research laboratories, and industrial plants, 

 who regard the Chemical Foundation as the nucleus 

 of organic chemical industry in the United States. The 

 society, through a committee which does not include 

 dye-makers or chemical manufacturers, is seeking a 

 conference with President Harding for the purpose of 

 presenting information which it believes he cannot 

 have received before adopting such revolutionary 

 procedure. 



