84 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 
explosives of which the country was capable, was realised, and they assumed 
a quality and character that caused them to be copied by our Allies, and 
in reliability proved themselves superior to those of the enemy. 
Starting unprepared, and without the advantage of a well-developed 
fine-chemical industry, we were able ultimately to make a reply in the field 
of chemical warfare that was rapidly becoming more and more effective; 
at the same time, by study and often self-sacrificing experiment, protecting 
the soldier by the development of very efficient respirators. In this 
connection and in that of explosives nearly every professor of chemistry 
in the country and many from beyond the sea were engaged. 
Metallurgy.—T he enormous demand for metals for munitions and count- 
less other war requirements led to an unprecedented concentration of the 
metallurgical industries on the needs of the State, and to an equal concen- 
tration of metallurgical science on investigation devoted to improvement 
in quality of materials for new and special war purposes. The work of the 
Aircraft Production Department, aided by many metallurgists and engi- 
neers, on alloy steels, of the National Physical Laboratory on aluminium 
alloys, and of the Metallurgical Branch of the Research Department, 
Woolwich, on the heat-treatment of heavy forgings and on the drawing of 
brass, is typical of the successful effort made in every quarter. The know- 
ledge thus gained was disseminated in the form of specifications, instruc- 
tions, and reports, and has had a great and permanent effect on manufac- 
ture. 
Health—A committee of the Royal Society had been studying food 
values, and were able to afford the Food Controller, when he took office, 
valuable data bearing on the rationing of food. They had considered 
subjects which shortly became of much importance, such as a better 
recovery of flour in milling wheat. The chemical examination of the food 
for the Army in the war, carried out by the Government Laboratory, 
employed a large staff of chemists. For the supply of many fine-chemical 
substitutes used in medicine and surgery, formerly imported from abroad, 
such provisional arrangements had to be made as the organisation of a 
large number of university laboratories on a semi-manufacturing basis. 
Agriculture.—Effects on agriculture during the war were shortage of 
the usual feeding stuffs for cattle and of fertilisers. The chemists stationed 
at Rothamsted gave special attention to the shortage of manures and 
prepared instructions for the guidance of farmers; and several sources 
of supply of potash were exploited, including kelp, felspar, and the flue- 
dust of furnaces. As sulphuric acid was required for explosive work, 
fine grinding of phosphates and basic slag was found to be more efficient 
than was expected. Shortage also directed the attention of chemists to 
the use of little-known food-stufis, especially for cattle, and the information 
gained as to their feeding value was important. 
Other Activities—In many other activities in connection with the war 
chemists were directly involved, such as in affording advice on the conser- 
vation of materials, on the numerous questions arising from the operations 
of the War Trade Department, on the restriction of imports and exports, 
and on matters of contraband. 
