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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. L. No. 1286 



problem, follow tlie various experimental 

 phases, especially in tlie case of indentions . 

 worthy of attention. The institution was in 

 this way the connection between the military 

 offices and all those who had improvements to 

 propose on the methods of war then existing 

 or new applications or inventions. When the 

 experiments had advanced to such a point of 

 development as to be utilized, it transmitted 

 the results to the military offices for applica- 

 tion. (3) To take charge of the shops already 

 mobilized for war work and to adapt others as 

 the need arose. (4) To take care of the com- 

 pleted inventions and researches and the un- 

 successful attempts, of the problems overcome 

 and of those yet to be overcome, seeking to im- 

 prove what already existed and to create new 

 things without repeating long and fatiguing 

 work. (5) To collaborate closely with the 

 analogous institutions of the allies, by means 

 of specially appointed delegates who had to 

 keep informed of the progress made in the 

 various problems, and follow the scientific 

 movement in the allied countries. 



The institution thus conceived was definitely 

 established at the beginning of 1916 under the 

 name of Office of Inventions and Research, 

 acting as a department of the Ministry of 

 Arms and Munitions, and under the direction 

 of Senator V. Volterra, who was the author- 

 ized proposer and founder. The Minister of 

 Education then authorized the directors of the 

 universities, the heads of the other institutions 

 of higher instruction, and the directors of the 

 scientific and experimental bureaus to put 

 themselves at the disposal of this office, and to 

 correspond directly with it in order that pre- 

 determined objectives might be attained most 

 rapidly. In the same way the mobilization was 

 started of the scientific and technical depart- 

 ment of our higher institutions of learning, 

 and their relative personnel, with the exception 

 of clinical and other similar institutions en- 

 gaged in medical work, and they now work 

 assiduously and efficiently. 



Some of the institute directors came to 

 Rome to form part of the central office, to co- 

 ordinate and select the work according to the 

 special aptitude of the personnel of the various 



local institutions, and the quality of material 

 there available for the researches. 



Along with the studies and researches on 

 problems of various kinds and of immediate 

 necessity, the study of inventions was brought 

 under scientific supervision. We should notice 

 that in large part the eases concern proposals 

 made by persons who know little or nothing 

 about the problem which their invention at- 

 tempts to solve. For a group of those com- 

 petent, it is easy to exclude, from the enor- 

 mous number of inventions presented, those 

 that have no foundation; then they may study 

 those for which there is hope of succeeding. 

 On the other hand, these same persons are in 

 a position to engage themselves, each one in 

 the branch of science in which he is most in- 

 terested, studying the same problems and di- 

 recting the line along which the same class of 

 inventions must be worked out. More than 

 that, it has been necessary to conduct syste- 

 matic researches in order to learn the availa- 

 bility in Italy of the raw mineral products 

 needed for certain war-productions ; this prob- 

 lem was immediately attacked by our best 

 mineralogists and geologists. 



In this way the office promises also to be an 

 institution of permanent utility when the pres- 

 ent conflict has ceased and the work of the civ- 

 ilized world is again directed toward more 

 profitable purposes of peace. 



For evident reasons the moment for unveil- 

 ing the results of the work of the Italian scien- 

 tists for the war has not yet come. But at 

 least we can give the names of the most effi- 

 cient cooperators of Senator Volterra. Among 

 them these ought to be remembered: Lori 

 Nasini,- Miolati, Piola, Fano, Vacca, Millose- 

 vich, Corbino, Occhialini, Trabacchi, Ciami- 

 cian, Angeli, Martelli, Vinassa, Aloisi, Car- 

 rara, Dalla Vedova; of our universities and in 

 the military and naval world, Avallone, Val- 

 secchi, Vitali, Buffa and many others. 



Although apparently there is no lack of per- 

 sons and the already available methods are 

 utilized as largely as possible, they are not 

 sufficient. What must be done in Italy on a 

 much larger scale than has been done hereto- 

 fore is to bring scientific research into direct 



