October 3, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



319 



ing often even to fatalism, mankind may 

 largely miss the deep meaning of the lesson. 

 Simon Flexner 

 The Rockefellee Institute foe 

 Medical Reseakch 



THE NEW INTERNATIONAL UNION OF 

 PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRYi 



As a result of conferences held in London 

 and Paris in October and November, 1918, the 

 scientific academies of the allied nations de- 

 cided to recommend the dissolution of all 

 international scientific associations in exist- 

 ence before the war and the reconstitution of 

 such associations by and among the nations 

 associated in the war against the Central Em- 

 pires. As a result of this recommendation 

 the International Association of Chemical 

 Societies was dissolved and at a conference 

 held in Paris in May of this year definite 

 steps were taken toward the formation of an 

 inter-allied chemical imion. 



At this conference delegates from the 

 principal allied nations were present. A pro- 

 visional organization was effected and a com- 

 mittee appointed to draft articles of con- 

 federation. M. Moureu, president of the 

 Federated Chemical Societies of France was 

 elected president and M. Gerard, temporary 

 secretary. After drawing up a statement of 

 the purposes of the new organization the 

 Paris conference adjourned and issued a call 

 for a final conference to be held in London, 

 July 14, for the purpose of perfecting the 

 permanent organization and of passing upon 

 the statutes to be prepared by the special com- 

 mittee. In accordance with this action each 

 of the allied countries was invited to send 

 delegates to the London meeting. 



This meeting convened in Salters Hall, 

 London, on July 14 last, and continued its 

 sessions until July 18. The countries repre- 

 sented and their delegates were as follows: 

 Belgium — MM. Lucion and Timmermanns; 

 France — MM. Moureu, Kestner, Behal, Mar- 

 quis, Marie and Gerard; Italy — MM. O. 



1 Address delivered at the Fifth National Ex- 

 position of Chemical Industries at Chicago, Sep- 

 tember 25, 1919. 



Severini and G. Pirelli; United Kingdom — 

 Sir William Pope, Henry Louis, H. E. Arm- 

 strong, E. F. Armstrong, A. C. Chaston-Chap- 

 man and W. P. Wynne; United States— F. G. 

 Cottrell, C. L. Parsons, E. W. Washburn and 

 H. S. Washington. 



Practically all of the time of the conference 

 was devoted to framing the statutes of the 

 new international organization and the elec- 

 tion of the officers for the first three-year term. 

 The following officers were elected: 



President — M. Ch. Moureu. 



General Secretary — M. Jean Gerard (49 

 Eue des Mathurins, Paris). 



Vice-Presidents — Georges Chavannes (for 

 Belgium), L. Parodi Delfino (for Italy), C. L. 

 Parsons (for the United States), Sir William 

 Pope (for the United Kingdom). 



Communications were received from Canada 

 and Poland signifying their adhesion to the 

 new organization and requesting admission. 

 It was also decided to admit the neutral coun- 

 tries immediately, but the admission of the 

 Central Powers was made contingent upon 

 their admission to the League of Nations. 

 The new union is thus to be international in 

 character instead of merely inter-allied. 



The conference also voted its approval of 

 the organization of an International Research 

 Council as contemplated by the Conference 

 of Scientific Academies, and expressed its 

 desire to be included in that organization with 

 autonomous powers as the Chemical Section 

 thereof. It was decided to hold the next meet- 

 ing of the international chemical union in 

 Italy early in Jime in 1920. 



Previous to adjournment the Conference 

 officially appointed those members of its own 

 body who expected to attend the Brussels 

 meeting of the International Research Coun- 

 cil as its representatives at that meeting, for 

 the purpose of effecting the union of the new 

 international chemical organization with the 

 International Research Council as its chem- 

 ical branch. 



The delegates thus appointed re-assembled 

 in Brussels on July 22. This meeting was 

 largely devoted to the discussion, modifica- 

 tion and final adoption of the statutes of the 



