OcroseEr 18, 1918] 
ists or chemical engineers engaged in execu- 
tive and administrative work on the produc- 
tion of smokeless powder and high explosives. 
The section has no laboratory facilities, the 
work accomplished being chiefly in facilitating 
increased production through specializing in 
the various works on manufacturing problems. 
The division has been concerned with the 
investigation of new processes for the produc- 
tion of raw materials, some of which have 
been put into operation, especially the produc- 
tion of toluene by the cracking of petroleum. 
The Raw Materials Section arranges for the 
production and distribution of raw materials, 
such as nitric acid, sulfuric acid, benzene, 
phenol, ammonia and sodium nitrate. Besides 
investigating new processes, the section studies 
increased production and distribution of sup- 
plies. For the main part the chemical person- 
nel is on duty at various plants investigating 
production and processes. 
(f) Nitrate Division—Colonel J. W. Joyes 
is in charge of this Division, with Lieutenant 
Colonel A. H. White in charge of the Research 
Technical Section. The Nitrate Division was 
organized ‘shortly after war began with the 
special duty of installing plants for the fixa- 
tion of air nitrogen. It now has a personnel of 
130 chemists and chemical engineers, enlisted 
and commissioned. It has only a few civilian 
chemists in its employ. It has cooperated 
with and received help from the laboratories 
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 
the Geophysical Laboratory, the University of 
Michigan, the Bureau of Soils (Arlington), 
the Bureau of Standards and the Bureau of 
Mines. It has built extensive works at Shef- 
field, Ala. It has a small experimental plant 
at the Georgetown Gas Works, and another at 
Greene, R. I. In cooperation with the Bureau 
of Mines, it carried on experiments on am- 
monia oxidation at Syracuse, N. Y., and at 
Warner’s, N. J. The division is one of the 
most important from the chemical develop- 
ment standpoint that has been established for 
war purposes. It has very large appropriations 
at its disposal and it has two nitrate plants 
in Ohio in preliminary stages of erection. It 
SCIENCE 
383 
contemplates other activities in nitrogen fixa- 
tion. 
The Ordnance Department also runs four 
arsenals—Picatinny, Watertown, Frankford 
and Rock Island—in all of which chemists are 
regularly employed. The number of chemists 
in the arsenals has been largely increased since 
the war began. No figures are at the moment 
available. 
C. Quartermaster’s Corps 
The chemical work of the Quartermaster’s 
Corps involves the testing and analyses of 
materials, foods, leather, paper, etc., the 
making of specifications, and the control of 
materials to find if the specifications are com- 
plied with. The corps has few chemists in 
uniform, as the work has been done chiefly in 
the laboratories of the Bureau of Chemistry. 
The filtration plants at the various govern- 
ment camps and cantonments are also under 
the control and direction of the Quartermaster 
General. 
D. Surgeon General’s Office 
Food and Nutrition Division, Medical De- 
partment, Sanitary Corps——This division has 
91 food and biological chemists who are in 
uniform. In each camp there is stationed one 
nutrition officer who is preferably a food ex- 
pert with as much physiological, biological and 
sanitary training as possible. His duty is to 
inspect all food, mess halls, refrigerators, ete., 
with the object of maintaing a high degree of 
sanitation. He has full authority to see to it 
that meat, for example, is destroyed if dropped 
upon the ground in hook worm territory; also 
any other food that could in any way injure 
the health of the men. There are three survey 
parties in the Sanitary Corps whose duties 
consist in going from camp to camp, getting 
information regarding garbage and collecting 
data on nutrition problems. This is put in 
the form of curves in the Washington office. 
The work is part of an extensive nutritional 
study and is expected to give important results 
for future use as well as for present Army 
needs. 
Research, with reference to the physical 
