384 - 
properties of various proteins, creatin, etc., 18 
being carried on for the corps in the lab- 
oratory at Cambridge under Dr. Henderson. 
Research relative to rope disease in bread, 
catalytic action in relation to yeast activity, 
etc., is progressing, from which valuable re- 
sults are already in sight. At the Harriman 
Research Laboratory the special problem is 
meat spoilage. It is hoped it will be possible 
to detect incipient spoilage by chemical means. 
At the Bureau of Chemistry, Department of 
Agriculture, members of the Sanitary Corps 
are working on garbage research and making a 
survey of all food furnished to the various 
camps. An examination is made of all gar- 
bage cans in order to determine how much of 
the food finds its way into the stomachs of the 
men. This has resulted in a great saving of 
food material. 
At the University of Rochester investiga- 
tions have been made as to the effect of tem- 
perature in desiccated vegetables, as it is 
thought high temperatures used in desiccation 
may tend to induce certain diseases, such as 
scurvy, pellagra, beri beri, ete. A safe tem- 
perature is being studied. Independent in- 
vestigations bearing upon the work of the San- 
itary Corps are being carried out in the 
Bureau of Chemistry. 
The Sanitary Corps maintains a school for 
the training of nutrition officers at Fort Ogle- 
thorpe, in connection with the Medical Officers’ 
Training School. Men sent to this school are 
selected from the standpoint of training and 
experience in food and nutrition work, to- 
gether with biological training. Frequently 
the men are commissioned before entering the 
school, if they have had sufficient training, al- 
though in certain instances privates have en- 
tered the school and ben granted commissions 
later. 
E. Aircraft Production 
This Bureau now requires the services of 51 
chemists in two sections. There is the Sec- 
tion of Chemical Research under Dr. H. D. 
Gibbs, who has 18 chemists (13 in uniform) 
engaged specifically im research problems, 
plant operations, study of new materials, chem- 
ical processes, methods of making new chem- 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Vou. XLVIII. No. 1242 
icals required in airplane construction, etc. 
Interesting studies are also bemg conducted 
on certain photographic sensitizing dyes to be 
used in airplane photography. This Bureau 
also maintains in Pittsburgh an inspection 
and control laboratory employing 33 chemists, 
5 in uniform and 28 civilians. This labora- 
tory has 60 technical men, of whom 30 are 
chemists. These chemists were afforded space 
in the Bureau of Standards until April 1, 
when they were removed to the home of the 
Pittsburgh Testing Laboratories, Pittsburgh, 
Pa. The work is in charge of Dr. H. T. 
Beans. The laboratory has general control of 
all products purchased by the Aircraft Pro- 
duction Board; it develops specifications for 
new materials and sends chemists into the 
plants to get the grades of materials wanted. 
Il. NAVY 
The Navy also requires chemical aid in 
warfare, and at the present time has approxi- 
mately 200 chemists engaged chiefly in control 
work and plant operation. Each of the navy 
yards has a control laboratory and the Ord- 
nance Bureau has about 100 chemists, of whom 
approximately 20 are commissioned, 35 en- 
listed and 50 civilian. These are utilized in 
much the same capacity as in the Army Ord- 
nance. ' 
From the first the Navy has immediately 
transferred to Chemical Service the names of 
all chemists enlisted in the Navy, where the 
names and qualifications have been made 
known to them. While of course the total 
number is small, the proportionate need has 
apparently been greater, for there are still 
several hundred graduate and experienced 
chemists and chemical engineers, both officers 
and men, in the Navy, a large proportion of 
whom have expressed their willingness to serve 
as chemists if needed, but who are still in the 
fighting branch or whose duties have no rela- 
tion to chemical service. 
Il. CIVILIAN BUREAUS 
The Bureau of Chemistry, the Forest Prod- 
ucts Laboratory and other bureaus of the De- 
partment of Agriculture, the chemical labora- 
