April 13, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



357 



laboratory facilities ofPered by the institute, is 

 the latest step in forming closer relationships 

 with the industrial world. This Boston-con- 

 trolled corporation is one of the two large 

 companies of the kind in this country. With 

 the ability of Technology to undertake the 

 work, it has expressed itself, through its 

 president, William G. Sharp, as desirous of 

 availing itself of the advantages offered by the 

 institute. Instead of establishing a private 

 research laboratory of its own it will bring 

 its problems to Technology. 



The advantages which accrue to a corpora- 

 tion which makes such an agreement include 

 the economy afforded by not being obliged to 

 establish a laboratory parallelling that of the 

 institute. Such laboratories are very costly, 

 construction and equipment running into the 

 scores of thousands. The institute presents 

 a further advantage that no private labo- 

 ratory can afford, in that it maintains a great 

 group of allied laboratories. There are un- 

 limited quantities of water, steam, electricity 

 and anything else that is needed, a great 

 library, a large active force for investigation 

 in the student body and unequalled facilities 

 for quick and satisfactory conferences with 

 the instructing staff. Then there is the ease 

 with which other laboratories may be called 

 to help in the solution of any problem. So 

 related are the different industries that hardly 

 any problem lies entirely within the sphere 

 of only one of them. Chemistry turns to elec- 

 tricity, metallurgy to both of these, while 

 mechanical engineering is fundamental. 



On the other hand there are advantages to the 

 institute. It has a very costly equipment which 

 it really holds in trust for the community. It 

 is the duty of its officers to make the fullest 

 returns possible. Every use of its facilities 

 by the industrial world is a step towards the 

 realization of its ideals. Cooperation like that 

 with the United States Smelting Co., in the 

 solution of industrial problems makes it the 

 more valuable to the people and the more valu- 

 able it becomes the better the chance of 

 greater importance in the future, with the 

 better outlook for the carrying forward of 

 research work that may be of general beneiit. 



That the latter may truly be assured the in- 

 stitute has in its agreement the provision that 

 publication of results be not unduly delayed. 

 To carry on the special work which this co- 

 operation necessitates, the corporation of 

 Technology has named Henry M. Schleicher, 

 B.S., a graduate of 1910, to be research asso- 

 ciate in charge of the work, the general direc- 

 tion resting on Professor H. O. Hoffman, pro- 

 fessor of metallurgy. Mr. Schleicher since 

 his graduation has been engaged in research 

 work with two Boston firms, with especial at- 

 tention to electrolytic separation and flotation. 



CHEMISTRY AND THE WAR 



The registrar of the Institute of Chemistry 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, according to 

 The British Medical Journal, prefaces an ac- 

 count he has written of the work done by 

 chemists in the war by observing that the gov- 

 ernment has secured the guidance of chemists 

 and other men of science to assist in the in- 

 vestigation of suggestions and inventions and 

 to bring their knowledge and experience to 

 bear on measures and devices of offense and 

 defense. The country had come to rely so 

 much on foreign sources of supply that means 

 had to be found for dealing promptly and 

 efficiently with the difficulties which arose so 

 soon as importation was stopped by the war. 

 The laboratories of universities and colleges 

 quickly became small factories for the prepara- 

 tion of drugs and medicaments, and many were 

 entrusted with the examination of materials 

 used in the manufacture of explosives. Uni- 

 formity in method and the standardization of 

 processes was secured, and students unfit for 

 service with the colors were set to work under 

 the supervision of their professors. Several 

 himdred chemists were engaged to assist in 

 the laboratories and in government and con- 

 trolled establishments supplying armaments, 

 munitions and other materials of war, and in 

 some branches arrangements were made for 

 probationary training. The staffs of the 

 chemical department of Woolwich arsenal, and 

 of the government laboratory responsible for 

 the examination of foodstuffs and many other 

 requirements of the expeditionary force, were 



