June 15, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



597 



WAR S DAMAGE TO UNAPPLIED CHEMISTRY 



We could scarcely expect to estimate the 

 retai'ding- effect of the war on chemistry, 

 because we can not pry into it deeply and 

 broadly enough to prove our impressions, 

 for research is partly in the minds of scien- 

 tific workers. However, certain signs of in- 

 fluences actually exist which tend to 

 weaken and retard progress. The Ameri- 

 can Chemical Society of some 9,000 mem- 

 bers, the largest chemical society in the 

 world, publishes twice a month the journal 

 Chemical Abstracts. Its editorial offices 

 are in the chemistry building, a few steps 

 from the one in which we are now as- 

 sembled. Chemical Abstracts has for some 

 years covered the field of chemistry by ab- 

 stracts more thoroughly than any foreign 

 journal of the kind. It reviews some 600 

 journals from all parts of the world and 

 there is spent upon it by the American 

 Chemical Society an annual budget of over 

 $40,000. It is easily seen that this must be 

 the most powerful and most important 

 agency for research in chemistry, and per- 

 haps also in any science, that exists in the 

 world. Some quantitative idea of the evil 

 effect of the war upon chemistry in general 

 may be gotten from its effects upon this 

 colossal agency for assisting applied as well 

 as unapplied research in chemistrj'. 



Inquiry to the editor of Chemical Ab- 

 stracts developed that the effect of the war 

 on current chemical literature as reflected 

 in Chemical Abstracts may be shown ap- 

 proximately by the following statement : 



Total No. of abstracts published (pat- 

 ents included) in 1913 25,971 



Total No. of abstracts published (pat- 

 ents included) in 191^ 24,388 



Total No. of abstracts published (pat- 

 ents included) in 1915 18,449 



Total No. of abstracts published (pat- 

 ents included) in 1916 15,784 



These figures are fairly representative of 

 actual publication of original papers of 



more or less direct interest to chemists, as 

 Chemical Abstracts has continued closely 

 to approach completeness in spite of war 

 conditions. The quality of the papers be- 

 ing published is somewhat below the nor- 

 mal standard. Not a great many foreign 

 chemical journals have entirely ceased 

 publication since the war started, but all 

 show a more or less marked decrease in the 

 number of pages turned out. Most of the 

 French and German journals are published 

 much less frequently than in normal times, 

 two or more numbei's being grouped under 

 one cover. Apparently no important Eng- 

 lish, Italian or Russian chemical journal 

 has ceased publication since the war 

 started. The following list includes the 

 journals concerning which we have uncer- 

 tain information but which indicates that 

 they have probably ceased publication due 

 to the war : 



English: 



Chemical World. 

 One journal. 

 German : 



Bohmische Bierb. 



Deut. med. Wochschr. 



Leipziger Fitrber-Ztg. 



Silikat-Z. 



Technikum. 



Zentr. Exp. Med. 



Z. exp. Med. 



Z. Hyg. 



Eight journals. 

 French : 



Ann. Mines. 



Arch. biol. 



Arch, intern, pharmaeodyn. 



Arch, intern, physiol. 



Arch. med. exp. 



Betterave. 



Brass, malt. 



Bull. sci. Pharmacol. 



Bull. soc. franc, min. 



Bull. soc. geol. France. 



Bull. soc. ind. Amiens. 



Bull. soc. ind. min. 



Bull. soc. ind. Mulhouse. 



LeCuir. 



L 'Ensrais. 



