Apbil 8, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



561 



thing that is published, in either technical 

 journals or patent reports, having a bear- 

 ing on the work under consideration. All 

 the processes in the company's works will 

 be carefully investigated by them, to locate 

 and devise means for preventing losses in 

 gases, liquid and solid waste material, and 

 thus increase the yield of the useful prod- 

 ucts. They work up methods for making 

 useful products from waste material. 

 Much of their time is occupied in working 

 up means for improving the quality of the 

 various finished products. They are also 

 busily engaged in working up new pro- 

 cesses, putting the same into practice, and 

 thus entirely supplanting the old methods. 

 It will be seen from these remarks that 

 to become a skilful or trained investigator 

 in a research chemical laboratory requires : 



1. A proper education at college as a 

 chemical engineer, especially full in chem- 

 istry. 



2. Training at college in original thought 

 as applied to practical investigation, and 

 to working up and improving processes. 



Some of you feel that it is a mistake to 

 divide the work of one man between chem- 

 istry and mechanical engineering ; that the 

 chemist must be solely a chemist and the 

 engineer an engineer alone. I admit that 

 a very small proportion of the chemists 

 have to devote all their time to pure chem- 

 istry, and in certain lines of. theoretical 

 and research work. The great majority 

 of chemists in this country, however, are 

 engaged in practical work where they need 

 engineering assistance, and in such cases 

 the chemist who is not an engineer would 

 have to consult the engineer for practical 

 advice, and the engineer seeks chemical as- 

 sistance from the chemist and without a 

 knowledge of chemistry obtains but little 

 satisfaction. 



My experience forces me to feel that a 

 complete understanding of the various 

 problems must come from a brain that can 



think in both chemistry and engineering. 

 The dignity and fame of chemistry will 

 not be injured by joining iii close union 

 with engineering. Indeed, the real value 

 and glory of ehemistiy come from its ap- 

 plication to useful products that add com- 

 fort and happiness to the human race. 

 These applications can not be carried on 

 without the aid of engineering. 



Applied chemistry would be greatly 

 benefited in this country if the colleges 

 would come in closer touch "with the manu- 

 facturer. The professors of chemistry and 

 mechanical engineering Avould do well to 

 study more carefully the educational re- 

 quirements as found in some of our large 

 works, where the advantages of a well- 

 directed knowledge of chemical engineering 

 are clearly shown. I am sure the broad- 

 minded manufacturers would gladly co- 

 operate in this important work, seeing 

 plainly that it must result in a general 

 advantage to our industries, and to the 

 industry and prosperity of our whole 

 country. The best way to carry on this 

 work would be to employ a plan that has 

 been in successful practice at Brown Uni- 

 versity for the last few years. They care- 

 fully select from their alumni a separate 

 committee for each department of study. 

 These committees visit the college once or 

 more a year; they consult and exchange 

 views with the heads of the departments 

 they represent. Each member reports his 

 recommendations to the chairman of his 

 committee, who incorporates the same in 

 his report to the president of the college. 

 I am a member of the committee appointed 

 to assist the chemical department of Brown 

 University. I recommended to them to 

 have a course in chemical engineering, and, 

 indeed, outlined a four-year and a five- 

 year course, giving the number of hours 

 per week for each study. 



The more perfectly and completely 

 chemistry is applied by engineering assist- 



