140 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 630 



John J. Abel, Carl L. Alsberg, Samuel 

 Amberg, Silas P. Beebe, Russell H. Chitten- 

 den, Otto Folin, Nellis B. Foster, C. Stuart 

 Gager, William J. Gies, Eobert A. Hatcher, 

 Reid Hunt, Holmes C. Jackson, "Walter 

 Jones, Waldemar Koch, Phoebus A. 

 Levene, Arthur S. Loevenhart, John A. 

 Mandel, John Marshall, Gustave M. Meyer, 

 Thomas B. Osborne, Raymond H. Pond, 

 Alfred N. Richards, Herbert M. Richards, 

 William Salant, Philip A. Shaffer, Herbert 

 E. Smith, Frank P. Underbill, George B. 

 Wallace, Charles G. L. Wolf. 



The meeting was formally addressed by 

 Professor Abel, who, in urging the desir- 

 ability and timeliness of immediate organi- 

 zation of biological chemists, made the fol- 

 lowing remarks: 



"I take the liberty of rehearsing briefly 

 the reasons for which this meeting has been 

 called. * * * We have become convinced 

 that there is need in this country for an 

 organization which shall further the inter- 

 ests and foster the growth of biological 

 chemistry. Biological chemists at present 

 are affiliated with widely differing societies 

 and come little in contact with the great 

 body of men who are interested in bio- 

 chemical work. Whether we as chemists 

 have as our field of work the physiological 

 chemistry of our medical schools or deal 

 with the chemical problems of botany, 

 zoology, pathology, pharmacology or medi- 

 cine, we all have one common meeting- 

 ground, and that is chemistry as applied to 

 animal or vegetable structures, living or 

 dead. As distinguished from the work of 

 pure chemists, organic or inorganic, our 

 efforts are directed towards throwing light 

 on the life processes and functions of living 

 structures, with the help of chemical and 

 physico-chemical methods. 



"Now, it will be granted, I think, that 

 scattered and divided forces cannot de- 

 velop that coordination of effort that is de- 

 sirable when many workers have one great 



interest in common. In such a case, 

 organization is beneficial. It encourages 

 research, it furnishes the mechanism for 

 competent criticism and helpful discussion ; 

 and lastly, the very fact that we have felt 

 impelled to organize will make it evident 

 to faculties of science and medicine and to 

 scientific and medical societies that a great 

 and growing department of research de- 

 mands its fitting place in the general 

 scheme of higher education. 



"I come now to the question of an aca- 

 demic career in biological chemistry. You 

 have probably all, at one time or another, 

 been asked to recommend some young man 

 for a teaching position in physiological 

 chemistry. The authorities in question 

 want a man who has had a first class train- 

 ing in organic, inorganic and physical 

 chemistry and biology, has had some ex- 

 perience in teaching physiological chem- 

 istry, has an agreeable personality, is a 

 fascinating lecturer, and a promising if not 

 already fruitful investigator. For such a 

 rare combination of natural endowment 

 and acquired culture, there is offered a 

 salary ranging from $800 to $1,500, the 

 title of assistant or instructor, with guarded 

 hints as to promotion at some uncertain 

 date and still more non-committal state- 

 ments as to a possible rise in salary. 



"Biochemical research is quite the thing 

 to-day. Every species of laboratory, clini- 

 cal, bacteriological, hygienic, pathological, 

 pharmacological, wants a chemist. All 

 these laboratories no doubt afford fine op- 

 portunity to the young chemist for train- 

 ing in the broad field of biological chem- 

 istry. But what of his future? Is it as 

 promising as it should be 1 



"This state of affairs is largely our own 

 fault. We attend only the meetings of 

 societies of other specialists for fear we 

 shall lose something that lies on the border 

 line between their territory and ours. 

 These other specialists have their house in 



