Maech 27, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



483 



Public Health and Marine Hospital Service 

 at large. 



As illustrative of the scope of the labora- 

 tory may be mentioned the chemical study 

 of the water from the several sources used 

 for drinking purposes in the District of 

 Columbia; the examination of drugs and 

 of pathological specimens, such as urine, 

 gastric contents, etc., and a number of 

 biochemical studies particularly on sub- 

 jects related to experimental medicine and 

 pathology. 



Chemical laboratories are maintained 

 in connection with the offices of the United 

 States Customs Appraisers at the ports of 

 New York, Boston, Philadelphia, New 

 Orleans, Chicago and San Francisco. With 

 the exception of that at New York, the 

 chief work of these laboratories is the 

 polarization of sugar. At the present time 

 a laboratory is also maintained at Kansas 

 City for the assay of imported ores. Ap- 

 proximately, seventy per cent, of the im- 

 portations of the entire country are 

 entered at New York, and in addition to 

 the analyses of such goods, many of the 

 chemical problems of other ports are re- 

 ferred to the New York laboratory. 

 Again, many shipments of exported goods, 

 manufactured of imported materials under 

 drawback regulations are examined. 



The work of a customs laboratory covers 

 a very wide range and includes all im- 

 ported products in the classification and 

 valuation of which the laboratory can 

 assist.^ The examination required is 

 usually superficial, frequently but a single 

 determination being necessary. It is ap- 

 parent that the work of such a laboratory 

 is essentially routine, but that new prob- 

 lems requiring originality and resource 

 must frequently arise. 



NAVT 



The Navy Department maintains labora- 

 tories at the Washington, New York, Bos- 

 ° Moore, Jour. Soe. Chem. Ind., 1900, 19, 323-4. 



ton, Norfolk and Mare Island Navy Yards, 

 at the Newport Torpedo Station and the 

 Naval Proving Ground at Indian Head, 

 Maryland. At the Navy Yard laboratories 

 a wide range of products is examined in- 

 cluding steel, iron, all kinds of alloys enter- 

 ing into the construction of guns and 

 carriages, and supplies needed in machine 

 shops and on the boats of the Navy. 

 These supplies include lubricating and 

 other oils, coke and coal, rubber goods for 

 different purposes, paints, cements and 

 other building materials, water and office 

 supplies. 



INTEEIOR DEPARTMENT 



The chemical laboratory of the Geo- 

 logical Survey examines rocks, minerals, 

 clays, ores, waters, coal, etc., for the pur- 

 pose of assisting in the geological problems 

 of the survey and to determine the extent 

 of the diffusion of the elements in nature. 

 In this laboratory many important re- 

 searches of quite varied character are eon- 

 ducted. 



The technical branch of the survey also 

 maintains laboratories, especially at Pitts- 

 burg, for the examination of coal and 

 structural materials. 



The water supply branch of the survey 

 maintains a laboratory for the investiga- 

 tion of waters and has the cooperation of 

 chemists at a number of points in the 

 United States. Their work is largely the 

 analysis of river waters in connection with 

 irrigation problems, sanitary problems and 

 the measurement of the amount of material 

 removed from the soil by streams. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Among the investigations now being con- 

 ducted by the Bureau of Chemistry of 

 the Department of Agriculture, the follow- 

 ing may be mentioned: The study of the 

 composition, character, and methods of 

 manufacture and preservation of food, both 

 from an economic standpoint and to de- 



