876 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1042 



catalysts and the stimulating action of 

 small quantities of inorganic compounds on 

 the growth of plants has been demonstrated. 

 For instance, very small additions of man- 

 ganese or zinc, or mixtures thereof, increase 

 the yield of plant culture. 



In this connection I may refer to the ap- 

 plication of the phase rule by van't Hoff 

 to the better utilization of the Strassfurt 

 salt deposits, and to electrochemistry, 

 photochemistry, and to the chemistry of 

 colloids. 



The successful solution of the problem 

 of the oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen, 

 the production of ammonia from its ele- 

 ments, and the manufacture of sulphuric 

 acid by the contact process, were only made 

 possible by the knowledge of the principles 

 and methods of chemical dynamics and 

 thermodynamics. 



Further, the teachings of physical chem- 

 istry have led to the study of the conditions 

 of absorption of drugs by the various cells 

 and tissue juices of the body, of the part 

 played therein by osmosis, by electrolytic 

 dissociation, by mass, and especially by the 

 colloidal character of the substances con- 

 cerned in metabolism. Such study asso- 

 ciated with biological chemistry has pointed 

 the way to new methods of research which 

 promise well for a fuller understanding of 

 the complexities of the processes that are 

 comprised in the physiological action for 

 drugs. 



Despite the mass of material that has 

 thus been accumulated, a scientific basis 

 for the preparation of physiologically ac- 

 tive compounds is but in its infancy. The 

 possibility of precalcvilating the action of 

 a drug from its chemical structure is as yet 

 developed to but a limited extent, as has 

 been repeatedly brought home during re- 

 cent years by the discovery of new groups 

 of compounds possessing valuable thera- 

 peutic properties, the physiological action 



of which was in no way anticipated. In- 

 deed, the recognition of the therapeutic 

 value of some of the earlier synthetic drugs 

 was effected, as Keane has indicated, rather 

 in accord with Priestley's belief that all 

 discoveries are made by chance, and has 

 been extended with some reminiscence of 

 his view that scientific investigation was to 

 be "compared to a hound, wildly running 

 after and here and there chancing on 

 game." The hypnotic property of sul- 

 phonal was a chance discovery ; the physio- 

 logical action of antipyrine was initially 

 examined on account of its supposed rela- 

 tion in chemical structure to kairine and 

 allied febrifuges, which was subsequently 

 proved to be incorrect; and the purgative 

 properties of phenolphthalein became 

 known from the results that followed its 

 use to earmark, for administrative pur- 

 poses, a certain kind of wine in Austria- 

 Hungary. The commercial success of anti- 

 pyrine — the profits in one year from its 

 manufacture before the expiration of the 

 patent are said to have reached $300,000 — 

 was followed by a hunt for further ' ' game ' ' 

 and many a compound, such as acetanilide, 

 has been called from the seclusion of chem- 

 ical museums for the examination of its 

 physiological properties. 



The recognition of the therapeutic value 

 of such substances has been followed by 

 inquiry into the relation of their chemical 

 structure and physiological action, with the 

 result that the study of this relation has 

 since become more ordered and systematic. 



GEOCHEMICAX, RESEARCH 



A study of the manner in which certain 

 minerals are usually found associated to- 

 gether in nature, commonly those which 

 are isomorphous or which contain the same 

 group of elements, but very often of entirely 

 different mineralized and chemical char- 

 acter, is of particular importance to the 

 commercial man, and should be of great 



