800 



SCIENCE 



[N. 8. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 988 



will say, remain to be dealt with in subse- 

 quent lectures of the course. 



Cassius J. Ketser 

 Columbia Univeesitt 



CHEMISTRY AS AFFECTING TEE PROFIT- 

 ABLENESS OF INDUSTRY! 



In beginning the preparation of this 

 paper I had thought of considering chem- 

 ical industry as if it were distinct from 

 other industries, but, as the subject devel- 

 oped, it became very apparent that no such 

 distinct line could be drawn. Properly 

 speaking, all industries must be considered 

 as chemical. It is next to impossible to 

 imagine the existence of an industry in 

 which chemical reactions or considerations, 

 either directly or indirectly, do not enter. 

 It is possible that we could define chemical 

 industry in a somewhat restricted sense, 

 but such a definition would hardly be other 

 than arbitrary. The lines of demarcation 

 would be indistinct and shadowy. The 

 only basis for such a definition would be 

 the attitude of the popular mind. This 

 attitude of mind has been steadily growing 

 towards the recognition that chemistry is 

 an important factor in every industry, and 

 when, in any particular case, it becomes 

 popularly recognized that chemistry is a 

 factor in an industry, then that industry 

 becomes a chemical industry. Ultimately, 

 this popular recognition will extend to all 

 industries and the rapidity of the growth 

 of such recognition indicates that the time 

 is not far distant when all industries will 

 be generally and popularly recognized as 

 chemical. 



My plan had been to discuss the profit- 

 ableness of chemical industry, but if we ac- 

 cept this conception that all industries are 

 chemical, it would seem better that our dis- 

 cussion should be broadened so as to eon- 



1 Chairman 's address, N. Y. Section — Society of 

 Chemical Industry, October 17, 1913. 



sider the general effect of chemistry upon 

 the profitableness of industrial operations, 

 using the words "industrial operations" 

 as including all phases of the actual pro- 

 duction of wealth. 



Perhaps it would be well that I should 

 make clear the conception that all indus- 

 tries are chemical in one or more phases. 

 By way of illustration, let us consider the 

 relation of chemistry to the production of 

 power. I think we can show that there is 

 a very close connection between chemistry 

 and such production, and also that there is 

 no industry which does not depend upon the 

 consumption of power, and if this is the 

 ease, it becomes very evident that, from the 

 power standpoint alone, all industries are 

 chemical industries. 



Our first impressions of power are those 

 which we ourselves are conscious of exer- 

 cising, and, in practise, the simplest form 

 of power is man power as manifested in 

 manual labor. It is not customary, per- 

 haps, except from the humanitarian 

 standpoint, to consider the chemical 

 changes in the human body, converting food 

 into work, as factors in industry. Never- 

 theless, they deserve serious consideration. 

 It is being learned daily that properly fed 

 employees are more efficient as workmen, 

 and the study of food problems is surely 

 a phase of the application of chemistry to 

 industry. In some industries, the study of 

 the food consumed by employees has a di- 

 rect bearing upon the health of the em- 

 ployees as affected by the industry. It is 

 found that certain foods act as prophylac- 

 tics towards certain industrial diseases, and 

 that other foods (perhaps improperly so 

 called) act in the opposite manner. The 

 scientific study of foods in connection with 

 efficient manual labor is a phase of welfare 

 work that has not been considered to the 

 extent it deserves. Take, on the other hand, 

 the horse. It is true that the horse is being 



