July, 1927
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEAfISTRY
so far as discovering anything new or making any new suggestions is concerned, although the work will he done in a methodical way, every one of you has a very big responsibility and we think it will not be so very long-and I do not measure time by months or years-before yciu will have justified our decision in starting this department.” Another essential is the choice of a sufficient number of important problems, and we all know that in such a vast industry so many problems must exist as to afford a long list from which to make careful selections. We rejoice in the decision of the Steel Corporation, its director has our best wishes, and the progress of the work will be follon-ed with keen interest. K e predict a successful outcome.
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Unnecessary Hazards
E SUBSCRIBE to these principles: First, the purchaser is entitled to know what he buys, particularly where health may be involved; second, when there is an approved harmless process established, mere price considerations do not justify assuming even a slight risk; and third, if the question of a hazard enters, the burden of proof should rest with those offering the new method and should not involve the expenditure of public funds Lead costs approximately one-tenth as much as tin, and this has been a factor in the adoption of a method for the weighting of silk in which tin-lead phosphate is the raw material rather than tin tetrachloride. The lead becomes fixed in the fiber as lead oxide, lead phosphate, or some combination of the two. Besides being a much cheaper process, silk weighted with lead salts seems to deteriorate more slowly than silk weighted with tin. There are some disadvantages. For instance, some of the lead is extracted in the benzene baths used by dry-cleaners and is ready to combine with the sulfur which may be brought into the baths in wool. The dry-cleaners have already had some difficulty, since they are not familiar n-ith all the characterisFics of the garments they treat; an occasional white flannel suit has been both cleaned and turned gray in one operation. Lead-weighted fabrics are also sensitive to the hydrogen sulfide in the air and the lighter shades turn dark on exposure and may eventually turn almost black. Fancy what comments may be made concerning the dye and the dyer when this takes plare, and think how many laundry owners and dry-cleaners, without a chemist to make an adequate defense, will make settlement for damage laid to them rather than risk the anger of a dissatisfied cpstorner! I t iq doubtful whether the real culprit will be apprehended and trouble is made all along the line because some one, for an initial price advantage, puts a process into practice without giving thought to all the ills that may be inrolved. Although scientists generallv agree that lead poiqoning is clue more to inhalation or ingestion of lead duqtj, cases of poisoning from the free application of lead plaster have been reported. Much of the lead-weighted silk finds its may into rommerce in undermar and it is a question whether lead in silk on coming into contact with the various secretions of the skin might not be ahqorbed to some extent. fclr it is found that such silk treated with 3 per cent acetic acid a t body temperature does lose some of the weighting material. I t must also be remembered that lead is a cumulative poison and. while the hazard may be slight, individuals mho might question the desirability of wearing a lead-weighted garment should he given the facts and allowed to make their own decision. At first thought this would seem to be a prohlem for the Public Health authorities, but it is hardly fair to ask the public to pay for an investigation the outcome of which concerns first and foremost those engaged in the business of weighting
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silks. The public is not endangered by tin-weighted silks, and it seems clear to us that if such investigations were to be made some other than the public treasury should bear the expense. The difficulty of the problem is apparent, for all silks are not weighted to the same degree. They are not subjected to the same number or kinds of laundering operations, are not worn for equal periods or under the same conditions by various indiriduals and, what is even more disconcerting, individual idiosyncrasies must be considered. Speaking for ourselves, if we must have weighted silks, me prefer a tin shirt to a lead one, and Tye think our fellow sufferers should be given the information and the opportunity to choose for themselves. In particular, we protest the unnecessary exposure of the public to a potential hazard, the existence of which is not dictated by any fundamental c o n d e r ation.
Science in the Saddle HOSE representative. of the chemical industry who during the past several yeirs have come in contact with J. 11. Doran look upon his appointment as Prohibition Commissioner as a promising sign that legitimate industry will be guaranteed minimum annoyance in securing adequate supplies of the chemical raw material, alcohol. At the same time those who are more concerned with law enforcement than with any industrial consideration feel confident that Dr. Doran’s attitude regarding the Eighteenth Amendment, and his appreciation of the complex difficulties arising from the enforcement of the lams relating thereto, give promise of an administration as nearly satisfactory to them as popular opinion mill a t present permit. For all concerned, therefore, we feel that the promotion of this chemi4 to his present place of authority not only is deserved but is a wise step on the part of the Administration. It has been our privilege to work for days at a time in groups representing extremists of both factions and to see examples of straight thinking and courageou.: decisions by Dr. Doran in his capacity as chief chemist of the Unit. With the cooperation of his professional colleagues which the present Prohibition Commisqioner has a right to expect, the law-abiding chemical induqtry may look forward to the development of conditions which, in contrast with the past, will help rather than interfere with its legitimate operations.
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Discovery
ONE students of invention believe that world develop-
ment leads to conditions which practically force into being discoveries that are needed for a continuation of progress. While many inventions are perfected in advance of their need, others seem to appear in plenty at just the right time. Many examples may be cited, including the wellknown fact that the applications of hlt.xander Graham Bell arrived a t the Patent Office a scant five hours before those of another inventor covering practically the same ground. The records of the Patent Office testify t o the frequency with which applications are made to patent the same thing independently discovered by many other inventors. These numerous examples raise the question whether the inventor‘s success does not involve a large element of luck in being the first of many applicants t o obtain the basic patent in an age conducive to the development of geniu?. This is brought t o mind by the similarity between the method suggested by Mr. Bond in our May issue and one published by H. L. Payne, of our Lo, ;Ingeles Section, in 1892. We print in this issue a note from Mr. Bond on the subject. This is a clear case of independent discovery, which of course may occur in chemistry as well as in the other sciences and the arts.
