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T H E JOURNAL OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
I
EDITORIALS WAR SERVICE OF CHEMISTS
To the M e m b e r s of the A m e r i c a n C h e m i c a l Society: I n accordance with t h e resolutions passed b y t h e Society a t t h e Kansas City Meeting, t h e officers of your Society have been urging t h e government t h a t chemists, as in England, Canada, a n d France, be used for chemical service in t h e war, either in t h e employ of t h e military branch, of t h e other government branches, or of necessary industries. A special committee was organized b y your President, consisting of Dr. W. H. Nicholas, Chairman Drs. h l . T. Bogert, A. A. Noyes, your President a n d your Secret a r y , t o lay definite recommendations before t h e authorities. These recommendations have been published in t h e July number of THISJ O U R N A L . T h e government, i t appears, has decided t h a t there will be no general exemption of a n y class of men a s a class-for reasons which are eminently wise a n d necessary a t t h e present moment. At t h e same time, no d o u b t , it is anxious t o see every m a n used in what appears t o i t t o be t h e right place for him. I t has seemed perhaps best t o make no general ruling whatsoever, except t o t h e effect t h a t there will be no class exemptions, a n d t o leave all individual cases t o t h e federal district exemption boards, t o which exemptions for industrial, agricultural a n d professional reasons are left b y law. Under t h e circumstances, in t h e absence of instructions from t h e government a n d in view of t h e general desire on t h e part of our members for guidance a n d advice i n this matter, we would recommend t o you u n o 5 c i a l l y t h e following procedure: I-Chemists of military age selected by draft for service and accepted by the local boards to which the physical examination, etc., is committed are advised to submit to their federal district boards : I-An official certificate of their employers, or of the university or college from which they have received degrees or with which they have been or are connected, certifying as to their education and experience as chemists. a-An official statement by their employers of the nature of their work as chemists. 3-A recommendation, if such seems right, from their employers, or their university or college, that they be assigned to continue their work as chemists. 4-A request that in default of such assignment, they be detailed to serve as chemists in the military branch of the government. 11-If enlisted in any capacity, inform the Secretary of the Society by postal card of the company, regiment, and corps in which you are enrolled, in order that a record may be kept of the fact and the War Department advised frcr.. time to time of chemists in the -4rmy should their services as chemists be required. T h e purpose of this recommendation is t o p u t into t h e possession of t h e government authorities all t h e f a c t s necessary for i t t o decide exactly for what service We believe t h i s t o be in a given m a n is most fitted. accordance with t h e resolutions adopted at t h e Kansas City Meeting a n d in accordance with t h e patriotic d u t y of every American chemist t o serve his country under t h e selective draft in t h e capacity t h e government itself, with a full knowledge of t h e circumstances, selects for each individual. JULIUS STIEGLITZ, President WASHINGTON, D. C. CHARLES I,. PARSONS, Secretary July 24, 1917
Vol. 9 , NO. 8
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LICENSES FOR THE PREPARATION OF SYNTHETIC DRUGS SUBJECT TO FOREIGN PATENTS One of t h e evils resulting from t h e war is t h a t t h e supply of important synthetic drugs, such as salvarsan, novocaine, veronal, a t o p h a n , etc., has been largely c u t off in this country a n d a dangerous shortage is t h r e a t ened. A provision in t h e Adamson Bill before Congress is intended t o bring relief t o this situation b y providing for t h e licensing of manufacturers t o make patented synthetic drugs under certain conditions a n d guarantees. I n order t o be in a position t.o assist manufacturers who m a y be interested in applying for licenses t o t h e Federal T r a d e Commission, t h e National Research Council has organized a special committee on synthetic drugs, whose duties will be, on t h e one hand, t o secure information as t o shortages in given drugs, a n d , on t h e other h a n d , more especially t o assist manufacturers as far as possible b y advice a n d , if necessary, b y research work, in getting t h e manufacture under way without loss of time. The chairman of t h e committee is Professor Stieglitz of The University of Chicago a n d manufacturers interested in a given product are requested t o communicate with him without delay. Other members of t h e committee will probably be Dr. M . Gomberg of t h e University of Michigan, Dr. A d a m s of t h e University of Illinois, and D r . W. A. Puckner, Director of t h e Chemical Laboratory of t h e American Medical Association.
GOVERNMENT NITROGEN FMATION PLANS On account of t h e general interest of chemists in t h e matter and on account of t h e participation of t h e American Chemical Society in t h e formulation of t h e policy recommended t o t h e national government regarding t h e expenditure of t h e fund appropriated b y Congress for fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, there is reproduced here t h e authorized s t a t e m e n t on t h e subject issued b y t h e Secretary of W a r on July 16, 1917. By direction of the President, certain plants will be immediately constructed for the production of nitrates from atmospheric nitrogen. The plants to be constructed do not involve the use of water power, but use a process which is a modification of processes previously known; and the total expenditure involved in these projects is about four million dollars. Nothing further can be said a t this time about the process or the location of the works which are to be constructed. Of the total amount appropriated by Congress, namely, twenty million dollars, substantially sixteen million dollars remains undesignated as to its expenditure by the President. The Committee, consisting of the Secretaries of War, Interior and Agriculture, to which the President referred the question of the selection of a site or sites for the development of water power, has made no report to the President on that subject, but is engaged in the making of further engineering studies, and the subject is temporarily closed to further discussion by localities and communities desiring to be considered as possible sites for the plants. I n this connection we h a d expected t o comment a t some length upon a speech on this subject recently delivered on t h e floor of t h e Senate. I n view, how-
