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I X D USTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
until quite recently allowed lumber, manganese, pulpwood, and coal produced and handled by enforced labor to be dumped on the American market. We contend against communism in America, and do what me can to encourage it in Russia. The average man resents the imposition of another’s ways and views, yet far too many remain dangerously complacent toryard the “harmless” communist who not only would force his ways upon us but cheerfully employs murder as an efficient method of overcoming those who disagree. Intolerance is not involved in the opposition to communism. The Russian experiment a t home under Russian conditions is one thing. The operation may be a complete success, even though the patient succumbs to the treatment. It is only when cunning fanatics attempt to infect us that complacency becomes dangerous. Many of those who have made investigations in Russia have been willing to base their opinion on what was prepared for them to see. Those who have been able to detach themselves long enough to investigate independently, and particularly if they speak the language, find things of which they dare not write. To speak frankly might implicate those with whom they had been in contact and would still further endanger them should return to Russia be necessary. That is one measure of the present extent of communistic influence. Those American citizens who are in Russia on technical missions should leave the country without delay. This may be a matter of personal safety. Further, they owe it to their Russian scientific colleagues for, by withdrawing support, even Stalin and his small group may be forced to recognize the importance of world public opinion. Men trained in science and engaged in making additions to our knowledge belong to the whole world. hlore than that, an aggressive and consistent campaign should be waged in these United States against the continuance of technical assistance, against further commercial relations of any sort, until there are ample assurances, faithfully carried out, to treat the people of the suffering country, whether they are technically trained or not, in accordance with the standards of enlightened and civilized countries. An occasional fanatic may be entertaining, but a whole nation of lunatics is going too far. Sanity cannot be promoted by playing the red game. It can be furthered by a policy in which the profits or trade today become forgotten in the more constructive objectives of tomorrow.
Nothing to Sell UCH small services as we require a t the hands of a barber are supplied by one of those observing, philosophic, genial, and talkative souls who are said to typify the trade. Recently, speaking on unemployment, the barber observed that much of it was due in his opinion to the fact that so few people have learned the art of finishing a job, and so many have failed to provide themselves with sufficient training t o give them anything they can offer for sale. He took as an illustration a hypothetical case that mill serve to make the point quite as well as anything we could select. Suppose, he said, a man wants to apply for a job. It is a good job and he wants to make the best possible impression. He has his hair cut, his hat cleaned and blocked, his suit pressed, and his shoes shined. He pays good prices, but falls into the hands of those who have never learned the art of finishing a piece of work. The bootblack belabors the toes of his shoes until they do shine, but he leaves the heels untouched. The man who presses his clothes is a bit careless and the crease of his trousers is out of place. The hair cut is a bit one-sided, and while the man who irons the hat does a good job, he fails to remove some of the spots. The appli-
Vol. 22, No. 12
cant presents himself for an interview, but the prospective employer gets the impression that he is careless. If the work would be given the same indifferent attention as his appearance he is not wanted. There is a lot of truth in the barber’s observation. As every automobile driver knows, his car rarely leaves the service station better off than when it entered. It has come to be a common saying that when one goes to the garage for repairs, he returns three times to remedy oversights. More than that, it is quitelikely there will be grease on the steering wheel, not to mention the upholstery, and many indications of a lack of attention to detail which makes all the difference between a finished and an unfinished job. These failings are not confined to the arts. They creep into the professions. Some technical men get the reputation of never completing a job. Others cultivate mental laziness which prevents them from developing something of their own to sell. And when we meet times like the present, these are the fellows who are first displaced or dropped from organizations. The moral is so obvious that it need not be stressed.
Protecting the Public VER since its creation the act designed to enable the E adequate protection of the citizens of the United States in matters pertaining to food and drugs has been subject to contention. The necessary regulations for the enforcement of the Federal Food and Drugs Act have likewise provided grounds for extensive argument. I n the years during which the act has been in force, the public has come to understand the protection it affords them, and the major points involved are no longer the subject of serious debate. I t is not generally understood that there is a marked difference in the difficulty of enforcing that part of the act which pertains to food and that which pertains particularly to so-called patent medicine. Where foods are concerned, it is only necessary to show that they have been labeled orbranded so as to deceive or mislead the purchaser to take legal action. This is much easier than in the case of patent medicines, where steps can be taken only provided the “package or label shall bear or contain any statement, design, or device regarding the curative or therapeutic effect of such article or any of the ingredients or substances contained therein which is false and fraudulent.” The word “fraudulent” raises a barrier which has become more and more difficult to hurdle as the technical lawyer has developed his art. Fraudulency involves a state of mind. It is necessary to prove that the suspected violator intended to defraud and that his statements on the label are made in bad faith. It requires no emphasis to stress to the technical mind the difficulties involved in securing convictions under such circumstances, particularly since many judges and most juries have difficulty in distinguishing symptoms from the disease. If the defense is able to create in the mind of the judge the impression that the alleged remedy is of some benefit, however minor, unless he has some familiarity with the technicalities involved, he may easily be led into error. The public is notably gullible, and it is not surprising that, with cleverly worded labels which few stop to read with care, the names of diseases are wrongfully interpreted as a statement that the contents of the package is a specific. The time was, early in the history of the enforcement of the Federal Food and Drugs Act, when the claims made were so broad that all but the least informed and most negligent saw at once the futility of expecting the patented article to be of benefit. The cases of today are examples of excellent finesse,
