INSTRUMENTATION
Observations on the Eastern Analytical Symposium Î
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BEGINNING THIS COLUMN f o r
the
nineteenth year, we started our observations on the 22nd of November— America's second day of infamy in this century. That our best efforts faltered, stumbled, and unashamedly dissolved in tears was a weakness shared by all people of the Earth having that residual regard for human life, integrity, and respect for duly constituted authority. It was five days after our return from the Eastern Analytical Symposium in Xew York City. What transpired there and on the subsequent day of national tragedy have; something in common, as we hope to illustrate and prove. "The time has come," the Walrus said, "to speak of many things—of shoes, and ships and sealing wax—of cabbages and kings." In this day of lasers, computers, microelectronics, and the incredible advances which permit us to establish the essential inhospitable aspects of the outer planets, we have put man, homo sapiens, in an extraordinary position. Modern medicine has increased his life expectancy to almost twice what this scribe could have expected at birth. In preparing him for month-long survival in outer space, where he can be fed from squeeze-tubes, and fidgit in his own ordure, space medicine has provided an environment which could, unfortunately, be duplicated in a hundred slums still existing in our blessed land— and at one millionth the cost. In pioneering in atomic weapons, in foreseeing a neutron bomb or an anti matter weapon, we are still plagued by gunpowder. Without gunpowder, we would be lost. Television and radio would be deprived of the most essential ingredient of what passes for entertainment. It is still a national misconception that the winning of the West was accomplished with the Colt and the Winchester. Somewhere, and we are ashamed to admit we don't know where, there is an inspiring statue of the "Pioneer Woman" who raised her family, cooked, sewed, washed, and slaved, renouncing all the comforts of the East, and whose routine chores included an occasional pot shot at marauding Indians. Her menfolks more frequently than not, were settling minor arguments with gunpowder—after the whiskey ran out.
With due respect to our many friends who are ardent hunters, we seriously question the sense of gunpowder and firearms in this enlightened age. Some of our hunter friends have greatly reduced the hazards by fitting their companions with antlers instead of red caps. We ask ourselves what does this ancient Chinese discovery have of value other than in the hands of duly authorized police officers, with certain regional reservations. In short, we wish to raise the point— what is more important than Man? The computers can grind out his social security number in an instant and reduce him to an anonymous statistic. In New York, among our many professional friends, we encountered this monotonous statement, "we have countless problems, superb equipment, but it is almost impossible to find enough competent men." MODERN CRIMINALISTICS
It was our privilege, among other things, to visit a former student and research colleague, Dr. C. J. Umberger, Chief Toxicologist of the City of New York. In an all too brief visit to his laboratories in the new Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, we saw one of the finest laboratories in the entire Metropolitan area. It may come as a surprise to many of us to note that the best resources of conventional chemical analysis, microscopy, ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy, chromatography, and even nuclear magnetic resonance, electrochemical analysis, and emission spectroscopy are being used to establish the cause of death, whether by accident, suicide, or homicide. The circumstances of this famous institution are most interesting. In 1918, New York City pioneered in establishing the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, in an attempt to scientifically establish the cause of death, as legally expressed, "beyond all reasonable doubt." Its inception was fraught with all sorts of political hazards. As Mayor Hylan of that period put it, "we don't need a bunch of croakers to tell us when a guy is dead." What Red Mike forgot was that in that era, victims were signed out as cardiac failures when simple examination would have found several slugs in their remains. This famous
by Ralph H. Müller
institution and its laboratories formed the basis of design for the renowned F.B.I, laboratories in Washington. Just recently, C&E News announced that Dr. Paul Kirk's institution in California has granted the first Ph.D. in criminalistics in the U. S. The recipient was an Australian. Aside from some dozen large metropolitan centers in this country, certification of the cause of death is still in the hands of coroners—an incredibly archaic system. It is true that there are coroner's physicians, but no physician alone is competent to pass on such matters. In the few scientific centers, such ultimate decisions represent the combined findings of a pathologist, histologist, toxicologist, bacteriologist, along with the findings of ballistic experts and other highly trained technicians. Although we shall soon know whether the moon is made of green cheese, it is still possible to "get away with murder" in the majority of our communities. What transpired on that fatal day in Dallas in transporting the assassination suspect has not been excelled since the silent film days portraying the antics of the Keystone Cops. Dr. Umberger voiced the old refrain. "We have the best equipment in the world for forensic chemistry; all of it is needed because the great wealth of new solvents, pesticides, and industrial chemicals present health hazards and accidental causes of fatalities which greatly complicate our problems. We have the means to solve the toughest of these problems but we can neither find the experts to help us, nor afford to pay them what they are worth." A local institution which formerly graduated competent people has reduced its offerings to such an extent that its people are of no use in this exacting profession.
RADIATION DETECTORS AND ANALYSIS BY KINETICS
At the Symposium, many exciting things in analysis were discussed. It was our privilege to arrange and preside at a session on Radiation Detectors, at which Dr. Simon of R.C.A. reviewed the contemporary status of detectors for visible and ultraviolet radiation. Dr. Dunne of Philips Electronic Instruments did the same for detectors in VOL. 36, NO. 1, JANUARY 1964
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
the far ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma radiation. Mr. Wormser of Barnes Engineering, in discussing infrared radiation detectors, covered applica tions ranging from space age prob lems and missile guidance to the visual presentation of subtle temperature gradients on the human body. With our interest in physical chem istry, we were most eager to hear our good friend Dr. Sydney Siggia of Olin Matheson describe some recent ad vances in analysis by kinetics. All physical chemists, instrumentation ex perts, and mathematicians were in for some good natured ribbing at his hands. In an enthusiastically received talk, Dr. Siggia very modestly outlined the ex tensive series of investigations which he and his associates have carried out on analysis of mixtures by kinetic methods. In our opinion, these tech niques have almost unlimited applica tion. Much of their work, although precise, has been exploratory and they have demonstrated the general ap plicability of their graphic representa tion of kinetics to such diverse tech niques as titration, effusion, velocity, diffusion, and distillation. Despite the gentle ribbing, Siggia stressed the value of instruments, indeed their indispensability, but instantly emphasized the importance of pure chemistry,—what the Germans call "chemischer Verstand." INTELLECTUAL
ARISTOCRACY
In all ages, there has existed an aristocracy of the mind. That it can flourish so abundantly in this great democracy is proof that it is the only aristocracy which can be tolerated among free and highly independent people. But here, as well as elsewhere, it is viewed with some suspicion, and is rarely paid what it is worth. Were it so paid, it might rapidly become the aristocracy of wealth as well and pos sibly achieve arrogance. There will be a continuing search for better minds in this frenetic space age, not alone in science and technology, but in economic and political offices. The Kennedys brought more culture to the White House than it has seen since the days of the Founding Fathers. In his good natured way, our late Presi dent stated the point at the memo rable occasion when all living American Nobel Laureates were invited to a formal dinner at the White House. Said he, "There has probably never been assembled a greater collection of intellect in the history of the White House, with the possible exception of the occasion on which Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
