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The Defense Research Section also develops ointments to protect against the effect of the action of the toxic or blistering gases of the skin. At the same time the substance will be referred to the Mechanical Research Section under Mr. Fogler, because a change in the ingredients may make it necessary to change the type of canister. That becomes important if dealing with smokes instead of vapors. The question of protective clothing may have t o be taken up. The defensive results are then transmitted by Dr. W. K. Lewis, in charge of all defense problems to the Gas Defense Division, which is not a part of our Division, but is under Colonel Dewey, and has charge of the commercial production of all defense materials. While all this is being done, the same substance is sent to the Pharmacological Research Section under Dr. E. K. Marshall, and they study the question of the effect produced and the general question of susceptibility. Certain men may be IOO times as susceptible as are other men. It is very desirable to make preliminary tests, and t o keep out of the factory men who are extremely susceptible, because they are sure t o be casualties. The substance is also studied by the Pathological Section under Dr. Winternitz, and they go into painful details as to the way in which the various organs are attacked by war gases. At the same time it is sent to the Therapeutic Section under Dr. Underhill, of Yale, and they take up the desirable but very difficult task of finding methods of treatment t o revive men who have been gassed more or less severely. While all this is going on, all these various sections are making reports twice a month on all the substances that they are working’ with, so that you can see that there is an enormous amount of pseudo-literary material piling up. All of this material comes to the Editorial Section, of which I am in charge. We condense it as much as possible, and get out semi-monthly reports, which are sent to a selected list of people in this country and abroad. These reports deal with many different topics, and if someone wanted to look up about a certain substance he would have a fearful task ahead of him. Consequently, as fast as possible we are writing monographs on each particular gas, canister ingredient, etc., which shall contain everything that is known in the literature, everything that we have been able to get from the Allies or from captured German reports, and everything that has been done in this country. We hand out the desired monograph to the inquirer, and tell him to read it. Of course he does not do it, but the thing is indexed pretty thoroughly, and he can look over the various sections which interest him more particularly, and thereby post himself on what is known in regard to that substance in a relatively short time. In this way the information in our files is made fairly accessible. Now this whole system of handling toxic substances is a very 5exible one. Whenever necessary we increase or decrease the number of sections. At one time Dr. J. F. Norris was in charge of all the chemical research. That grew to be more than one man could possibly handle. The Offense Research was left under Dr. Norris, and the Defense Research was given to Dr. Lamb. Since other sections were interested in the offensive work, it became necessary to tie things together again, and Kohler was put in charge of all the problems of Offense. We began with one Physiological Section. Now there are Pharmacological, Pathological, and Therapeutic Sections, and the Pharmacological Section has recently been subdivided into testing and research. The Mechanical Work was split into two sections. When conditions changed, this work was put back into one section. Any section can be changed or rearranged in any way desirable to get results, and this has worked well in practice.
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THE PLACE OF THE UNIVERSITY I N CHEMICAL WAR
WORK By
E. W. WASABURN
Vice Chairmen, Division of Chemistry end Chemical Technology, National Research Council
I n normal peace times, so far as chemistry is concerned, the university has two main functions, first, the training of chemists, and second, the prosecution of research in pure and applied chemistry. I n war times these still remain the principal functions of the university, but as has happened in so many other cases, these two functions must be modified t o accord with war needs, and it is on the subject of what these modifications should be that I wish t o speak to you this morning. THE TRAINING OF CHEMISTS
A few weeks ago the War Department’s Committee on Education and Special Training requested the National Research Council to make an analysis of the Government’s needs for chemists, and to make recommendations covering the steps which should be taken to provide as far as possible to supply these needs. In order t o obtain the necessary data a questionnaire was sent to all Government agencies employing chemists, asking them to state the number of chemists, kind of training (i. e., organic, metallurgical, etc.) desired, the increase in each of these classes of chemists which they estimated would be required during the coming year, and any changes in educational methods which they thought desirable in order properly to meet their needs. From the answers received to this questionnaire the Research Council was able to determine approximately what the needs of the Government are with respect to the different kinds of chemists required. With regard t o the number of chemists now in service in different Government departments, the data already given you by Dr. Parsons are in accord with those obtained as a result of the questionnaire referred to. and it will therefore be unnecessary t o repeat these figures. As *, future requirements, the data collected indicate that somtthing over 2000 chemists will be needed by the Government during the next year in addition to the numbers now in service. These figures take no account of industrial requirements, but it is safe t o say that the additional chemists required for necessary war industries will a t least equal the number of those required by the Government. We may conclude, therefore, that something over 4000 additional chemists will be needed for necessary war work during the coming year. This number is considerably in excess of the normal output of the colleges, and we cannot hope to provide all of the chemists called for. The problem is, therefore, to make provision for training, as quickly as possible, the maximum number of chemists which the educational €acilities of the country can take care of. The source of supply of the additional chemists required by the Government and by the war industries will for the immediate future be those students in the Students’ Army Training Corps who are preparing themselves For Chemical Warfare Service. While provision can be made in training camps for training the rank and file of certain other branches of the Army, this is not true in the case of Chemical Warfare Service. Most of the men in this service must be trained as chemists, and this training can be given them only a t the colleges and universities. The analysis of the Government requirements for chemists indicates that, in general, the chemists needed may, for purposes of consideration, be divided into three classes as follows: I-Analytical chemists: that is, men who have received sufficient training in chemistry t o enable them to carry out routine analytical work under direction. n-Chemists with a good general training in all of the fundamental branches of the subject, and with some degree-of further
Oct.,
1918
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
instruction in one of the following: ( a ) physical chemistry, including electrochemistry and metallography; ( b ) organic chemistry, including the chemistry of explosives; (c) food and sanitary chemistry; ( d ) physiological chemistry; (e) chemical engineering, including ceramic engineering, petroleum, textile, rubber, leather, etc., technology, and metallurgy. 3-Chemists qualified to carry on research work intelligently in some one of the fields listed under Class 2. Approximately one-third of the total number of chemists required will be in Class I , and will be employed in routine analytical and control work. The National Research Council, a t the request of the War Department, has drawn up a set of recommendations embodying a 3 years’ curriculum in chemistry and a 3 years’ curriculum in chemical engineering, each curriculum being based upon a year composed of 4 terms of 12 weeks each. Under this scheme the first group of chemists required can be trained in one year, the second group in two years, and the third group in three years. These curricula are intended for institutions having a unit of the Students’ Army Training Corps organized in accordance with the following statement recently issued to the colleges of the United States. The man-power bill pending in Congress definitely binds the country t o the policy of consecrating its entire energy to the winning of the war as quickly as possible. It fixes the age limits as 18 to 4.5, both inclusive. It places the nation upon a war basis. The new military program, as outlined by the Secretary of War, calls for the increase of the Army by more than two million men by July I , 1919. This will probably necessitate the mobilization of all physically-fit registrants under z I , within ten months from this date. With respect to students, since they are not t o be made in any sense a deferred or favored class, this means that they will practically all be assigned t o active service in the field by June 1919. The only exceptions will be certain students engaged in technical studies of military value, e . g., medicine, engineering, and chemistry. Under these conditions i t is obvious that schools and colleges for young men within the age limit:; of the new law cannot continue to operate as under peace conditions. Fundamental changes must be made in college artd school practices in order to adapt therp to effective service in this emergency. , The following statements outline the general plan under which the Students’ Army Training Corps will operate under the changed conditions produced by the revision of the Selective Service Law: I-All young men who were planning to go t o school this fall should carry out their plans and do so. Each should go to the college of his choice, matriculate, and enter as a regular student. He will, of course, also register with his local board on the registration day set by the President. As soon as possible after registration day, probably on or about October first, opportunity will be given for all the regularly-enrolled students t o be inducted into the Students’ Army Training Corps a t the schools where they are in attendance. Thus the Corps will be organized by voluntary induction under the Selective Service Act, instead of by enlistment as previously contemplated. The student, by voluntary induction, becomes a soldier in the United States Army, uniformed, subject to military discipline, and with the pay of a private. They will simultaneously be placed on full active duty, and contracts will be made as soon as possible with the colleges for the housing, subsistence, and instruction of the student soldiers. 2-Officers, uniforms, rifles, and such other equipment as may be available will be furnished by the War Department, as previously announced. 3-The student-soldiers will be given military instruction under officers of the Army and will be kept under observation and test t o determine their qualification as officer-candidgtes, and technical experts such as engineers, chemists, and doctors. After a certain period, the men will be selected according t o their performance, and assigned to military duty in one of the following ways: (a) He may be transferred to a central officers’ training camp. (b). He may be transferred to a non-commissioned officers’ traming school.
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(c) He may be assigned to the school where he is enrolled for further intensive work in a specified line for a limited specified time. ( d ) He may be assigned to the vocational training section of the Corps for technician training of military value. ( e ) He may be transferred to a cantonment for duty with troops as a private. 4--Similar sorting and reassignment of the men will be made a t periodical intervals, as the requirements of the service demand. It cannot now be definitely stated how long a particular student will remain a t college. This will depend on the requirements of the mobilization and the age group to which he belongs. In order to keep the unit a t adequate strength, men will be admitted from secondary schools or transferred from Depot Brigades as the need may require. Students will ordinarily not be permitted to remain on duty in the college units after the majority of their fellow citizens of like age have been called to military service a t camp. Exception t o this rule will be made, as the needs of the service require it, in the case of technical and scientific st?ldents, who will be assigned for longer periods for intensive study in specialized fields. 5-No units of the Students’ Army Training Corps will, for the present, be established a t secondary schools, but it is hoped t o provide a t an early date for the extension of military instruction in such schools. The secondary schools are urged to intensify their instruction so that young men 17 and 18 years old may be qualified t o enter college as promptly as possible. 6-There will be both a collegiate section and vocational section of the Students’ Army Training Corps. Young men of draft age of grammar school education will be given opportunity to enter the vocational section of the Corps. A t present about 27,500 men are called for this section each month. Application for voluntary induction into the vocational section should be made t o .the Local Board and an effort will be made to accommodate as many as possible of those who volunteer for this training. Men in the vocational section will be rated and tested by the standard Army methods and those who are found to possess the requisite qualifications may be assigned for further training in the collegiate section. 7-In view of the comparatively short time during which most of the student-soldiers will remain in college and the exacting military duties awaiting them, academic instruction must necessarily be modified along lines of direct military value. The War Department will prescribe or suggest such modifications. The schedule of purely military instruction will not preclude effective academic work. I t will vary to some extent in accordance with the type of academic instruction, e . g., will be less in a medical school than in a college of liberal arts. 8-The primary purpose of the Students’ Army Training Corps is to utilize the executive and teaching personnel and the physical equipment of the colleges to assist in the training of our new armies. This imposes great responsibilities on the colleges and a t the same time creates an exceptional opportunity for service. The colleges are asked to devote the whole energy and educational power of the institution to the phases and lines of training desired by the Government. The problem is a new one and calls for inventiveness and adaptability as well as that spirit of cooperation which the colleges have already so abundantly shown.
From this statement it will be seen that the colleges are facing a variety of very difficult problems in making provision for the large number of students who will enter the Students’ Army Training Corps. The president of one of the large western universities, in starting the plans for housing and feeding the large numbers of students which they expect to take care of, asked the supervising architect of the institution if he could make such provision in time for the institution to open on its regular date, which was about the middle of ’September. When the architect replied that it would be impossible, the president expressed his disappointment and reminded him that he had never before failed in a crisis. To this the architect replied: “Mr. President, this is not a crisis, it is a revolution; the crisis will come on the day the university opens.”
I think this statement fairly expresses the conditions which the colleges and universities are facing. Under the new regula-
T H E JOL’RNAL OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y VOl. tions any properly equipped high school graduate may now enter the college of his choice. He will be provided with quarters, mess, light, heat, equipment, and free instruction, and will be paid $30 a month. Throughout the time he is in college he will be under strict military discipline. At the end of every 12 weeks his record will be scrutinized and if his work is in any way unsatisfactory, he will be immediately taken out of college and assigned elsewhere, probably in many cases to one of the cantonments. Former college students will find college life an entirely new proposition. Doubtless many of you have seen on the walls of fraternity houses such mottos as the following: “Never permit your studies to interfere with your regular college work.” The student who follows any such motto as this under the new conditions will find himself neatly and with great despatch removed from his academic surroundings. Such customs as petitioning the Faculty for another trial, or for a special examination, and all other hallowed customs of this kind will pass out of existence. The student either makes good or he doesn‘t; he either passes or he fails. The lame duck species of college student is about to become extinct. The men who remain in college after the first 3 or 4 terms will be only those students who have displayed exceptional ability for some special line of training. The statements received from the various Government agencies concerning desirable modifications in the training of chemists may be of some interest. As might be expected, all agencies of the Government emphasized the need of more thorough training in the fundamental branches of the science, t h a t is, in inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. In addition, certain special subjects were mentioned by anumber of different Government agencies. For example, the various arsenals emphasized the need of more men well trained in metallurgy and metallography. The Navy Department pointed out that many of their men apparently had received no definite instruction in methods of using chemical literature or in proper methods for drawing up specifications. As might be expected, many branches of the Government also pointed out the need of special courses in the chemistry of explosives. Additional numbers of ( I ) pharmaceutical chemists were called for by the Bureau of Chemistry and by Chemical Warfare Service; (2) physiological chemists by the Surgeon General’s Office and by Chemical Warfare Service; ( 3 ) food and sanitary chemists by the Surgeon General’s Office and by the Bureau of Chemistry; (4)ceramic chemists by the Bureau of Standards and by the U. S. Fuel Administration. RESEARCH ON WAR PROBLEMS
Under normal conditions every research laboratory is confronted with more problems than it can take care of. Since the war the personnel of many of the Government laboratories has been increased many fold, and it might be thought that with this greatly increased personnel these laboratories would be in a position to care for all of the problems which now exist. Such, however, is not the case. It is true that the Government now provides, as i t must necessarily provide, for the investigation of all the larger and more urgent problems with which it is confronted, but nevertheless, most of the Government laboratories are overcrowded with work, and have trouble in securing certain classes of equipment and the services of sufficient numbers of adequately trained men. It is true that more men might be obtained if laboratory space could be provided for them, but such additional numbers could only be secured by further depletion of the staffs of educational institutions, and such action would result in completely shutting off the supply of chemists for the future. Although the Government is providing in its own laboratories and under its own direct control for the investigation of the important research problems connected with the prosecution of the war, there are many important problems still unsolved or
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only partially solved. For example, many of the problems which the Government has had to solve have been problems connected with the production of some new material or the development of some new process to fill an urgent need. As soon as a material or process has been obtained which meets this need more or less satisfactorily the laboratory in charge has then found it necessary to transfer its attention to some other urgent problem. As a result there are many processes and materials which have received only that amount of study which was necessary to insure their operating sufficiently well to accomplish the desired end. I n other words, output of something which would d o has been the sole purpose and result of the research work. It thus happens that in many cases there has been no opportunity to ascertain just why certain things tried have worked, or why certain others have failed; or just why certain conditions seem to be more favorable than others; or just what occurs a t this or that stage of the process; or why some other method might not give a higher yield or a better quality of material than the one which is actually employed because it has been found t o work; or whether certain cheaper or better raw materials might not be available; or just what is the relation between factor A and factor B which enter into some part of the operation, etc., etc. There are indeed many auxiliary problems of this character which have arisen in connection with the research work, and which are worthy of the careful scientific study which they can receive only in some laboratory not working under the high pressure which prevails in many of the Government laboratories. This is where the universities may be of great service in supplementing and completing the research work of the Government. In addition to supplementary problems of the kind just described, there are other problems, in the solution of which the research resources of the universities can be of great assistance. It frequently happens that a search of the literature demonstrates that the physical chemical or physiological properties of certain important materials are very inadequately known, the data in the literature being very fragmentary, or of doubtful accuracy, or both. The Government laboratories have neither the time nor, in many cases, the equipment for making the necessary measurements to secure the desired data. Here again many of the universities have exactly the equipment required and can secure the data desired. It is hoped that the investigators of the country will be willing to lay aside for the present the lines of work in which they have been interested in the past, and to take up some war problem of a character which they can handle with the equipment and assistants a t their disposal. The National Research Council is undertaking to secure as many of these problems as possible which are suitable for assignment to universities. It will also endeavor to secure from all available sources in Washington all of the unpublished information concerning the work which the Government has already carried out in connection with each problem, and to transmit such information to the investigator t o whom the problem is assigned. Where special materials or chemicals are involved arrangements will also be made as far as possible for supplying such materials t o the investigator. Mahy of these problems will be found suitable as thesis subjects for graduate students or for seniors in a chemistry curriculum. If any investigator who is in a position t o give a substantial part of his own time to work of this character or who has adequate assistance in the way of students or research assistants will make known to the National Research Council the facilities a t his disposal and the nature of the problem (whether organic, physical, physiological, or analytical, etc.) which he prefers, the Council will endeavor as far as practicable and as soon as possible to submit to him through the authorities a t his institution a war problem for investigation.
