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B u c k s C o u n t y I n t e l l i g e n c e r : J u l y 1 7 , 1 9 5 3
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NAC Scientist Entertains C of C At July Meeting Dinner, Lecture Enjoyed by Group At Farm College Doylestown Chamber of Commerce members and their ladies last night enjoyed an excellent hot weather dinner at the National Agricultural College. Then the hosts scared the wits out of at least some of their guests with casual exhibits of leprosy, cancer and tuberculosis cultures being used in scientific research. The July business meeting was dispensed with. Pies. Jenks Watron presided. Secretary Bob Robinsoil reminded the gathering that one enthusiastic member is sick at home, Charles Goodman, printer, and urged friends to call or write. Dr. George E. Turner, head of the college department of science and agriculture and the department of food and industry, welcomed the gathering in the absence of President James Work, and introduced Dr. Albert Schantz of the college faculty as co-discoverer of streptomicin, and director of research at the college. Research Laboratory Dr. Albert Schatz of the college ing to drive over to the new research laboratory on Old Rt. 202, in a former dwelling house now adapted for laboratory work. In a central room filled with test tube-covered tables. and wall shelves and refrigerators and technical apparatus, Dr. Schatz told of research work being done at the college in antibiotics to aid in the practical aspects of agriculture. He pointed out that at most agricultural schools the practical aspects of farming are more or less ignored. "When a student is graduated from some of the more famous institutions in our country," Dr. Schatz said, "he will have an excellent beginning as a scientist but will have little knowledge of the practical side of farming. Here at National College, we emphasize the practical side of farming and when our students are graduated they know farming from personal experience and they know agricultural science from practical work right here in this laboratory." Deadly Diseases In that connection Dr. Schatz exhibited a bottle partly filled with an innocent appearing material which he introduced as "leprosy culture," and another bottle containing "tuberculosis culture." Both are being used in a search for antibiotics to aid in control of those diseases. Dr. Schatz spoke in detail of experiments being made in the laboratory. Principal interest of his audience was in seeing the bottles safely returned to their refrigerator. Only figures the Chamber members had beard in recent years exceeding the national budget was in Dr. Schatz report of the number of bacteria and other organisms commonly found in a half teaspoonful of ordinary garden soil. They run se high in the billions the Chamber members wondered how they were counted. Dr. Schatz reported numerous projects in research at the college now under way to improve the yield of farm crops and to increase their food value.
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