SEPTEMBER. 1958 THE ANALYST Vol. 83, No. 990 EDITORIAL International Symposium on Microchemistry, Birmingham, August 20th to nth, 1958 OVER two years ago the Midlands Section and the Nicrochemistry Group set up an Executive Committee, under the Chairmanship of Mr. J. R. Leech, and with Mr. W. T. Elwell as Honorary Secretary, to plan this Symposium. Since then the Committee has met almost monthly, directing and co-ordinating the eight sub-committees that were charged with the work of getting together in Birmingham some 60 lecturers and 450 delegates (about a quarter of them from overseas), housing and feeding them, and attending to their scientific and social wants for a week. Each sub-committee would claim that its was the hardest task of all; in the event, the organisation that they created together stood up well to the occasion.The milling crowd of delegates around the registration desks was dealt with rapidly and efficiently and, with the aid of a really excellent handbook, delegates quickly settled down to the daily round of scientific and not-so-scientific pursuits. This breadth of interpretation of “microchemistry” might have caused raised eyebrows among the Biological and Physical Methods Groups. In fact, as always, overlapping of interests was not only condoned but encouraged by much able assistance from their officers and members. There were four Plenary Lectures, given by Professors Feigl, Benedetti-Pichler and Lieb, and Dr. Belcher, representing the founding of microchemistry and its progress in South America, North America, Europe and Great Britain, respectively.Apart from these, the lectures with their discussions occupied a total of over 45 hours, and covered the fields of radiochemistry, emission and absorption spectroscopy, chromatography, polarography and biochemical methods, as well as the more recognisably chemical organic elemental and group analysis and gravimetric and titrimetric methods. Another section appropriately marked the interest and devotion that the founders of microchemistry showed in the teaching of their subject. The endurance called upon from delegates was fortunately limited by the lectures being held in three concurrent streams. There was some dashing from lecture theatre to lecture theatre, but with the best will in the world no delegate could attend much more than a third of the programme.With the varying lengths of papers and the proper insistence that social functions should not be unduly curtailed, the task of arranging the papers so that no delegate should ever wish to be in two (or even three) places at once was an impossible one. But there were few overt clashes, and only those with abnormal interests could feel seriously aggrieved. A feature of the lecture programme was the opportunity during extended discussion time for delegates to advance their own smaller contributions. Many of these were of great interest : their full value will only be appreciated when the published discussions are available. Steady interest was shown in the backward look over books and apparatus of early scientific interest.The forward view was provided by the leading scientific houses, which, in their trade exhibition, catered for every likely interest of the microchemist. In addition, 489 The common feature of the scientific content was small quantity of material.490 PROCEEDINGS [Vol. 83 four periods were set aside for demonstrations of micro techniques and apparatus. The firms, institutions and individuals who took part in these satisfied the lovers of everything from the fully automatic black box to the humble but ingenious gadget. All the delegates were invited to receptions by the President of the Symposium, Professor M. Stacey, F.R.S., and by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, and to the Symposium Dinner, which was necessarily divided into two, each vying with the other in excellence of fare and wit.In addition each delegate had a share in the large number of lunches, receptions and dinners provided by various committees and through the generosity of the directors of local industry. There was evidence here, as well as in the number of firms who received, instructed and entertained delegates during works visits, of the excellence of the co-operation between the industries and the academic life of Birmingham. About a third of the delegates were fortunate in securing seats for the heavily over- subscribed performances of Hamlet or Pericles al the Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. Then there was the ladies’ programme, and the coach tours-but the list grows too nostalgic. Shall we say that there was entertainment, organised and spontaneous, which will a t least compete with the scientific programme in the memories of delegates. The thanks of the organisers must be expressed to Professor Stacey and to the authorities of the University of Birmingham, its Halls of Residence and the Guild of Undergraduates Union for the willingness with which they put their considerable facilities a t the disposal of the Symposium. There is by now probably ncl trace of the Symposium left in Birmingham, but the delegates will remember the welcome and comfort they enjoyed. During the week, discussions were being recorded, verified and edited by a willing but overworked band. When it is finished, all the lectures and discussions will be published by Pergamon Press Ltd. as the Proceedings of the Symposium: a reminder of two years’ of preparation and one crowded week of enjoy- ment as well as scientific accomplishment. The programme of social functions was an impressive one. This was an enormous task. and it is still going on.