The Missing Link

In the race to put scientific discoveries to practical and profitable use, many a British scientist was convinced that Britain had fallen far behind the field. Last Week the London Observer thought it had found both the cause and the cure. Wrote the Observer:

"In pure science [Britain] has never lost her leadership. Much of the pioneer work in atomic physics ... was done in this country between the wars. Radar, penicillin and jet engines are other familiar examples of discoveries which had their origin here ... Yet there is a great deal more we could do ... Britain is strong in research and strong in craftsmanship; she is weak in the stage between--the pilot plant stage which covers the trying out of new inventions, and the general application of scientific knowledge and method to industrial processes by men who are qualified both as scientists and as experts in the processes concerned. It was here that Britain first began to lose ground--particularly to Germany--around the turn of the century."

The Observer's recommendation for cashing in on British pure science: 1) more technical training in the established universities, or 2) new technical schools like the U.S.'s CalTech and M.I.T.

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