STUMBLING ON DISCOVERIES

Evening Star, Issue 19290, 1 July 1926, Page 7

STUMBLING ON DISCOVERIES

SOriE INTERESTING ” ACCIDENTS " Not tho least curious thing about many scientific discoveries is the unlikely place in which the key to a problem may be found and the unexpected direction in which the discovery may ho confirmed or developed. This has recently been illustrated remarkably in tho case of a Russian scientist, Dr Manoilov, and others, who claim to have discovered a reaction by which it is possible to distinguish between the blood of a male and the blood of its female. Dr Manoilov finds confirmation of his original discovery in a male and female nettle plantl

In the case of Mendel’s discoveries in heredity through bis experiments on edible peas, wo find tbe most thorough confirmation of his work in the feather color of fowls, and the results are utilised to increase egg production—which is in no way governed by feather color. For tho further developments of Mendel’s important work it is found that the most suitable medium is neither plant nor bird, but a minute insect fruit fly. The instance in “ wireless ” is better known, but not less remarkable. When tho problem arose of trapping the oscillating current received at a station and allowing it fn run one way only it was solved by some mineral crystals normally quite unconnected with electricity nr magnetism. Later, of course, it was found that specially constructed lamps would also serve. But perhaps the most fascinating of nil tho instances of the scientific relationship of nnusu.il tilings occurs in the ease of dyes, says G. 0. Ucaeltano. in the ‘ Daily Chronicle.’ A young scientist, W. IT. Perkin, was trying to prepare an artificial quinine when lie discovered “mauve,” the first of tho analine dyes.

Following on this discovery, we find that Turkey red, previously only obtainable from a root, tho scarlet for soldiers’ coats hitherto obtained from the Mexican cochineal bug, Tyrian purple, formerly only produc'd from a sea snail, and rnnsk perfume from tho deer are all obtainable from the same source in which the scientist was seeking quinine—namely, coal tar products. And closely allied to those colors and perfumes, formerly of animal and vegetable origin, were found drugs such as aspirin and V'eronal. So in science does one thing load to nr emerge from another in tho most unexpected way, and Die things thus finding scientific, relationship may be the most unlikely in the world even to the scientist himself.