72 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS from without. The hoped for result is the moist bloom of a petal smooth complexion. And the faithful users of our products will be the ones to judge whether the experiment confirms the theory, whether the perform- ance fulfills the promise. Perhaps it is not necessary to stress that this presentation makes no claim whatever to completeness of coverage of any particular subject or of any group of subjects. There is a great deal more that could have been said by way of elaborating the themes touched upon but briefly and, of course, there are many themes which have not been considered at all. Thus there is the still controversial issue of the dermal effects of lipoid soluble vitamins, a subject on the borderline of cosmetics and nutrition, or the fascinating problem of reduction of the sensitization potential of certain cosmetic materials by chemical modification of the "active" part of their structures, from the border territory of cosmetics and allergy the area of contact between cosmetics and bacteriology is of vital interest to the student of perspiration atid'•:odor control, while the problems of sun- burn preventives are being solved in the territory between cosmetics, physics, and dermatology. These few selected examples may suffice to illustrate the spread and ramifications of modern cosmetic science they also indicate the catholicity of interests which the cosmetic chemist must possess in order to apply the relevant information obtained by other disciplines, for the benefit of his own specialty. However we have to be content here with but a brief reminder of these facts please remember that we are taking a promenade in no-man's land, we are not surveying the territory. But let us now take another look at the doctrine of the need for a re- signed acceptance of the inevitable effect of age upon the complexion with which we started out on our walk. If age is allowed to have its way with- out any intelligent interference on the part of the informed woman it will surely take its toll of the skin in several respects. There will be a growing tendency to dryness and thinness, to a loss of elasticity, and ultimately to furrowing and wrinkling. There will be a gradual reduction in the dermal capillary circulation with an accompanying retardation of the activity of the all-important sebaceous and sudoriparous glands which help keep the younger skin lubricated and humidified. But the cosmetic chemist can even now furnish the means of combating and overcoming the erosive damage of which that clumsy vandal •'Time" is capable. If we can ob- tain a constructive co-operation on milady's part we can inform her, in turn, that it is possible to delay the appearance of the tell-tale signs of aging by many years, and to retain the freshness of a younger look long after the age of which this younger look would have been typical under normal conditions, i.e., unaided by cosmetic skill. We are all aware that owing to the rapid strides made in the recent past

A WALK IN "NO-MAN'S LAND" 73 in all scientific fields, as applied to medicine, sanitation and other pertinent disciplines, the average age of our population has been increasing at a fast rate. If we are to believe certain predictions we may expect in only 25 years to have in this country around 60 million people 45 years and older. Therefore, is not this the moment to intensify our collaborative work with the dermatologist and endocrinologist so as to make a joint cosmetic contribution toward letting our fellow human beings enjoy not a riper old age but a longer prime of life? REFERENCES (1) Eller, J. J., and Eller, W. D., "Estrogenic Ointments," Arch. Derrnatol. SyphiloL, 59, 449-464 (1949). (2) McGrath, E. J., and Hermann, L. G., "Influence of Estrogens on Peripheral Vasomotor Mechanism," Ann. Surg., 120, 607-616 (1944). (3) Chief•, M., "An Investigation of the Effects of Parenteral and Topical Administration of Steroids on the Elastic Properties of Senile Skin," 2 t. Gerontol., 5, 17-22 (1950). (4) Goldzieher, J. W., Roberts, I. S., Rawls, W. B., and Goldzieher, M. A., "Local Action of Steroids on Senile Human Skin," Arch. Dermatol. SyphiloL, 66, 304-315 (1952). (5) Shapiro, I., "Premature Baldness," 2 t. Med. Soc. N. 2t., 50, 17-19 (1953). (6) Castor, C. W., and Baker, B.C., "The Local Action of Adrenocortical Steroids on Epi- dermis and Connective Tissue of the Skin," Endocrinology, 47, 234-241 (1950). (7) Philip, A. J., "Topical Estrogens in Acne Vulgaris," N.Y. State 5 t. Med., 51, 1313- 1314 (1951). (8) Shapiro, I., Estrogens by Local Application in Treatment of Acne Vulgaris," Arch. Dermatol. SyphiloL, 63, 224-227 (1951). (9) Gaul, L. E., and Underwood G. B., "Relation of Dew Point and Barometric Pressure to Chapping of Normal Skin," ?. I•,vestig. Dermatol., 18, 9-10 (1952). (10) Blank, I. H., "Factors Which Influence the Water Content of the Stratum Corneum," Ibid., 19, 443-440 (1952). "Further Observations on Factors Which Influence the Water Content of the Stratum Corneum," Ibid., 21,259-271 (1953). President Lauffer returned to the rostrum, announcing that new officers had been elected for the year 1954, introducing Dr. Donald Powers, president for the year 1954. Dr. Powers accepted the gavel, symbol of ,,,,.e and said: "I greatly appreciate the honor and shall endeavor to justify your con- fidence. It must be recognized that we are particularly fortunate in keeping again for the coming year two officers who work hard for the •velfare and smooth operation of your SOC•.T¾ and do not get nearly einough recognition--Bob Kramer and Moody Crowder, our Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. "Next year, we shall ask our candidates for office what platform they are running on. As a platform for the coming year, the following planks are suggested and with your help we shall try to make them a basis for future building: I. Increase our membership to include all the technologists in our field. It seems as if we have only about half of them now. II. Strengthen our Jot:R•AI. by submitting more and more funda- mental research work for publication and help to build up the quality of all research in this field.