Accepting Just Anybody Into ACS

The question that should be asked with the loosening of requirements for joining the American Chemical Society is whether our society is a professional one devoted to those who have filled certain academic qualifications, or is it an organization with membership for anyone interested in the field of chemistry (C&EN, June 8, page 64)? Under the less stringent conditions, the total membership should increase dramatically, with magazines such as C&EN of interest to a broad spectrum of the public.

Unfortunately, the motive for increased membership may not be for the enhancement of science but for its contribution to the bottom line. I await the reasons for the demotion of ACS from a professional society to one of an organization that unifies but does not improve the quality of chemistry, by including those not only mainly but peripherally interested in the field.

Nelson Marans
Silver Spring, Md.