(EST Pub Date) Science and Technology in Communist CHINA Through 1970

Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
rcs 4425/65 (W3)
of- disease, and to promote food hygiene. The
research build-up is slow, and manpower training
will not yield fruit before 1970. Its efforts in popu-
lation control have been limited to the support
of late marriage, use of contraceptives, and liberal-
ization of abortions and sterilization. No evidence
is available of any related drop in the birth rate
which is about 2.2 percent of the total population.
161. Traditional Chinese medicine is of two
basic types: herbal medicine, which, in many cases,
has a pharmacological basis; and the more obscure
practice of acupuncture, or needling, and moxi-
bustion, or cautery, which have not been ade-
quately evaluated scientifically. The mixing of
Western and traditional medicine serves to in-
crease the number of medical practitioners in the
eyes of people, to bring ideas of modern hygiene
and public health to the traditional doctor without
causing “loss of face,” and to extract from a large
body of traditional remedies those that are truly
efiicacious. This practice probably will continue
at least until enough Western-style physicians are
available.
8. Biological Sciences
162. In general, the quality of Chinese biological
research is fairly good. However, the quantity of
research is low; so is the number of PhD-level
scientists. The number of research institutes is
adequate for China’s limited basic research pro-
gram, but, if China extends its biological research,
an expansion of these facilities will be necessary.
Except in certain areas of molecular biology, where
the Chinese are making significant advances, Chi-
nese biological research is not expected to produce
any outstanding scientific accomplishments within
the next 5 years. However, there probably will
be a gradual increase in biological science capabili-
ties during that period. Official emphasis will con-
tinue to be centered on the applied rather than
the basic aspects of biological research. The main
research effort in Chinese biology is directed to-
ward practical problems concerned with agricul-
ture, industry, and health.
163. The taxonomy and ecology of the flora of
China continue to dominate the field of botany.
Other fields receiving increased attention are plant
physiology, genetics, and biochemistry. Investi-
gations are being conducted on photosynthesis,
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mineral nutrition of plants, tolerance of plants to
adverse conditions, induced mutations, and molecu-
lar biology. Although China’s total genetic re--
search capabilities are limited, some outstanding
basic research in molecular biology has been con-
ducted. The Chinese may attempt to make a
spectacular contribution to molecular biology, as
this is an area in which they might surpass rival
Communist countries. Some excellent biochemical
research on the resynthesis and regeneration of
insulin has been conducted by scientists at the
Institute of Biochemistry, Shanghai. Chinese bio-
chemists also have attained high-quality research
in enzymology and protein biosynthesis.
164. In Chinese zoological research, the morpho-
logical, taxonomical, and ecological fields are most
prominent. Investigation in these fields on many
insects, fishes, and animal parasites has resulted
in the successful development of a number of
biological control measures. Though limited, much
of this research is on the level of Western work
in the zoological sciences.
165; The scope of Chinese microbiological re-
search is fairly broad, and the overall quality of
most microbiological research is good. Research
in microbial physiology and biochemistry empha-
sizes the industrially useful microorganisms. Chi-
nese research on microbiological methods of pros-
pecting for gas and oil also has been conducted
during the last few years. Considerable advances
have been made by the Chinese in the field of
antibiotic research, but they have not yet attained
a quality of research as high as that attained by
Western scientists. The Chinese are currently in-
vestigating the possibility of utilizing microbes to
convert by-products and agricultural wastes into
foodstuffs. Scientists have had some success in
this field, although production costs of such proc-
esses must be lowered substantially before research
findings can be applied practically.
166. Major research progress in hydrobiology in
China has occurred in fish rearing and catching,
the development of marine shellfish culture, the
extensive propagation and utilization of\ seaweeds
for human food and industrial material, and the
investigation of the plankton distribution in the
China seas. Research on the sea kelps Laminaria
and Porphyra has resulted in more successful
propagation of these species, and research on the
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