Before discussing the justification for the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, we might reasonably look into the history of technical societies in general. I understand that the first technical society in England and perhaps in the world, was the Institution of Civil Engineers which, of course, is still in existence. The members of this organization called themselves civil engineers to distinguish themselves from military engineers. Military engineering had developed naturally under governmental direction to superintend the building of waterways, roads, and bridges.
At the outset, the civil engineers were presumed to cover all the then known branches of engineering. But, as frequently happens in engineering societies, the direction in which their activities were concentrated was determined primarily by the interests of the leaders of the organization. In this case, the field of major interest happened to be that now occupied by civil engineering as we know it. This left another...
