Some Reflections at the End of the Conference [8. international conference on phenomena in ionized gases, Vienna (Austria), 27 August - 2 September 1967]

At the end of this Conference, where about 900 participants from 35 countries have presented their scientific work, one feels the challenge to evaluate the present situation in gas discharges. To get an idea of the progress made, a snapshot has no sense. We therefore will look back a moment to bring some perspective into the picture as well as mention a few of the future likely fields of work: (1) The enormous field of chemical reactions in gas discharges. (2) Interaction of plasmas with surfaces (catalytic action, vacuum physics). (3) Stochastic or cyclotron acceleration of particles in beam-wave- plasma systems. (4) Laser research and resonance radiation processes, including the ultraviolet and X-ray region. (5) Investigation of extremely weak Townsend and corona discharges and their influence on the physiological behaviour of living beings.