Extractive metallurgy Techniques possibly applicable in India

METALLURGY remained an art from the time of Agicola (credited with having written the first treatise on the subject) to the end of the 19th century. In many areas, it remains an art to this day. "This does not mean to imply that no advances have been made in metallurgy. But there
are many examples of early metallurgical work which our best scientists today find difficult to explain. An out-standing one is that of the Delhi Pillar at Kutub Minar forged of iron, as far as is known, about the 12th century and still standing, almost unweathered,in uprightposition a few miles outside the city of New Delhi. During the present rocket race, a great deal of scientific work has been done on the metallurgy of steel and special alloys, with the result that ductilities and tensile strengths have increased dramatically within the past twenty years.