the history of science

The History of ScienceAuthor(s): Emil J. Walter and Jean PelseneerSource: Isis, Vol. 38, No. 3/4 (Feb., 1948), pp. 244-245Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/226122 .

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244 The History of Science Science News Association (92 Upper Circular Road, Calcutta) had the joy and pride of cele- brating in its number of July I947 the freedom of India. It was in the pages of Science and culture that the views of responsible thinkers in the country were broadcast for the first time for Planning on a National Scale. For people long accustomed to living under colonial conditions, freedom from foreign yoke is the immediate objec- tive, which we have persistently advocated. But this is the first step to the goal and not an end in itself. Thus one of our achievements has been to clarify the future objectives of the country-planned development of the resources in men and material so that our people may live at par with the civilized people in other progressive countries.

Freedom and science are inseparable. The government of a modern nation is highly techni- cal in all of its innumerable aspects; it requires scientifically-minded officers and, what is far more difficult to obtain, a sufficiently large number of scientifically-minded citizens. The efforts made by Science and Culture cannot be praised too highly and we hope that these efforts will receive their reward. The outstanding difficulty is not so much that only a very small percentage of the Hindu population is literate, but rather that only a very small percentage of the literate minority is able to read a journal like Science and Culture and to understand its rational and scientific message. The peace, security, and pros- perity of India will not be advanced by meta- physical and religious discussions, but by the wise application of scientific and rational methods. For the sake of India's freedom, we hope that the Hindu audience of Science and Culture will increase considerably.

The emancipation of India by England will probably be considered in later times as one of the greatest political events in the history of mankind. G. S.

THE CORRESPONDENCE OF ISAAC NEWTON.-Although Isaac Newton is ac- claimed as the greatest leader of scientific thought that the world has known, there exists no satisfactory collected edition of his works. The Council of the Royal Society has decided to make a first step in the arduous undertaking of preparing such an edition by producing in a worthy form the collected correspondence of Newton, which will comprise letters written by him and the replies to them. Professor H. W. Turnbull, F.R.S. has undertaken the editorship of this work.

The Council of the Royal Society has en- trusted the immediate organization of the pub- lication of the Newton correspondence to a Sub-Committee of the Society. It is as Chair- man of this Sub-Committee that I extend a cordial invitation to all organizations, such as learned institutions, museums, libraries and col- lections to collaborate in the work, by notifying the Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society of any letters of Newtonian interest that they may possess. I trust that they will further be willing to co-operate either by lending the letters to the Society for a brief period or by arranging with the Society for photographic copies to be made, from which the Editor will be able to work.

E. N. da C. Andrade Chairman,

Newton Letters Sub-Committee September, z947.

American communications may be sent to Mr Frederick E. Brasch, American Member of the Sub-Committee, c/o Library of Congress, Wash- ington, D. C. See his article in Science, I August 1947, pp. 102-3.

The History of Science

THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE IN SWITZ- ERLAND 1946-47.-Der Geschichte der Wis- senschaften wird in der Schweiz relativ wenig Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet. Es gibt an den vie- len Hochschulen der Schweiz (Universitaten in Zurich, Bern, Basel, Genf, Lausanne und Neuen- burg, Handelshochschule in St. Gallen, Eidge- nossische Technische Hochschule in Zurich) uiberhaupt keine besonderen Lehrstiuhle fur die Geschichte der Wissenschaften und recht selten fachgeschichtliche Vorlesungen.

An der Universitit Lausanne ist seit Jahren Prof. Edg. Goldschmid mit der Durchfiuhrung von medizingeschichtlichen Vorlesungen beauf- tragt worden. Im Sommersemester 1946 trug er vor fiber "Histoire de l'anatomie pathologique" (I Stunde), im Wintersemester 1946/47 iuber

"Histoire de la medecine au XIX. siecle" (I. Stunde), eine Vorlesung, die im Sommerse- mester 1947 weitergefiihrt wurde. Daneben ist jedes Semester je eine Stunde "Lectures de textes m6dicaux anciens" angesetzt.

An der Universitat Genf liest Mlle Dr. Jda Welt an der Faculte des Sciences fiber "Histoire de la chimie" (1946, I946/47, 1947). Im Berner Vorlesungsverseichnis deutet die Vorlesung von Prof. Rytz "Phylogenie und Geographie der Pflanzen, Historisches und Aktuelles" (S.S. 1946) auf die Behandlung fachgeschichtlicher Fragen hin.

An den Universitaten in Zurich und Basel wird bloss ilber Geschichte der Medizin gelesen. Und zwar an der Basler Universitat durch Ehrendozent Dr. med. Hans Karcher: "Gesch-



The History of Science 245

ichte der Medizin" (S.S. I946: Neurologie, Psy- chiatrie, Innere Medizin im I8. und i9. Jahr- hundert; W.S. 1946/47; SS. I947). In Zurich wird die Geschichte der Medizin von P.D. Dr. G. A. Wehrli betreut. Er. las im W.S. 1946/47 uber "Prominente Aerzte der Schweiz im i6. bis I9. Jahrhundert" i Stunde) und im SS. 1947

uber "Bedeutende Personlichkeiten mit korper- lichen oder geistigen Gebrechen mit Demonstra- tionen in der medizingeschichtlichen Samm- lung)".

Lediglich an der Volkshochschule Zurich werden, abgesehen von einzelnen Vortraigen fUr Horer aller Fakultaiten, hie und da auch Kurse iiber Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften durch- gefuhrt. So liest Dr. E. J. Walter an der Volks- hochschule Zurich im S.S.1947 uber "Bedeutung und Entdeckung wichtiger Naturgesetze."

Reichhaltiger als die akademische Vortragstai- tigkeit ist in der Schweiz die wissenschaftliche Publikationstaitigkeit. Die Zeitschrift "Gesnerus, Vierteljahrsschrift, herausgegeben von der Schwei- zerischen Gesellschaft fur Geschichte der Medi- zin und der Naturwissenschaften", die von Prof. J. Strohl begrundet wurde, erscheint jetzt unter der Redaktion von Prof. H. Fischer, ZUrich, be- reits im vierten Jahrgang. Sie enthailt haupt- saichlich medizin - geschichtliche Arbeiten und bringt auch regelmissig eine Bibliographie aller einschlaigigen fachgeschichtlichen Arbeiten, die in der Schweiz veroffentlicht werden.

Im Zusammenhang mit der 200 Jahrfeier der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft Zurich vom 6. und 7. September 1946 gab die Zurcher Naturforsch- ende Gesellschaft eine besondere Festschrift her- aus. Der Festvortrag von Prof. Dr. H. Fischer uber Conrad Gessner und Johann Jakob Scheuch- zer wurde in der Vierteljahresschrift der Natur- forschenden Gesellschaft Zurich veroffentlicht. Diese wird auch wesentlich bereichert durch die Notizen zur schweizerischen Kulturgeschichte von Dr. B. Milt. In der Festschrift wurde von Prof. E. RUbel die Entwicklung der Naturforsch- enden Gesellschaft geschildert, wahrend besondere Fachreferenten in 29 Arbeiten die Leistun- gen der wissenschaftlichen Forschung in Zurich auf den Gebieten der Naturwissenschaften und der Medizin in den letzten 50 Jahren Ubersicht- lich und anschaulich schilderten. (Ziirich) Emil J. Walter

COMITI BELGE D'HISTOIRE DES SCI- ENCES. - Rapport sur l'annee academique 1946-I947. - Les conferences et communications suivantes, presque toutes suivies de discussion, ont ete entendues: Andre Danjon: "Le cente- naire de la decouverte de Neptune" (Ciel et Terre, 62, n? 11-12, 1946, nov.-dec.). Jean Pelseneer: "L'origine protestante de la science moderne" (Lychnos, annuaire de la Societe sue- doise d'histoire des sciences, 246-48, 1946-I947).

Maurice Welsch: "Les precurseurs belges de la therapeutique par les antibiotiques." Armand Renier: "L'oeuvre geologique de Robert de Limbourg (1731-1792)" (La Geologie des ter- rains recents dans l'Ouest de l'Europe. Compte rendu de la Session extraordinaire de la Societe belge de Geologie, de Paleontologie et d'Hydro- logie, et de la Societe Geologique de Belgique, tenue en Belgique, du I9 au 26 septembre z946. 495 p., 97 figs., 12 pls.; Bruxelles, p. 420-51,

1947). Paul Bourgeois: "La commemoration Le Verrier a Paris." Ad. Rome: "La conjonc- tion Mars-Jupiter de juillet 409 av. J. C. et la date de l'Iphigenie a Aulis d'Euripide" (Miscel- lanea Mercati). C. Naillis: "La theorie des marees de Posidonius." Louis Dufour: "L'- oeuvre meteorologique d'Adolphe Quetelet." Sir Harold Spencer Jones: "Newton, his life and works" (Ciel et Terre, 63, 73-85, 1947). Jo- seph Mogenet: "Autolycus de Pitane: sa place dans l'histoire de l'astronomie ancienne." Emile de Strycker (S.J.): "Les postulats d'Euclide et l'&cole de Platon." R. J. Forbes: "L'histoire de l'art de la distillation" (proj. lum.).

Le Comite a procede, d'autre part, a l'election de trois membres titulaires: MM. Max Cosyns, mattre de conferences & l'Universit6 libre de Bruxelles, Maurice Michaux, charg6 de re- cherches du Fonds National de la Recherche scien- tifique, et Andr6 Van de Vyver, professeur & l'Universite de Gand, ainsi qu'& l'election de dix membres associes: MM. Cornelis de Waard, Louis C. Karpinski, Alfred Lacroix, Henry E. Sigerist, Charles Singer, Mme Dorothea Waley Singer, Seyyed-Djalaleddine Teherany, Lynn Thorndike, Quido Vetter et J.-A. Vollgraff.

Le Secretaire: Jean Pelseneer

THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE IN GENERAL EDUCATION. - In cooperation with the American Association of the History of Medi- cine, the History of Sdence Society has ap- pointed a joint Committee on the History of Science in General Education which has been asked to study present methods of teaching the sciences in schools and colleges on the North American Continent and to investigate the avail- ability of source material - both texts and re- prints of classics - for historical instruction. Dr I. Bernard Cohen is serving as chairman of the committee with the following members: Erwin H. Ackerknecht, Wisconsin; Carl B. Boyer, Brooklyn College; Joseph S. Fruton, Yale; Henry E. Guerlac (vice chairman), Cor- nell; Genevieve Miller, Johns Hopkins; and Dorothy Stimson, Goucher.

The first meeting of the committee was held in New Haven, at the Historical Library, Yale University, on 12-13 October 1947. An account of the work of the committee will appear in a later number of Isis.



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