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CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



number of scientists tended naturally to increase throughout the ages, irrespec- 

 tive of the progress of science, together with the area of the civilized world. 



The diagrams should be considered qualitatively rather than quantitatively. 

 The curves aid one to visualize the amount of scientific activity accomplished 

 at different periods by different provinces of mankind. For example, figure 1 

 gives one a good idea of the relative importance of East and West. One 

 sees that down to the sixth century the West was preponderant, but 

 that, on the contrary, from the seventh to the eleventh century the higher 

 destiny of mankind was fulfilled mainly by Eastern peoples. Figure 2 



Fig. 1. — Progress of thought from ninth century B. C. to thirteenth century of our era. Or 

 the three curves, one represents the total number of prominent scientists and scholars, 

 others the partial totals relative respectively to East and West. 



enables one to appreciate the relative contributions of the four groups of 

 peoples above mentioned. Thus, one notes that Greek influence was para- 

 mount down to the seventh century; then for one century, the Hindu and 

 Chinese; and from the eighth to the eleventh century, and to an astounding 

 extent, the Muslim. This makes it clear why knowledge of Arabic is as essen- 

 tial for understanding mediseval thought as knowledge of Latin and Greek. 

 Indeed, it is indispensable for a deeper study of the eighth to eleventh centuries. 

 After the eleventh century. Western Christendom has been the main leader. 



2. The Publication of Isis. — The fact that the history of science is not yet 

 a recognized subject of study, even as, say, the history of art or the history 

 of religion, causes the many papers devoted to it to be scattered among an 

 exceedingly large number of periodicals — not simply among the almost 

 innumerable journals of science, but among journals of history, literature, 

 philology, art, orientalism, etc. Yet it is essential for the writing of my 

 Introduction that I should have ready access to these papers; it is equally 

 essential that I should keep in touch with the scholars who approach our 

 field of study from whatever angle. All this is brought about by my editing 



