Biographical Collections 85 



was published in 1917 and the supplements have been or will be abbreviated in 

 the same manner. 



The Dictionary of American Biography (DAB) began to appear in 1928, and 

 was completed in 20 vols, in 1936. Index to vols. 1-20, 1937. Supplement includ- 

 ing biographies of men who died before 1935 (1944). Some articles of DAB rela- 

 tive to the colonial period duplicate articles of DNB, but are posterior to them, and 

 hence presumably better. 



The French biography, Dictionnaire de biographie frangaise, is still too far from 

 completion to be very useful. Vol. 1 is dated 1933; vol. 3, pubUshed in 1939, stops 

 at Aubermesnil. Latest part seen, fasc. 27 to Bassot (Paris 1950). 



Biographie nationale de Belgique. 27 vols. (Bruxelles 1866-1938). Vol. 28, 

 General Table (1944). 



Dictionnaire historique et biographique de la Suisse (7 vols., Neuchatel 1921-33; 

 suppt. 1934). 



Splendid biographical collections have been published in the Netherlands and in 

 Scandinavia, but as they are printed in Dutch, Swedish, etc. they are not generally 

 available to foreign scholars. 



Bibliography of biographical dictionaries classified by countries in the Enciclo- 

 pedia italiana (7, 47-49, 1930). 



The two most important collections of scientific biographies are 



JoHANN Christian Poggendorff (1796-1877): Biographisch-literarisches Hand- 

 worterbuch zur Geschichte der exacten Wissenschaften (2 vols., Leipzig 1863). 

 Supplements: vol. 3, for 1858-83 (1898); vol. 4, for 1883-1903 (1904); vol. 5, for 

 1904-22 (1926); vol. 6, for 1923-1931 (1936-40). Facsimile reprint of the whole 

 set in 10 vols. (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1945). The biographical information given in 

 these volumes is very brief, the purpose being rather to give the complete bibliog- 

 raphy of each author. 



Ernst Gurlt, Agathon Wernich and August Hirsch: Biographisches Lexikon 

 der hervorragenden Aerzte aller Zeiten und Volker (6 vols., Wien 1884-88). Re- 

 vised edition by Wilhelm Haberling, Franz Hubotter and Hermann Vierordt 

 (5 vols., Berlin 1929-34; Suppt. 1935). Though this collection is restricted to physi- 

 cians, it is more general; indeed, a great many men of science of the past, especially 

 the naturalists, practiced medicine or at least had a medical degree. 



James Britten and George S. Boulger: Biographical index of deceased British 

 and Irish botanists {2nd ed., 364 p., London 1931; Isis 36, 229). 



Some of the most valuable biographies of men of science are to be found in 

 academic publications, but a list of these would involve too long a digression. It 

 is hoped that a bibliography of all of these academic biographies will eventually 

 be compiled and then kept up to date in periodical supplements. 



Thomas James Higgins: The function of biography in engineering education 

 (Journal of engineering education 32, 82-92, 1941); Biographies and collected works 

 of mathematicians (American mathematical monthly 51, 433-45, 1944); Book -length 

 biographies of chemists (School science and mathematics 650-65, 1944); Book-length 

 biographies of physicists and astronomers (American Journal of physics 12, 234-36, 

 1944); Book-length biographies of engineers, metallurgists and industrialists (14 p., 

 reprinted from Bulletin of Bibliography, vols. 18-19, 1946-47); Biographies of 

 engineers and scientists (Research Publ. of 111. Inst. Tech., vol. 7, no. 1, 62 p., 1949); 

 Biographies and collected works of mathematicians (Am. math. mly. 56, 310-12, 

 1949). 



