Academies and Societies 113 



In 1920, a special section (L) was devoted to the "Historical and philological 

 sciences." The original idea, promoted by Frederick E. Brasch was to have a sec- 

 tion devoted to the "history of science," but the AAAS considered that the history of 

 science was too small a subject to have a section for itself and entitled the new sec- 

 tion "Historical and philological sciences." It was as if it were making a sub- 

 section of the American Historical Association and of the Philological Association — 

 the whole of history and philology was only a part of the AAAS. A section devoted 

 to the "history of science" would have been very natural, this one was preposterous. 

 It must be added, however, that the great majority of the papers read before section 

 L were papers on the history of science. 



Frederick E. Brasch (Science 52, 559-62, 1920; 53, 315-18, 1921). 



5) 1872: (AFAS) Association fran^aise pour ravancement des Sciences. First 

 annual meeting in Bordeaux 1872. Meetings are held almost every year in a dif- 

 ferent French-speaking town. The 67th meeting took place in Geneva (Switzer- 

 land) in 1948. 



Comptes rendus of the annual meetings appear in book form; those of the first 

 meeting (Bordeaux 1872) in Paris 1873; those of the 63rd meeting (Liege, Belgium, 

 1939) in 1941. 



There is also a Revue de I'Association etc. entitled Sciences giving miscellaneous 

 information. I have seen no. 59, 75. annee, juillet-sept. 1948, p. 433-51, i-ix. 75th 

 year refers to the age of the AFAS, not of "Sciences." 



Address of the Secretary: 28 rue Serpente, Paris 6. 



As in the case for the other national societies, the actual foundation was pre- 

 ceded by tentatives which are traced back to 1864 (Leverrier) and 1865 (Frederic 

 Kuhlmann). The Association was constituted at a meeting held in Paris on 22 

 April 1872 under the presidency of Claude Bernard. 



6) 1907: (SIPS) Societa italiana per il progresso delle scienze. The first 

 annual meeting took place in Parma 1907. Annual meetings have taken place 

 since then almost every year, each time in a difi^erent Itahan town. 



The proceedings are pubhshed in book form, Atti della Societa, etc. (vol. 1, 

 Roma 1908). The Atti of the first 18 annual meetings from 1907 to 1929 ap- 

 peared in 18 volumes. A new series of the Atti began with the meeting of Florence 

 1929 (2 vols., 1930). The 28th meeting took place in Pisa 1939, and its Atti 

 edited by Lucio Silla bear the subtitle Celebrazione del 1° centenario. See also: — 



Lucio Sella (editor): Un secolo di progresso scientifico italiano, 1839-1939 (7 

 vols., Roma 1939-40; Isis 35, 190; 36, 223). This very useful but disingenuous work 

 bears a misleading subtitle "Societa italiana per il progresso delle scienze. Anno 100° 

 della prima riunione degli scienziati italiani." Hasty readers might conclude that 

 these volumes celebrate the centenary of the Societa, which in 1939 was only 32 

 years old. The subtitle refers to a meeting of the "Congresso dei dotti," which took 

 place in Pisa 1839. That Congresso having taken a patriotic and revolutionary char- 

 acter (we must remember that Italy was not unified until 1870), it was suppressed 

 after its ninth meeting held in Venice 1847. ItaUan scientists met again in Siena 

 1862, Rome 1873, Palermo 1875. In short, Itahan scientists held twelve annual 

 meetings during the period 1839-1907, or forty during the period 1839-1939. 



General indexes to the Atti. Indici della prima serie (vol. I-X, 1907-19; 1926), 

 della seconda serie (riun. 11-20, 1921-31; 1932). 



The Societa also publishes an Annuario containing the list of its members (last 

 vol. seen 1935-XIII); it began in 1937 the publication of Scienza e Tecnica, a 

 monthly supplement to the Atti; vol. 2 (1938) was issued independently with sub- 

 title Rivista generale di informazione scientifica. 



Address of SIPS: Piazzale delle Scienze 7, Palazzo del Consigfio Nazionale delle 

 Ricerche, Roma. 



The description of these six associations must suffice; they are still the most 

 important, the first because of chronological precedence and the five others because 

 of the great achievements of German, Enghsh, American, French and Italian men 

 of science. Similar associations have been created in many countries in order to 

 satisfy national ambitions, or sometimes the ambitions of a linguistic group. For 

 example, the Flemish congress of science and medicine was created by Jxilius Mac- 



