254 



International Organization 



of that congress intrusted the creation of the Academy to a committee of seven mem- 

 bers: Aldo Mieli, Abel Rey, George Sarton, Henry E. Sigerist, Charles Singer, 

 Karl Sudhoff, and Lynn Thorndike. The Academy was constituted in August 

 1928 and the seven men just named were its first members. The first meeting of 

 the executive committee took place in Paris in May 1929; the first annual meeting 

 in Paris in May 1930. The seat of the Academy is 12 rue Colbert, Paris 2 (close to 

 the Bibliotheque Nationale). Aldo Mieli was from the beginning its permanent 

 secretary; he was succeeded in 1950 by Pierre Sergescu. 



For more information on the Academy see its official organ, Archeion,^''^ now 

 called Archives internationales, and also the Annuaire de I'Academie {Srd ed. 1936). 



The purpose of the Academy was to organize the study and teaching of the 

 history of science on an international basis. In order to implement that purpose 

 it was necessary to organize national committees in as many countries as possible. 



There are at present some 27 national groups.^"' Their names are given below 

 in alphabetical order, together with the dates of constitution and of their affiliation 

 to the Academy as far as known to me. These dates are not always unambiguously 

 known because the definition and constitution of a group is not always clear or may 

 be challenged by another group in the same country, etc. The dates given below 

 are tentative.^'"' It is possible that some of those national groups either do not func- 

 tion at present, or do not communicate regularly with the Academy. To the usual 

 difficulties caused by the creation of a new society relative to a new discipline must 

 be added the chaos resulting from wars and revolutions. 



National groups affiliated to the International Academy: — 



Reports from each national group appear periodically in the Archives. In addi- 

 tion, information is given concerning groups in process of organization. 



For example, consider India. A national committee for the study of the history 

 of science in India was convened on 2nd Jan. 1949 at Muir Central College, by 

 Professor A. C. Bannerji, president of the National Academy of Sciences. This 

 will probably lead to the constitution of a National Group or Society for the History 

 of Science. Details of the proceedings may be read in the Archives internationales 

 (28, 812-14, 1949). 



The Academy was reorganized in December 1948 in order to harmonize its 

 activities with those of two overall international organizations UNESCO and ICSU 

 (the first is the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, 

 the second the International Council of Scientific Unions). 



1"! The existence of Archeion (under the name Archivio) preceded that of the Academie ( 1919, 

 1928) even as the existence of Isis preceded that of the History of Science Society (1913, 1924). 



^"2 Strictly speaking the number of national groups ofBcially recognized by the International 

 Union in October 1950 was 19. The figure given by me is larger, because it includes groups 

 which have vanished, say, Palestine replaced by Israel, or whose official link is in abeyance 

 because of the late war. For example, the German group was affiliated in 1932, the affiliation 

 is temporarily broken, but it will soon be renewed. 



103 When many dates are given they refer to different steps in organization, the last date is that 

 of formal reorganization. 



^"^ The ambiguity Palestine-Israel is caused by the fact that the group was first affiliated during 

 the British mandate; if I remember right the first (Palestinian) group included Arabic and Jewish 

 members. 



