Institutes, Museums, Libraries 261 



Universities, academies and other scientific societies/*" observatories and labo- 

 ratories, botanic gardens, etc. own objects of historical interest, for example, 

 objects vi'hich illustrate their creation and early days, portraits of their presidents 

 and famous members, etc. but these objects, scattered in the public and private 

 rooms, do not constitute museums and are not generally accessible to the public. 



The situation with regard to museums is the same as for periodicals and serials 

 and for the same reason: the history of science is not yet a well-known and recog- 

 nized discipline; few periodicals, or museums are exclusively devoted to it, but 

 abnost every learned periodical, and almost every serious museum, may contain 

 items of interest to us. Museums may be divided into the following categories: 

 museums of art, museums of archaeology or history (national, provincial, regional, 

 local), museums of natural history, museimis of anthropology and ethnology, 

 museums of science and industry. The last-named deal generally with modern, con- 

 temporary, conditions, but they often include historical exhibits. The other 

 museums may also contain items (and sometimes very important ones) concerning 

 the history of science. For example, some of the best portraits of men of science 

 and other iconographical monuments are to be found in the museums of art. 



It is to be hoped that for each country or region catalogues of the main docu- 

 ments and monuments available will eventually be compiled, and that their un- 

 avoidable dispersion will thus be compensated. Such catalogues would be easier 

 to compile for special objects, such as surgical instruments, astrolabes, clocks. A 

 great many Roman surgical instruments are scattered in museums devoted to classical 

 archaeology. Astrolabes and clocks have often been collected for their beauty and 

 found their place in art museums. For example the Wallace Collection of London 

 boasts a fine series of eighteenth century French clocks. 



The function of institutes for research has been examined in all its aspects in 

 the work edited by Ludolph Brauer, Albert Mendelssohn Bartholdy and 

 Adolf Meyer: Forschungsinstitute, ihre Geschichte, Organisation und Ziele (2 vols., 

 ills., Hamburg 1930). These two splendid volumes are a memorial of the great 

 Germany destroyed by Hitler. The problems concerning the history of science 

 were discussed by Henry E. Sigerist (vol. 1, 391-405). 



When a professorship in the history of science or medicine is established, the 

 foundation should include enough funds for the creation of an institute ad hoc. This 

 has been done in some countries (Germany, Poland) with regard to the history of 

 medicine. A professor of the history of science without a special library (with 

 archives and other collections) is very much like a professor of science without a 

 laboratory, without staflF and budget; his activities are doomed to second-handedness 

 and mediocrity. 



Without an institute where all the necessary information is steadily collected there 

 can be no continuity in the work done, no creative tradition. 



George Sarton: An institute for the history of science. Three articles (I. Sci- 

 ence 45, 284-88, 1917; II. Science 46, 399-402, 1917; III. Isis 28, 7-17, 1938). The 

 third article was partly reprinted in Sarton: The hfe of science (p. 169-74, New 

 York 1949). 



The following notes are arranged in alphabetical order of countries (English 

 names) and for each country in alphabetical order of cities: 



argentina 



— Buenos Aires — 



Ateneo de historia de la medicina: 



Institute founded and directed by Prof. Dr. Juan Ramon Beltran for the study 

 of the history of medicine. It issues Publicaciones de la catedra de historia de la 

 medicina (vol. 1, 1938; vol. 4, 1940) and Revista argentina de historia de la medicina 



(1942^.). 



Address: Edison 548-80, Martinez. 



I*' Consider the objects decorating the rooms of the Royal Society, the Academie des Sciences, 

 or the Lincei. 



