ZOOLOGY AS A SCIENCE 



13 



a rather clear-cut idea of his objective. Usu- 

 ally, this is relatively easy, although the 

 final answer as a result of the applica- 

 tion of the scientific method may not be as 

 clear as the initial problem indicated. For 

 example, the problem might be: what 

 causes cancer? After many years of work by 

 thousands of scientists, there is as yet 

 no clear-cut answer. An apparently simple 

 problem may become very complex once it 

 is pursued for a time. In fact, this is the 

 usual experience of most scientists in the 

 search for the solutions to problems. 



2. Hypothesis. Once the problem is 

 stated, some kind of supposition or guess 

 as to the answer should be formulated. This 

 is the hypothesis or guessed theory. For 

 example, thousands of various chemicals 

 are frequently tested with respect to their 

 ability to destroy bacteria in the bodies of 

 animals. Continued testing is based on the 

 theory that since some chemicals have been 

 effective for the purpose of bacterial de- 

 struction, others may also be effective. This 

 is rather remote evidence, for various chem- 

 icals are likely to react differently. How- 

 ever, there is always the chance that a new 

 chemical may react in some new way or 

 may even supersede the reaction of some 

 known chemical in eventual effectiveness. 



3. Gathering facts from observations or 

 experimentation. Facts must be accumu- 

 lated, based on observations with the 

 senses or extension of the senses made pos- 

 sible by the use of instruments such as the 

 microscope to increase the ability to see 

 small things and the telescope to observe 

 distant bodies. These facts must be gath- 

 ered painstakingly and sometimes over long 

 periods of time. The impressions received 

 through one sense should be checked 

 against those received through other senses, 

 in short, all possible information must be 

 gathered from all sources. In collecting 

 these facts the scientist must not be influ- 

 enced in the slightest by his own opinions. 

 Facts must be collected without bias, and 

 records must be accurately kept. 



Some problems require observation alone, 

 as, for example, the measuring of the orbit 

 of the moon. It would be impossible to do 

 other than to collect data on the activities 

 of the moon over a long period of time. 

 Other problems lend themselves to experi- 

 mentation, that is, through alteration of 

 the natural course of events it is possible to 

 make observations over a short period of 

 time, under controlled conditions. When- 

 ever experimentation is possible, results are 

 obtained much more rapidly than in those 

 fields where observations must be taken on 

 naturally occurring events. For example, 

 the way in which color blindness is in- 

 herited in man can be detected by studying 

 several generations of families over a period 

 of 50 or 100 years, whereas the underlying 

 mechanism can be demonstrated in a month 

 or two by studying fruit flies bred in the 

 laboratory. 



4. Compiling and interpreting the data. 

 Once the observations and experiments 

 have been completed, the data must be 

 arranged and coordinated. Frequently, it 

 is impossible to note trends or to determine 

 any noticeable effects while the observa- 

 tions are being made; it is only after ar- 

 rangement and coordination into units that 

 the real results can be detected. This sys- 

 tematization involves the construction of 

 tables, charts, and graphs. Often mathe- 

 matics will be required before true 

 relationships can be stated. 



5. Conclusion. The conclusion is prob- 

 ably the most important part of the sci- 

 entific method, and it is the part where 

 great caution must be exercised. Facts are 

 the only basis for interpretation. Conclu- 

 sions must be drawn logically and should 

 be as nearly absolute as possible. These are 

 most reliable when based on mathematics. 

 Caution must also be used in drawing con- 

 clusions with absolute certainty, since 

 nothing is absolutely final to the scientist. 

 Science is relative and subject to change as 

 more knowledge is attained. As new facts 

 are discovered in the chemical and physi- 



