AN ASPECT OF THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE 



It is evident that to this category belong the scientists whose imagi- 

 nation and artistic sense markedly surpass the average, the type for 

 which Van 't Hoff in his inaugural address mentioned no less than 

 fifty-two names, all men of well established scientific fame. 



Usually these romantic scientists are passionate researchers, often 

 possessed by a true craving for knowledge, which, however, may sud- 

 denly subside, the energy of the scientist being directed to other fields 

 of activity. Their mental mutability is apparently highly developed, 

 and, as in the great artists, from time to time instants of genius occur 

 leading to the 'successful guess'. But, as Hill has rightly stressed, they 

 are often marked by an extreme naivete in general affairs which means 

 that in human society they are exceedingly vulnerable. Here, then, is 

 an obvious task for the scientific promoter: firstly, make conditions 

 such that the persons in question stick to the scientific field; secondly, 

 protect them from adverse conditions emanating from society. 



It may be illuminating to pass here in review some passages from 

 the life histories of some successful scientists of the romantic type. This 

 will enable me at the same time to show that, even in the Dutch na- 

 tion, usually renowned for its soberness of mind, sometimes such sci- 

 entists arise. 



There can be no doubt that Van 't Hoff himself too belongs to the 

 romantic type. In this respect, it is noteworthy that his first publica- 

 tion appeared when, at the age of 22, he worked at the German Uni- 

 versity of Bonn under Kekule's direction. It is remarkable that this 

 publication should consist of four pages of English (!) poetry bearing 

 the title 'Elegy on the Death of a Lady Student at Bonn'. The fact that, 

 at that time, an edition of the collected poems of Lord Byron was the 

 favorite book in his library throws some light on this unexpected 

 emotional outburst. 



But in the same year, after having returned to Holland, he wrote 

 - and had privately printed - the brilliant pamphlet which made him 

 the founder of stereochemistry. I shall not dwell on Van 't Hoff 's 

 further career; it may suffice to state that several circumstances have 

 exerted a stabilizing influence on his devotion to science. 



A second example of a typical romantic scientist is my famous pre- 

 decessor in the chair of microbiology at Delft, M. W. Beijerinck. Those 

 among you who are acquainted with the six volumes of his collected 

 papers will agree that he was one of the truly great microbiologists of 



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