NA TURE 



769 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1921. 



Editorial and Publishing Offices: 



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Editorial communications to the Editor. 



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A Suggested Institute of Human 

 Sciences. 



IN the human sciences — those sciences which 

 deal with the origin, the characters (physical, 

 mental, and moral), and the activities of man : in 

 other words, the anthropological sciences in the 

 broadest sense of the term — co-ordination and co- 

 operation are more essential than in almost any 

 other branch of scientific research. This is due 

 partly to the extent of the ground covered, and 

 partly to the character of the subject-matter, which 

 is frequently based upon a mass of data collected 

 from a wide area. This necessity for co-opera- 

 tion, acting in conjunction with man's perennial 

 interest in himself and his past, has led to the 

 formation of a host of societies, each dealing with 

 one or more branches of the subject. Some cover 

 certain special aspects only — archaeological, socio- 

 logical, linguistic, psychological, and the like; 

 others study man on a regional basis, and of these 

 some cover the whole field more or less com- 

 pletely, as in the case of Asia and Africa ; while 

 still others confine themselves almost entirely to 

 the archaeological aspect, as in the case of the 

 societies which deal with Egypt, Palestine, and 

 the Mediterranean area. 



The function of these learned societies in the 

 main is fourfold. The societies serve as a gather- 

 ing place for workers at which the latest results 

 of research can be announced and discussed ; they 

 provide libraries which in theory contain books 

 and periodicals not otherwise readily accessible 

 NO. 2703, VOL. 107] 



to their members; they act as the publishers of 

 the work of their members, which, on the ground 

 either of its specialist character or of its brevity, 

 is not suitable for publication elsewhere or in book 

 form, thereby assisting further in disseminating 

 the results of scientific investigation; and, lastly, 

 they further the interests of their subject by the 

 promotion and organisation of research and by 

 pressing its claims to support upon the public. 

 There has been considerable variation in the 

 measure of success with which these functions 

 have been performed; but, speaking generally, 

 as the affairs of the principal learned societies 

 which deal with human studies are in the hands 

 of those who have attained distinction in their 

 subjects, they lead the way and exert a not in- 

 considerable influence upon the lines of develop- 

 ment of further investigation. 



Those, however, who are concerned with the 

 administration of these societies are well aware 

 that the position is not entirely satisfactory. 

 There is very little co-operation between societies, 

 although a few welcome, but tentative, steps in 

 this direction have been taken. Not only does 

 this restrict undertakings which for financial or 

 other reasons are beyond the resources of a single 

 society, but it also leads to a certain amount of 

 overlapping. Most societies have a library ; 

 where several societies deal with cognate subjects, 

 in certain sections the same books and periodicals 

 appear in each. This is a waste of both space 

 and money, whether the library is augmented 

 entirely by purchase or in part by exchange. 

 There is also a waste of the time, energy, and 

 money of the worker. A paper dealing with a 

 certain specific subject may appear in any one of 

 half a dozen or more publications, and it is im- 

 possible to know in which of a number of libraries 

 a certain book may be found. In one case a 

 scientific worker who wished to make use in his 

 laboratory of a certain book long out of print 

 visited nearly every scientific society in London 

 before he ran it to ground. He then had to join 

 that society in order to borrow the book. 



There is also the question of catalogues and 

 bibliographies. Owing to the cost of printing, 

 any catalogue which is to be of use to the 

 members who live at a distance, and cannot visit 

 the library, is an impossibility, while a biblio- 

 graphy of current literature on comprehensive 

 lines seems equally impossible without greater 

 co-operation than has been secured up to the 

 present. 



In addition to the cost of maintaining libraries, 



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