THE ATOMIC VIEW OF NATURE. 



455 



specially on the lines marked out by the atomic view of 

 nature have, in the course of time, reasserted themselves, 

 the atomic view itself has been regarded with less favour 

 by students who have made these problems their especial 

 study. In fact, one meets not infrequently with an in- 

 clination to disparage the atomic theory, to point out 

 that it is merely a hypothesis, and that as such it 

 should only assist, but not govern, scientific research. 1 



In the domain of specially chemical reasoning we meet 53. 



Criticisms of 



with severe criticisms of the one-sided and formal develop- the atomic 



* view. 



ment to which the atomic view has led, of the playing with 

 symbols and of their empty formalism ; notably structural 

 chemistry and stereo-chemistry have not escaped severe 

 ridicule. 2 Whilst it is not very evident how the school 

 from which these criticisms proceed can in the long-run 

 escape those logical consequences which are embodied 

 in stereo-chemistry, other criticisms claim our attention 



1 See Berthelot, ' La Synthese 

 chimique,' 7 me e*d., 1891, p. 167. 

 " Le principal reproche, que 1'on 

 puisse adresser a la the'orie ato- 

 mique, comme a toutes les concep- 

 tions analogues, c'est qu'elles con- 

 duisent a ope"rer sur ces rapports 

 numeriques des Elements et non 

 sur les corps eux memes, en rap- 

 portant toutes les reactions a une 

 unite' type, ne'cessairement imag- 

 inaire. Bref elles enl&vent aux 

 phe'nom&nes tout caractere re"el, 

 et substituent a leur exposition 

 veritable une suite de considerations 

 symboliques, auxquelles 1'esprit se 

 complaib, parce qu'il s'y exerce 

 avec plus de facilite que sur les 

 re"alites proprement dites . . . les 

 symboles de la chimie pre'sentant 

 a cet e"gard d'etranges seductions 

 par la facilite alge"brique de leurs 

 combinaisons et par les tendances 



de 1'esprit humain, naturellemenfc 

 porte" a substituer a la conception 

 directe des choses ... la vue plus 

 simple . . . de leurs signes repre"- 

 sentatifs." 



2 The late eminent Professor 

 Hermann Kolbe of Leipsic, whose 

 labours both alone and jointly with 

 Frankland have done so much to 

 break down the formalism of the 

 older type theory, was especially 

 conspicuous by his virulent attacks 

 on the representatives of ' Modern 

 Chemistry.' The controversy is 

 elaborately and lucidly treated in 

 A. Rau, 'Die Theor'en der 

 modernen Chemie ' (Braunschweig, 

 1877-84, 3 parts), which contains 

 very valuable historical references. 

 I am afraid it is greatly owing to 

 this party spirit that Kolbe's own 

 greatness is hardly sufficiently 

 known in this country. 



