THE ATOMIC VIEW OF NATUEE. 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- i 



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.^ 



In the domain of specially chemical reasoning we meet 53. 



Criticisms ot > 



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



'- view. ' 



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



symbols and of their empty formalism ; notably structural I 



chemistry and stereo-chemistry have not escaped severe ] 



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



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 



I 



^ See Berthelot, ' La Syutliese de I'esprit humain, uaturellement 



chimique,' 7"' ed., 1891, p. 167. porte h, substituer a la conception ' 

 " Le principal reproche, que Ton directe des choses . . . la vue plus 



puisse adi-esser a la theorie ato- sin]2:)le . . . de leurs signes lepre- ] 



mique, comuie a toutes les concep- sentatifs." ' 

 tions analogues, c'est qu'elles con- ; ^ The late eminent Professor 



duisent a operer sur ces rapports Hermann Kolbe of Leipsic, whose 1 



uumeriques des elements et non labours both alone and jointlj' with ' 



sur les corps eux-memes, en rap- Fj-ankland have done so much to 1 



portant toutes les reactions a une break down the formalism of the ! 



unite type, necessairement imag- older type theory, was especially | 



inaire. Bref elles eulevent aux conspicuous by his virulent attacks I 



phenomenes tout caractfere reel, | on the representatives of ' Modern } 



et substituent h leur exposition Chemistry.' The controversy is I 



veritable une suite de considerations elaborately and lucidly treated by i 

 symboliques, auxquelles I'esprir. se A. Rau in 'Die Theorien der 



complait, parce qu'il s'y exerce modernen Chemie ' (Braunschweig, : 



avec plus de facilite que sur les 1877-84, 3 jmrts), which contains | 



realites proprement dites . . . les 1 very valuable historical references. I 

 symboles de la chimie presentant I am afraid it is greatly owing to 

 a cet egard d'ctranges seductions this party spirit that Kolbe's own 

 par la facilite algebrique de leurs ' greatness is hardly sufficiently 

 combinaisons et par les tendances known in this country. 



