AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE 



539 



ber of investigators in that science, the num- 

 bers being: chemistry, 175; physics, 150; 

 zoology, 150; botany, 100; geology, 100; 

 mathematics, 80; pathology, 60; astronomy, 

 50; psychology, 50; physiology, 40; anatomy, 

 25; anthropology, 20. 



The individuals were selected by asking ten 

 leading representatives of each science to ar- 

 range the students of that science in the order 

 of merit. There were for each science slips 

 made with the names and addresses of all 

 those known to have carried on research work 

 of any consequence. The total number as- 

 signed a position was 2,481, distributed among 

 the sciences as follows: Mathematics, 201; 

 physics, 261; chemistry, 389; astronomy, 165; 

 geology, 257; botany, 213; zoology, 290; 

 physiology, 101; anatomy, 89; pathology, 251; 

 anthropology, 72; psychology, 192. These 

 numbers inAtoded duplications when a man 

 was given a p^ace in more than one science. 



The memorandum sent to those who were 

 asked to make the arrangement was as follows : 



MEMORANDUM 



The undersigned is making a study of American 

 men of science. The first problem to be consid- 

 ered is the distribution of scientific men among 

 the sciences and in different regions, institutions, 

 etc., including the relative rank of this country 

 as compared with other countries in the different 

 sciences, the relative strength of different univer- 

 sities, etc. It is intended that the study shall 

 be continued beyond the facts of distribution to 

 what may be called the natural history of scien- 

 tific men. 



For these purposes a list of scientific men in 

 each science, arranged approximately in the or- 

 der of merit, is needed. This can best be secured 

 if those who are most competent to form an 

 opinion will independently make the arrangement. 

 The average of such arrangements will give the 

 most valid order, and the degree of validity will 

 be indicated by the variation or probable error 

 of position for each individual. 



It is obvious that such an order can be only 

 approximate, and for the objects in view an ap- 

 proximation is all that is needed. The judgments 

 are possible, because they are as a matter of fact 

 made in elections to a society of limited member- 

 ship, in filling chairs at a university, etc. By 



merit is understood contributions to the advance- 

 ment of science, primarily by research, but teach- 

 ing, administration, editing, the compilation of 

 text-books, etc., should be considered. The dif- 

 ferent factors that make a man efficient in ad- 

 vancing science must be roughly balanced. An 

 effort may be made later to disentangle these 

 factors. 



In ranking a man in a given science his con- 

 tributions to that science only should be con- 

 sidered. Thus, an eminent astronomer may also 

 be a mathematician, but in ranking him as a 

 mathematician only his contributions to mathe- 

 matics should be regarded. In such a case, how- 

 ever, mathematics should be given its widest in- 

 terpretation. It is more difficult to arrange the 

 order when the work can not readily be com- 

 pared, as, for example, systematic zoology and 

 morphology, but, as already stated, it is only 

 expected that the arrangement shall be approxi- 

 mate. The men should be ranked for work ac- 

 tually accomplished, that is, a man of sixty and 

 a man of forty, having done about the same 

 amount of work, should come near together, 

 though the man of forty has more promise. It 

 may be possible later to calculate a man's value 

 with allowance for age. 



In case there is noted the omission of any 

 scientific man from the list who should probably 

 have a place in the first three quarters, a slip may 

 be added in the proper place with his name and 

 address. In case there are names on the list re- 

 garding which nothing is known, the slips should 

 be placed together at the end. The slips, as ar- 

 ranged in order, should be tied together and re- 

 turned to the undersigned. 



It is not intended that the lists shall be pub- 

 lished, at all events not within ten years. No 

 individual list will be published. They will ba 

 destroyed when the averages have been calculated, 

 and the arrangements will be regarded as strictly 

 confidential. 



The ten positions assigned to each man were 

 averaged, and the average deviations of the 

 judgments were calculated. This gave the 

 most probable order of merit for the students 

 in each science, together with data for the 

 probable error of the position of each indi- 

 vidual. The students of the different sciences 

 were then combined in one list by interpola- 

 tion, the probable errors being adjusted ac- 

 cordingly. The list contains 1,443 names, of 



