582 



AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE 



The average age of the thousand scientific 

 men on the list of 1910 is 48.12 years. The 

 age distribution is as follows: 



Age Number 



25-29 6 



30-34 54 



35-39 155 



40-44 214 



45-49 176 



50-54 137 



55-59 82 



60-64 68 



65-69 40 



70-74 33 



75-79 13 



80-84 7 



Unknown 15 



In Table VI. is given the average age of the 

 men in the ten groups of one hundred making 

 up the thousand f jr the lists of 1903 and 1910.' 

 The probable errors of the averages are less 

 than one year. It thus appears that the more 

 eminent scientific men are likely to be older; 



TABLE VI. 



AVEBAGE AGE ACCOBDING TO POSITION 

 IN 1903 AND 1910 



but the differences are small apart from the 

 first hundred, who in 1903 were 5.1 years older 

 than the average, and in 1910 6.7 years older. 

 Scientific men do not become more eminent 

 as they grow older unless they have obtained 

 a good position at a comparatively early age. 



The men on the list of 1910 are, on the 

 average, three years older than those on the 

 list of 1903. An increase in age would be 

 expected, as we have to do with a youthful 



* The list for 1903 used for ages consisted of 

 the 1,000 scientific men who stood first before the 

 adjustments had been made to secure a fixed 

 number in each science. 



and increasing scientific population. Some 

 part of the increase in age is probably caused 

 by the long period of education now likely to 

 precede productive scientific work, but it is 

 not easy to analyze the factors. In so far as 

 the increased age is due to higher standards 

 through increasing competition, it is gratify- 

 ing ; in so far as it is due to the postponement 

 of scientific productivity, it is unfortunate. 



For the list of 1903 data have been compiled 

 in regard to the ages at which academic de- 

 grees were received. The average age at 

 which 758 men received the bachelor's degree 

 was 22.2 years, and the average age at which 

 544 men received the doctorate of philosophy 

 or science was 28.4 years. The corresponding 

 median ages were 21.8 and 26.9 years. Table 

 VII. shows the details in reference to the dif- 

 ferent sciences and the ten groups of a hun- 

 dred composing the thousand. The age differ- 

 ences are small, but men have received the 



TABLE VII. AGES AT WHICH THE BACHELOB'S DE- 



GBEE AND THE DOCTOBATE OF PHILOSOPHY WEBE 



BECEIVED ACCOBDING TO SCIENCE AND TO 



POSITION IN THE THOUSAND 



