A HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



communication and travel, the great international 

 societies of to-day would be produced the natural 

 outcome of the neighborly meetings of the primitive 

 mediaeval investigators. 



In Italy, at about the time of Galileo, several small 

 societies were formed. One of the most important 

 of these was the Lyncean Society, founded about the 

 year 1611, Galileo himself being a member. This 

 society was succeeded by the Accademia del Cimento, 

 at Florence, in 1657, which for a time flourished, 

 with such a famous scientist as Torricelli as one of its 

 members. 



In England an impetus seems to have been given 

 by Sir Francis Bacon's writings in criticism and censure 

 of the system of teaching in colleges. It is supposed 

 that his suggestions as to what should be the aims 

 of a scientific society led eventually to the establish- 

 ment of the Royal Society. He pointed out how little 

 had really been accomplished by the existing institu- 

 tions of learning in advancing science, and asserted 

 that little good could ever come from them while their 

 methods of teaching remained unchanged. He con- 

 tended that the system which made the lectures and 

 exercises of such a nature that no deviation from the 

 established routine could be thought of was pernicious. 

 But he showed that if any teacher had the temerity 

 to turn from the traditional paths, the daring pioneer 

 was likely to find insurmountable obstacles placed in 

 the way of his advancement. The studies were 

 4 'imprisoned" within the limits of a certain set of 

 authors, and originality in thought or teaching was 

 to be neither contemplated nor tolerated. 



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