Febedaky 20, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



193 



understand so frequently makes diagnosis 

 difficult, miglit have added significance. 



B. F. Kingsbury 

 Depaktment or Histology 

 AND Embryology, 

 Cornell XJniveesity 



THE CONFERENCE AT CLEVELAND 

 ON THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



Readers of Science may be interested in 

 some account of what was probably both the 

 most novel and significant conference of all 

 those held by the various learned associations 

 at their recent holiday meetings, namely, the 

 conference devoted to the History of Science 

 at the Annual Meeting of the American His- 

 torical Association in Cleveland. Of even 

 more value than the papers read and the 

 public discussion, although these were marked 

 by an unusual degree of originality, interest, 

 and enthusiasm, and were heard by an au- 

 dience of very gratifying numbers, most of 

 whom remained throughout the unusually 

 long session, was the opportmiity offered — in 

 many instances for the first time — to those 

 engaged in research in this promising field 

 to become personally acquainted, and to talk 

 over matters of common interest informally 

 and face to face. 



The chairman of the conference, George L. 

 Burr, librarian, and Andrew D. White pro- 

 fessor of history at Cornell University, and a 

 former president of the American Historical 

 Association, presided with something even 

 more than his characteristic charm and 

 felicity. In his opening remarks he noted 

 the fact that while isolated papers bearing on 

 the history of science had been presented at 

 some previous meetings of the American His- 

 torical Association, this was the first time in 

 the history of that organization that a con- 

 ference had been especially devoted to that 

 subject. He also emphasized the rapid strides 

 that research in this subject had made in 

 recent years. Of the papers which followed it 

 will be possible to give only a very brief and, I 

 fear, otherwise imperfect summary here; it is 

 to be hoped that they may be published in 

 full at an early date. 



T. Wingate Todd, professor of anatomy in 

 the medical school of Western Reserve Uni- 

 versity, in an illustrated address on Egyptian 

 medicine showed the predominance of ritual 

 and superstition in that field and the employ- 

 ment of similar postures and paraphernalia 

 by the natives of modern Africa. He ques- 

 tioned whether the priest-physicians of the 

 Nile Valley advanced far beyond the stage of 

 primitive practise in dentistry, general sur- 

 gery, and therapeutics; and was also skeptical 

 as to their contributions to pharmacology. 

 Before the Eighteenth Dynasty abscesses 

 were incised and fatty tumors removed, but 

 surgery of the extremities is doubtful. Dur- 

 ing the Fifth Dynasty splints were used with 

 the idea of supporting the injured limb rather 

 than of controlling the fragments. 



The paper on " Peter of Abano : A Medie- 

 val Scientist," 125(>-1316( ?), by the present 

 writer discussed the sources for and chief 

 events of his life, showing that he perhaps 

 lived beyond 1316 and taught at Treviso and 

 Montpellier as well as at Paris and Padua, 

 that the evidence for his being protected and 

 employed by popes is better than that for his 

 supposed trial by the inquisition, and that he 

 was a commentator on Aristotle, a critical 

 translator especially from the Greek, and an 

 experimental astronomer, as well as a keen 

 student of medicine and natural science. He 

 was far, however, from being free from the 

 superstition of his age. 



Louis C. Karpinski, professor of mathe- 

 matics in the University of Michigan, spoke 

 concerning " The history of algebra." After 

 touching briefly upon the contribution to 

 mathematical speculation made by the Egyp- 

 tians, he illustrated the relations of Greek 

 geometry, especially in such a problem as 

 that of the construction of a regular pentagon, 

 to the development of algebraic thinking. He 

 concluded with a summary of the contribu- 

 tions made by several Arabian mathematicians 

 to the growth of algebra. 



Henry Crew, professor of physics in North- 

 western University, discussing " The problem 

 of the history of science in the college cur- 

 riculmn," pled for a more human treatment 



