Mabch 5, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



359 



The second paper, by Professor C. E. Mann,^ 

 of the education department in the University 

 of Chicago, advances the historical method 

 in the teaching of science, and the fruitful 

 consequences to be brought about. 



Some few years ago the writer undertook a 

 study similar to that of Dr. Libby regarding 

 the value of the history of science for the 

 undergraduates of our colleges, and the replies 

 which came from many prominent men in 

 science, education and philosophy were most 

 encouraging. These letters brought forth a 

 universal affirmative reply regarding the value, 

 importance and the future of the subject, and 

 in general substantiated the arguments of the 

 three papers named. To quote from a letter 

 of Dr. Libby, in which he quotes from some 

 one in authority, " the history of science is the 

 very next essential thing in the development 

 of technical education." Possibly the progress 

 has been slow because there exists no satis- 

 factory text -book on the subject in this country. 

 Professor Tyler and Professor Sedgwiek,^ of 

 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

 throw a much needed and encouraging ray of 

 light to workers in this field. 



In this country at the present time a num- 

 ber of our universities, colleges and technical 

 schools are offering history of science courses 

 in one way or another. Poremost of these are 

 the universities of Chicago, Harvard, Mich- 

 igan, Columbia, California, Stanford and the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There 

 are apparently two types of courses in the 

 history of science, or two methods in treating 

 the subject, namely, the history of a single 

 subject such as physics, chemistry, etc., which 

 is found in most schools; the second type is 

 represented by the course given at Harvard. 

 This is a general or combined course, three 

 hours through the year being divided into 

 physical and biological sciences. This is also 

 conducted as a separate group of studies, 

 thereby giving it more value or importance, 

 and has now been offered for four years by 



2 ' ' The History of Science, An Interpretation. ' ' 

 Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 72, April, 1908, 

 pages 313-22. 



3 ' ' The Teaching of the History of Science, ' ' 

 Science, January 1, 1915, pages 26-27. 



Dr. L. J. Henderson, of the chemistry depart- 

 ment. Personally, I believe it is the most 

 satisfactory method in treating such a study 

 as a course, although it depends upon the point 

 of view one takes. 



The University of Chicago offers in addi- 

 tion to its separate historical courses of indi- 

 vidual sciences, a series of courses in the de- 

 partment of philosophy on the history and 

 development of ancient and modem scientific 

 concepts, which is apparently closely allied to 

 the history of science. 



The writer is at present preparing a paper 

 upon the "Present Status of the Teaching 

 of the History of Science in Our Universities, 

 Colleges and Technical Schools." This study 

 will involve a statistical account and compari- 

 son of the different courses given in the his- 

 tory of science, the number of hours of lec- 

 tures, method of treating the course, and other 

 facts bearing upon the tendencies and progress 

 of this subject. 



It is encouraging to note that while the 

 bibliographical material upon this subject is 

 very meager, in this country at least, yet 

 sufficient has been accomplished to enable a 

 fair beginning to be made for a working basis. 

 The John Crerar Library, Chicago, has done 

 more than any other agency in developing 

 this important phase. Of course there are 

 a number of foreign bibliographies or cata- 

 logues, such as The International Catalogue 

 of Scientific Literature, London, Institute 

 International de Bibliographie (science sec- 

 tion), Zurich, Bibliographie der Deutschen 

 Naturwissenschaftlichen Literatur, Berlin, 

 and the Bihliotheca Mathematica, Zeitschrift 

 fur Geschichte der Mathematischen Wissen- 

 schaften, Leipzig. 



In Prance the Paris Academy of Sciences 

 offers each year a prize of two thousand francs 

 for the best essay, memoir or book, original or 

 translated, upon a general or specific subject 

 in the history of science. The most notable 

 instance was when in 1911 the Prix Binoux 

 was awarded to M. Antonio Pavaro, the great 

 Italian historian of science, for the publication 

 of the works of Galileo Galilee, and to M. Ed- 

 mond Bonnett for his " Notes and Memoirs 

 Eelative to the History of the Sciences." 



