660 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 621. 



The accompanying table, which with most 

 of the data to be discussed refers approxi- 

 mately to January 1, 1903, shows how Amer- 

 ican men of science are distributed among the 

 principal sciences by various agencies. There 

 are in the table certain facts that require 

 allowance, or at least mention. The American 

 Chemical Society and the doctorates conferred 

 in chemistry represent in part professional 

 work in applied science. Under the special 

 societies there are duplications, as scientific 

 men may belong to more than one society. 

 The American Mathematical Society and the 

 Association of American Anatomists have 

 "been rather liberal in the admission of mem- 

 bers. As mathematics and the medical sci- 

 •ences are required subjects for large groups 

 of students, there are many teachers, but this 

 has not produced a proportional number of 

 investigators. The membership of the Na- 

 tional Academy represents to a certain extent 

 the interests of the passing scientific genera- 

 tion, the doctorates the interests of the com- 

 ing scientific generation. 



In selecting a group of a thousand scien- 

 tific men, the number in each science was 

 taken roughly proportional to the total num- 

 ber of investigators in that science, the num- 

 bers being: Chemistry, 1Y5; physics, 150; 

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

 mathematics, 80; pathology, 60; astronomy, 

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

 25; anthropology, 20. 



There are in the 'Directory' 4,131 names, of 

 whom 131 are students of philosophy, education, 

 economics and sociology, leaving just 4,000 in the 

 twelve sciences under consideration. They are 

 distributed among the sciences as follows: 

 mathematics, 340; physics, 672; chemistry, 677; 

 astronomy, 160; geology, 444; botany, 401; zool- 

 ogy, 441; physiology, 105; anatomy, 118; pathol- 

 ogy, 357; anthropology, 91; psychology, 194. 

 These figures were not at hand when it was neces- 

 sary to select the thousand men of science for 

 this research. The numbers under physics and 

 pathology are increased by the inclusion under 

 these sciences of engineers and physicians. The 

 chief discrepancy is that there are fewer zoologists 

 than was indicated by the preliminary estimate 

 or by the other data of the table. 



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 included duplications when a man 

 was given a place in more than one science. 

 " The memorandum sent to those who were 

 asked to make the arrangement was as follows : 



MEMOEANDTJM. 



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 distriljution 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 opin- 

 ion 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 efiicient in ad- 

 vancing science must be roughly balanced. An 

 effort may be made later to disentangle these 

 factors. 



