758 



SCIENCE 



[ISr. S. Vol. XLII. No. 1091 



classical memoirs, etc., are resorted to. With 

 few exeeptions, all of the combined continu- 

 ous courses just discussed are being carried 

 out in this way. 



At Harvard, Dr. Richard's method in " His- 

 torical Development of Chemistry " has de- 

 cided merit, for its unique treatment. To 

 quote from him : 



The course is conducted by a series of lectures, 

 in which the main topics are written upon the 

 board, somewhat after the manner of a syllabus. 

 The students are forced to do some reading by a 

 system of extempore theses, according to a plan 

 outlined in a paper entitled "A Partial Substi- 

 tute for Examination" — see Educational Bevieio, 

 November, 1908. 



Attention was called in a former papers' to 

 the bibliographical material in the field of the 

 history of science. It was chiefly foreign 

 publications, of a periodical nature. Here, 

 attention should be directed to a special bibli- 

 ography which every man, in science especially, 

 should have in his library — namely, the " John 

 Crerar Library List of Books in the History 

 of Science," by A. G. S. Josephson, cataloguer 

 (Chicago, 1911). To this a supplement is 

 being prepared, and as a companion volume 

 there is soon to appear a "List of Books on 

 the History of Industry and Industrial Art." 

 Such a volume upon the desk of any scholar in 

 science, after he has perused its contents, can 

 not fail to reveal to him the vast importance 

 of his own and allied subjects — not merely as 

 a specialist, but as a student of human affairs. 



CONCLUSION 



Notwithstanding the present status of the 

 greater number of courses upon the history of 

 science in a special field (as was shown in 

 Table IV.), it remains to note the tendencies 

 of progress. In so doing, this paper will con- 

 clude with a brief summary of a few replies 

 received from men prominent in science, phi- 

 losophy and education, upon the question of 

 the intrinsic value and the future of the his- 

 tory course in science. 

 From the facts as they have been deduced in 

 IS See Science, N. S., Vol. XLI., pp. 358-360 

 (1915). 



the discussion of Table I. and Table TV., there 

 is strong evidence of the probability that the 

 specific courses are losing favor (with the 

 exception of chemistry and mathematics, for 

 reasons already given, and of isolated cases in 

 the other subjects) and that the general course 

 is coming to be the accepted standard for 

 history in science. The slight significance of 

 the history of the several sciences is probably 

 the best argument for the more general history 

 course. 



Therefore, as the figures now stand, it would 

 seem that it is far more advantageous to offer 

 a course of three hours throughout the year 

 with a larger class enrollment in the general 

 subject, than to have so many scattering 

 courses offered with an average of two hours, 

 and a very small class attendance. From the 

 point of view of efficiency in educational ad- 

 ministration, and educational values, both in 

 the instructors' and students' interest, the gen- 

 eral course is far more desirable. 



The salient points of the value and impor- 

 tance of a course, such as its use for culture, 

 general depth, breadth of scientific knowledge, 

 and training, were all brought out on the in- 

 troduction of this paper. And as far as further 

 study of the subject is concerned, a list of 

 short articles will be found appended as a bib- 

 liography of the subject. 



It is evident from the inherent nature of the 

 specific history course in science (such as 

 physics, chemistry, etc.) that it has value only 

 for a limited number of students. Whereas 

 the course of the more general history of sci- 

 ence, treated broadly and thoroughly, has a far 

 greater application and merit — and affects a 

 larger number of students. The methods of 

 treatment in both cases vary only in the degree 

 of application, and not essentially in subject- 

 matter, except in the amount considered vital 

 to a well-developed course. For example, take 

 the history of chemistry. In such a course the 

 instructor can with proper allowance (for the 

 confines of all specific courses are restricted 

 more or less) dwell upon the history of chem- 

 ical theories in a far larger sense than it is 

 possible or practical to do in the more general 

 history of science course. He can also en- 



