8 Dana — American Journal of Science, 1818-1918. 



pure and applied science as that of the past hundred 

 years is not likely to be again realized. 



Scientific Periodical Literature in 1818. 



The contrast in scientific activity between 1818 and 

 1918 is nowhere more strikingly shown than in the 

 amount of scientific periodical literature of the two 

 periods. Of the thousands of scientific journals and reg- 

 ular publications by scientific societies and academies 

 to-day, but a very small number have carried on a con- 

 tinuous and practically unbroken existence since 1818. 

 This small amount of periodical scientific literature in 

 the early part of the last century is significant as giving 

 a fair indication of the very limited extent to which 

 scientific investigation appealed to the intellectual life of 

 the time. Some definite facts in regard to the scientific 

 publications of those early days seem to be called for. 



Learned societies and academies, devoted to literature 

 and science, were formed very early but at first for occa- 

 sional meetings only and regular publications were in 

 most cases not begun till a very much later date. Some 

 of the earliest — not to go back of the Renaissance — are 

 the following: 



1560. Naples, Academia Secretorum Naturae. 



1603. Kome, Accademia dei Lincei. 



1651. Leipzig, Academia Naturae Curiosum. 



1657. Florence, Accademia del Cimento. 



1662. London, Eoyal Society. 



1666. Paris, Academie des Sciences. 



1690. Bologna, Accademia delle Scienze. 



1700. Berlin, Societas Regia Scientiarum. This was the 

 forerunner of the K. preuss. Akad. d. Wissenschaften. 



The Royal Society of London, whose existence dates 

 from 1645, though not definitely chartered until 1662, 

 began the publication of its " Philosophical Transac- 

 tions" in 1665 and has continued it practically unbroken 

 to the present time ; this is a unique record. Following 

 this, other early — but in most cases not continuous — 

 publications were those of Paris (1699) ; Berlin (1710) ; 

 Upsala (1720); Petrograd, 1728; Stockholm (1739); 

 and Copenhagen (1743). 



For the latter half of the eighteenth century, when the 

 foundations of our modern science were being rapidly 



