Classics in Biology. A Course of Selected Reading by Authorities by S. Zuckerman; Classics inScience. A Course of Selected Reading by Authorities by E. N. Da C. AndradeReview by: Bentley GlassIsis, Vol. 55, No. 2 (Jun., 1964), pp. 213-214Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/228188 .

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BOOK REVIEWS

SIR S. ZUCKERMAN (Editor). Classics in Biology. A Course of Selected Reading by Authorities. With an introductory reading guide. xxxii- 351 pp. New York: Philosophical Library, 1960. $6.00.

E. N. DA C. ANDRADE (Editor). Classics in Science. A Course of Selected Read- ing by Authorities. With an intro- ductory reading guide. xxiv + 322 pp. New York: Philosophical Library, 1960. $6.00.

Of the making of books-especially collections of " classic " writings in the sciences - there is indeed no end. One may well ask, in picking up any new example of the genus, whether and in what ways it differs from its congeners.

The reader is given no clue to the mode of selection of the essays and ex- cerpts included in these two volumes, nor regarding the identity of the com- pilers. Each volume is introduced by an "Introductory Reading Guide" written by a well-known scientist; but these essays may be characterized as in- troductory surveys and commentaries. Neither Andrade nor Zuckerman claims actually to have chosen or to have edited the selections. The plan of the two volumes is virtually identical. Fol- lowing the introductory essay, each is divided into sections, or " books," four in the case of the Classics in Science, which might more appropriately have been differently titled, since the bio- logical sciences have been excluded from it; and three in the case of the Classics in Biology. There are short transitional commentaries between suc- ceeding selections. Each volume in- cludes as end matter a series of bio- graphical notes on the authors, a brief " bibliography " which is actually a list of supplementary reading, acknowledg- ments of the sources, and an index. Classics in Biology also contains a glos- sary. (It seems that one is not needed for the physical sciences.)

Classics in Science contains forty-

three selections; Classics in Biology, thirty-eight. In the former, under the heading " The Origin and Meaning of Science," are eight selections from writing by Karl Pearson (2), Sir John Myers, Immanuel Kant, Aristotle, Wil- liam Peddie, E. N. da C. Andrade, and Sir Archibald Geikie. The section en- titled "The Universe " contains four- teen selections (Pythagoras; Aristotle; Ptolemy; Copernicus; Galileo Galilei, 2; Isaac Newton; H. F. Helmholtz; Hec- tor MacPherson; Sir Arthur Eddington; J. Bronowski; Sir H. Spencer Jones; Sir Robert Ball; Sir Charles Lyell). The book called " Matter and Energy" con- tains eleven selections (A. L. Lavoisier; John Dalton; Clerk Maxwell; Michael Faraday; Sir J. J. Thomson, 3; Lord Rutherford; F. W. Aston; C. F. Powell; and Erwin Schrodinger). The fourth "book" is devoted to "Science and Everyday Life," by which is meant both the applications and the social and cul- tural relationships of science. Here are ten selections (J. Bronowski; Lord John Russell; E. F. Armstrong; E. N. da C. Andrade; Sir William Osler; Jan H. Hofmeyr; Marchese Marconi; Sir Ed- ward Appleton; Sir Charles Darwin; Richard Jeffries). Some of these selec- tions are little known and of novel in- terest. Some are classic. All of them, however, suffer from scrappiness. Can one really understand Karl Pearson's view of the scope of science from an

excerpt of three pages? Or follow J. J. Thomson "beyond the electron" in four? The average length amounts to less than seven pages, part of which is

occupied by the transitional commen- taries.

In the Classics in Biology the selec- tions are somewhat longer, averaging about eight pages. Even so, Mendel's classic paper on plant hybridization is reduced to six pages, and Pasteur's on

spontaneous generation to a like amount of space. Book I is entitled " The Unity of Life," and contains eleven selections: (Dean Matthews; T. H. Huxley; L.

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BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS

Pasteur; J. D. Bernal; Philip Eggleton; John E. Harris; D. W. Ewer; Sir J. C. Bose; Arthur Dendy, 2; Charles Dar- win). Book II covers "The Diversity of Life," in fifteen selections (C. H. Waddington; Gregor Mendel; Sir Julian Huxley; Michael Abercrombie; C. K. Sprengel; E. B. Ford; Viscount Dawson; Gunnar Dahlberg; Sir Edward Sharpey- Schafer; Sir S. Zuckerman; Sir A. L. Thomson; Norbert Wiener; Max Miil- ler; Kenneth P. Oakley; S. G. Soal). Book III is on " Biology and Health." It contains twelve selections (R. Bur- ton; Lady Mary Wortley Montagu; Lord Lister; A. V. Hill; C. H. Andrews; Sir George Newman; G. C. Vincent; Sir Alexander Fleming; Sir Humphrey Rolleston; Sir James Scott Watson; Sir Julian Huxley; Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson).

The two books were evidently pre- pared in England, which may account for, though not condone, the over- whelming representation of British sci- entists in the gallery of classics. Thus, twenty-nine of the thirty-six scientists represented in the Classics in Biology belong to Great Britain or the British Empire. The enumeration of the titles " Sir" and "Lord" in the table of contents serves to make this invidious distinction all too apparent.

Attention is very unequally devoted to different periods in the history of science. To take the Classics in Biology again, twenty-nine of the selections represent the twentieth century, six the nineteenth century, two the eighteenth century, and one the seventeenth cen- tury. In spite of the comment made in the Classics in Science, which contains two selections from Aristotle, that his physical science was far inferior to his biology, he is not represented in the biological volume at all. One gets the general impression that the compilers shifted objectives as they approached the present century. For earlier times, they sought out true classics of science --and who can gainsay the choices, since every man would probably come up with a different list of his own. But for the present century, the effort be- came one of representing each of the many aspects of scientific advance by

Pasteur; J. D. Bernal; Philip Eggleton; John E. Harris; D. W. Ewer; Sir J. C. Bose; Arthur Dendy, 2; Charles Dar- win). Book II covers "The Diversity of Life," in fifteen selections (C. H. Waddington; Gregor Mendel; Sir Julian Huxley; Michael Abercrombie; C. K. Sprengel; E. B. Ford; Viscount Dawson; Gunnar Dahlberg; Sir Edward Sharpey- Schafer; Sir S. Zuckerman; Sir A. L. Thomson; Norbert Wiener; Max Miil- ler; Kenneth P. Oakley; S. G. Soal). Book III is on " Biology and Health." It contains twelve selections (R. Bur- ton; Lady Mary Wortley Montagu; Lord Lister; A. V. Hill; C. H. Andrews; Sir George Newman; G. C. Vincent; Sir Alexander Fleming; Sir Humphrey Rolleston; Sir James Scott Watson; Sir Julian Huxley; Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson).

The two books were evidently pre- pared in England, which may account for, though not condone, the over- whelming representation of British sci- entists in the gallery of classics. Thus, twenty-nine of the thirty-six scientists represented in the Classics in Biology belong to Great Britain or the British Empire. The enumeration of the titles " Sir" and "Lord" in the table of contents serves to make this invidious distinction all too apparent.

Attention is very unequally devoted to different periods in the history of science. To take the Classics in Biology again, twenty-nine of the selections represent the twentieth century, six the nineteenth century, two the eighteenth century, and one the seventeenth cen- tury. In spite of the comment made in the Classics in Science, which contains two selections from Aristotle, that his physical science was far inferior to his biology, he is not represented in the biological volume at all. One gets the general impression that the compilers shifted objectives as they approached the present century. For earlier times, they sought out true classics of science --and who can gainsay the choices, since every man would probably come up with a different list of his own. But for the present century, the effort be- came one of representing each of the many aspects of scientific advance by

some appropriate selection. Certainly, many of the twentieth-century repre- sentatives would be rather surprised to find themselves so honored, by even a dual selection, when among notable sci- entists gifted with the pen we fail to find such persons as Muller, Beadle, Simpson, von Frisch, Pavlov, or, even among British scientists, Haldane, Medawar, and Sherrington. Doubtless a physical scientist, were he writing this review, could readily supply a similar listing for the Classics in Science.

In light of the expense of these two books, and the dubious criteria used in compiling them, it is questionable whether they represent a worthwhile addition to our libraries of science. For my own taste, I greatly prefer the better balanced and vastly less expensive Treasury of Science, edited by Harlow Shapley, or even the expensive but more classic selection in Treasury of World Science, edited by Dagobert Runes, and published by the same pub- lisher of these volumes.

BENTLEY GLASS

The Johns Hopkins University

S. A. J. MOORAT (Editor). Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library. Volume I. Mss. writ- ten before 1650 A.D. vii + 679 pp., front. London: The Wellcome His- torical Medical Library, 1962. $30.00.

This catalogue, covering manuscripts most of which were acquired by the late Sir Henry Wellcome between 1896 and 1936, was prepared by Mr. Moorat, after his retirement as Librarian of the Wellcome Library in 1946. The cata- logue is arranged in alphabetical order of names (with ample cross references) and covers 800 manuscripts.

Ten indices allow orientation regard- ing the age, bindings, illustrations, bookplates, and owners of the manu- scripts, the libraries of their prove- nience, the languages in which the texts were written, and the subjects they deal with. The descriptions of the manu- scripts offer details of collation;, script, etc., but, as Mr. Moorat states, the main

some appropriate selection. Certainly, many of the twentieth-century repre- sentatives would be rather surprised to find themselves so honored, by even a dual selection, when among notable sci- entists gifted with the pen we fail to find such persons as Muller, Beadle, Simpson, von Frisch, Pavlov, or, even among British scientists, Haldane, Medawar, and Sherrington. Doubtless a physical scientist, were he writing this review, could readily supply a similar listing for the Classics in Science.

In light of the expense of these two books, and the dubious criteria used in compiling them, it is questionable whether they represent a worthwhile addition to our libraries of science. For my own taste, I greatly prefer the better balanced and vastly less expensive Treasury of Science, edited by Harlow Shapley, or even the expensive but more classic selection in Treasury of World Science, edited by Dagobert Runes, and published by the same pub- lisher of these volumes.

BENTLEY GLASS

The Johns Hopkins University

S. A. J. MOORAT (Editor). Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library. Volume I. Mss. writ- ten before 1650 A.D. vii + 679 pp., front. London: The Wellcome His- torical Medical Library, 1962. $30.00.

This catalogue, covering manuscripts most of which were acquired by the late Sir Henry Wellcome between 1896 and 1936, was prepared by Mr. Moorat, after his retirement as Librarian of the Wellcome Library in 1946. The cata- logue is arranged in alphabetical order of names (with ample cross references) and covers 800 manuscripts.

Ten indices allow orientation regard- ing the age, bindings, illustrations, bookplates, and owners of the manu- scripts, the libraries of their prove- nience, the languages in which the texts were written, and the subjects they deal with. The descriptions of the manu- scripts offer details of collation;, script, etc., but, as Mr. Moorat states, the main

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