GEORGE SARTON, D. Sc. Associate of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. N° 17, Vol. VI (2) 1924. CONTENTS : Fifteenth Critical Bibliography of the History and Philosophy of Science and of the History of Civilization (to December 1923) (1098 items). Soc. An. M. WEISSENBRUCH, Imprimeur du Roi 49, rue du Poinçon, BRUXELLES (Belgique). Fifteenth Critical Bibliography of the History and Philosophy of Science and of the History of Civilization. (to December 1923.) This Fifteenth Bibliography contains 1098 items. Some of the critical notes have been contributed by A. K. COOMARASWAMY (Boston), L. GUINET (Brussels), D. B. MACDONALD (Hartford, Conn.), J. RUSKA (Heidelberg), H. WIELEITNER (Augsburg), and J. K. WRIGHT (New York). An author's index will be found at the end. The arrangement and leading principles of this bibliography have been fully explained in vol. III, p. 159-170; a complete plan of classification will be found also in vol. IV, p. 124-125, or more briefly in vol. VI, p. 37. The reader will keep in mind that Part I is the fundamental classification (centurial) and that Parts II and III contain only such items as could not be included in Part I. In the first thirteen bibliographies, the notes relative to the xixth century are classified into five groups, to wit: A. Mathematics B. Physical sciences and technology; - C. Natural sciences; D. Medical sciences; - E. Alia. This classification is now extended to the notes relative to the xvith, xvnth, and xvith centuries. I am preparing an « Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science », which will contain a critical and synthetic bibliography of the whole field (see Isis, IV, 23-31). When the Introduction is published (in 1926 ?) the Critical Bibliographies appearing in Isis will be, so to say, periodical supplements to it. It is hoped that the scholars who do not yet see the value of our classification, will understand it better when this Introduction has enabled them to survey with comparative ease the whole field of scientific endeavor throughout the ages. I am anxious to obtain the assistance of more collaborators in order that this bibliography be as good as possible. I would be especially grateful to scholars who would undertake to sub-edit one of the chapters, e. g. Greece, or Middle Ages, or astronomy, or botany. The best result would be obtained if every special chapter were edited by a specialist. But that would require teamwork of the first class, and the more so in that Parts II and III should remain subordinate to Part I. There are still other ways to collaborate to this bibliogra phy one may undertake to analyze a certain number of periodicals, or else send in separate notes at random. As this bibliography appears only twice a year I beg authors and publishers to take pains that books and papers on the history and philosophy of science and the history of civilization be sent to me as soon as they are published. Even then almost a year may elapse before they are included. If a scholar finds that a publication of his, dealing with the history of science and not anterior to 1912, has not yet been mentioned or reviewed, I will be ready to correct the omission as soon as I receive a copy of that publication. I am willing to publish critical notes prepared by the author himself, subject to editorial revision, but in any case I must be given an opportunity to see the publication analyzed The main advantage of the classification worked out in Isis, is to oblige the reader to make comparisons between the scientific develop. ments which took place at the same time in different countries of the world East and West and also between the interdependent developments of various branches of science. The first part of the Bibliography is thus a continual illustration of the Unity of Mankind and of the Unity of Knowledge. The selection of the items classified in parts I and II is simple enough, but some readers do not understand the method of selection used for part III. To put it briefly, I include in it, in the first place, contributions to the history of science or of any particular science which do not refer to a definite century, period or race and thus could not be classified in parts I and II; in the second place, all important contributions to the philosophy and organization of science in general, or of a special branch of it. Technical publications are generally excluded; analyses of them will be found in technical journals; elementary textbooks are, as a rule, also excluded, but any textbook which is a more original creation and introduces a fresh point of view, should be at least mentioned. I make a very serious effort to include the most valuable non-technical studies relative to each discipline. The professional botanist will not refer to Isis to find the best publications relative to botany, but he may well refer to Isis to obtain similar information with regard to other sciences, zoology or geology, for example. Moreover it may even be worth while to him to find out which botanical publications are deemed most interesting by those who are not professional botanists (1) and upon which botanical (1) It should be noted, however, that the selection of botanical works is partly based upon criticisms published by botanists. questions the attention of the scientific public in general is focussed. My purpose in publishing this part of the bibliography is to oblige every historian of science to keep into touch with the latest develop ments of science, as this is absolutely indispensable to insure the scientific soundness of his investigations. All the articles and reviews which appeared in volume V of Isis are recorded in the present bibliography, which contains thus a complete table of that volume. The ultimate aim of this bibliography is to establish the History of Science as an independent discipline and to serve as a center of information and a rallying ground to the scholars engaged in these studies. I can not succeed entirely without their assistance, and they can help me in many ways. To serve them, as well as I can, is both my duty and my pleasure. Critical work must be approached in a spirit of service or left untouched. Harvard Library 185 Cambridge, Massachusetts. February 1924. GEORGE SARTON. PART I. Fundamental Classification (centurial). Books and papers relative to a period longer than one century but not longer than two are also included in Part I. They are then classified under the most important of both centuries; I mean that one wherein their center of gravity falls. There can be no objection to this, for no one interested in one particular century, say the xiith, can possibly avoid reading the notes concerning the two adjoining centuries, the xith and the xinth. S. IX A. C. Coglievina, Benvenuto. Die homerische Medizin. 49 p. Graz, 1921. S. VII A. C. 1818 Gadd, Charles Joseph. The Fall of Nineveh. The newly discovered Babylonian chronicle, No. 21,901, in the British Museum. London, British Museum, 1923. 1818 S. VI A. C. Franke, Otto. Studien zur Geschichte des konfuzianischen Dogmas und der chinesischen Staatsreligion (Das Problem des Tsch'un-t'siu und TUNG TSCHUNO-SCHU'S Tsch'un-t'siu fan lu). 329 p., xi pl. Hamburg, FRIEDRICHSEN, 1920. Reviewed by ALFRED FORKE in DLZ, 1923, 123-34. 1818 |