A History of Chemistry Center John H. Wotiz Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University. Carbondale, IL 62901 The symposium "The Chemistry Profession Needs a Center for the History of Chemistry" was held in the Division of Historv of Chemistrv (HIST) a t the 179th National Meetine
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also the HIST Chairman for 1980. This paper . . is a summarv report and is written to provide in~ur~lmrion t c r .I w d r r - ( . ~ I I I c ~of~ rliemisls whv 111111 hou -\I< h a crnrrr n1.1 l,eoc~ittlir vr..rts.ilm nnd indivi~lu;~l ~netoherq of the ACS. The titles o f t h e papers by the invited speakers are listed in the order of presentation. T h e home affiliation of the speakers are provided for possible direct cornmunications: (1) "Symposium Introductory Remarks." John H. Wotiz (JHW), Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois
University, Carhondale, IL 62901. (2) "Observations on a Proposed Institute for the History of
Chemistry." Robert P. Multhauf (RPM), Smithsonian Institution, The National Museum of History and Technology, Washington. DC 20560. (3) "Sources for History of Modern Science: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology." John T. Edsall (JTE), Biological Laboratories Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138. (4) "The Edgar Fahs Smith Collection and the Center for the History of Chemistry: Context, Mission and Plan." Arnold Thackray (AT),E. F. Smith Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (5) "What the History of Chemistry Can Learn from the History of Pharmacy." John Parascandola (JP), School of Pharmacy and American Institute of the Historv of Pharmacv. .. Universitv of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. (6) "Why Physicists Have a History." Spencer R. Weart (SRW), Center for the History of Physics, American Institute of Physics, 335 East 45th St., New York, NY 10017. (7) "Workshops on Historical Methods: One Contribution of a Center for the History of Chemistry." Michael M. Sokal (MMS), Department of Humanities, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609. 110 ,~."Chemistrv. " , Clio and Cleaoatra's Nose." Derek A. Daven~ort (DAD), Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. (9) "Writing A Century of Chemistry." Herman Skolnik (HS), Hercules Inc., Research Center, Wilmington, DE 19899. (10) "Datelines and Datalines for a History of Chemistry Data Base." Wm. J. Wiswesser (WJW), USDA, SEA, P.O. Box 1209,Frederick, MD 21701. (11) "A Center for the History of Chemistry." D.S. and A. T. Tarbell IDST). Deoartment of Chemistrv. Vanderbilt Universitv.
(13) "Preserving American Chemistry's Achievements: A Challenge to the ACS," Ned D. Heindel (NDH),Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18105. (14) "Speaker Panel-Audience Participation." T h e speakers from outside the ranks of the ACS (RPM, J T E , J P , SRW, MMS) were selected because of their wide experiences and involvement with collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting history of science. They are known for their prominence and knowledge in their respective history of science disciplines. The other speakers represented the viewpoint of HIST and Chemical Education (JHW, DAD, HS, WJW, DST, LG, and NDH), and documentation (HS, WJW).
T h e idea for a Center (Office, Institute) for the History of Chemistrv (CHC) came un several times since 1876 when the ACS was i o k d e d . In the more recent past, 1965, the American Institute of Physics (AIP) approached the ACS to investigate the possibility of establishing a joint facility for the documentation of the history of physical sciences. The ACS turned this proposal to H I S T which then decided against a joint venture because the Division favored a History of Chemistry I t m r r i.hrm~:~ry'i entire l \ i a t u r \ mil n+tl ~.ill\V,YIjH I ~ . - i , ~ I ~ l and ~ ~ h,o?rated wl inrle,1-, ., 'l'hc ~ ~ .Alp ~ w1~wuurn1Iv pendently the highly successful Center for the History of Physics (CHP) (SRW). During 1979 and 1980 the HIST Officers decided t o reinvestizate the desirahilitv and need for a n ACS sponsored C H C With ~ the financiaiassistance of the 1979 president of the ACS. Professor Garner Stacv, a HIST task force consisting on fact-finding visits to of JHW; NDH, LG, and the AIP, C H P in New York; the Edgar Fahs Smith Collection of the University of Pennsylvania, and the American Philosophical Society (APS) Survey of Sources for the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SURVEY) in Philadelphia; the ACS and NSF in Washington; Profs. William Bailey and Steven Brush a t the University of Maryland; and the Chemical Abstract Services in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Kenneth Chanman of the ACS Office for Educational Activities accombanied the group part of the time. In addition J H W visited the Contem~orarv . " Scientific Archives Center a t Oxford, England. Pertinent other information was secured also by correspondence with experts in other locations. T h e task force informed the H I S T members of their findings a t the 178th ACS National Meeting in September in Washington, D.C., and the members unanimously accepted a resolution calling on the ACS t o establish a Center [Office] for the [Contemporary] History of Chemistry with t h e listed specifications: ~~
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I. Objectives (1) Conduct a survey of primary and secondary sources for the history of modern chemistry-institutional, corporate, academic, and governmental-and to prepare a data base (computerized) with continuous updating. (2) Aid in preservation of original source materials. (3) Collect and maintain contemporary biographical material on maim chemical fieures.
the scientific and lay community. (6) Stimulate an interest among historians in the history of modern chemistry. The Center (or Office) would not only encourage research but also would carry out and publish scholarly studies. (7) Organize archival material and make it available to scholars, writers, film makers, educators, and other interested persons. 11. Location
A.C.S. Headquarters in Washington, D.C. or any other Center where the -pilot program can be best staffed and administered. 111. Staffing Person(s) with scientific and chemical experience;preferably a professional History of Science Chemist with suitable secretarial and support personnel to be included. IV. Financing The A.C.S. for an initial 3-year probationary period. ~~
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V. Guidance (1) Special Overseeing Committee of the History of Chemistry Division with power for co~aptiunfor the services and particination of other distineuished scientists and historians. is charged with: ~ h i group s
writing job specifications for the director and (b) assisting in direction and fund raising. (2) One year consulting agreement with Dr. Spencer Weart, Director of American Institute of Physics, History of Physics Center, New York,NY. At the symposium Dr. Multhauf, the former Director of the Smithsonian Institution, pointed out the great interest and invulvement in the history of chemistry by the chemists instrumental in founding the ACS, and the steady and regrettable decline ever since that time. Some years ago when a budgetary constraint required reduction of existing floor space a t the Smithsonian, R P F was able to accomplish such a reduction a t the expense of the space allocated to chemistry because this was the only profession that did not register a complaint. RPM is of the opinion that looking forward takes the form of nrediction. a eame manv wlav, hut few wlav well. The (a)
ition.'"~tudygroups" or "task forces';are expected t i a p p l y the evidence of the past to present problems a t a time when the evidence of the past has never been assembled properly. To correct such a deficiency, individual chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical industry can support such a center through the ACS. RPM set the theme of the symposium by asking "If the ACS does not support history of chemistry, who will?" His observation that the history of chemistry is the best public relation that the ACS can provide was widely accepted by the other speakers and the audience who also recognized that i t is not advertisine. After the 1979 fact-Kuding mission, the HIST task force recommended that the CHC he modeled after the AIP-CHP. Dr. Weart, its present director, explained why the CHP is so successful. It evolved from the physicists realization durinx
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k1957, Pauli in 1959, i d schroedinger in 1961 (2). The ini-
tial basic financial support for the CHP came out of AIP's general funds supplemented for special-purpose projects, and from grants of private and government foundations. From the very modest initial AIP funding the present permanent staff consists of a director. archivist, and a secretary with several other employees supported from income of itsbhotographic lihrarv andlor special wroiects. About 3,000 individuals send cash cmtrihutions through the ~riends'ofthe CHP. The operating budget currently is about a $250,000, only half of which comes from the AIP. These funds also support the Niels Bohr Library operated by CHP. The CHP receives support for special projects from the NSF, NASA, etc. as well as from appropriate industry. A recently initiated special project is the Historv of Solid State Phvsics which ohviouslv would benefit hy a n input of chemist; (SRW). Since the specifications for the CHC are closely modeled after the highly successful CHP, there is no need to descrihe the individual functions of the CHP. SRW imvressed the symposium participants by pointing out that the high visibility and the high standards of the CHP are recognized worldwide. Physicists, historians, educators, and the general public consider the CHP as a reliable source of information open to all. The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy (AIHP) was established in 1938 a t the University of Wisconsin (UW) in Madison, and Dr. Parascandola has been its director since 1973. It should he noted that J P received his Ph.D. deeree a t UW in the history of chemistry. Chemistry and pharmacy have been related disciplines throughout the ages. The AIHP 416
Journal of Chemical Education
is connected closely to UW and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. AIHP is the collectine aeencv. the Historical i i only $40,000 per year whiih is very low for anestahlished and fully functioning oreanization of this tvwe. This low ex, staff, and penditure is possible because the director ( J P ~other clerical personnel perform their services free of charge to the AIHP. UW permits J P to spend one third of his time on AIHP activities. Furthermore, there are no rent charges. Although the AIHP is also supported by membership dues, the dues remained quite low over the years hecause the AIHP was able to secure endowments. Such financial and administrative arrangements could be considered by the CHC, hut J P was of the opinion that a t times a director has a conflict with his university duties. It is difficult to serve two masters, and J P recommended that the CHC engages a full-time director. A different approach to collecting history of science was described by Professor Edsall ( 3 ) .As an outgrowth of the long-standing interest by the Committee on the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the American Academy, the American Philosophical Society (APS) joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1975 to sponsor asurvey of source material on the history of biochemistry and molecular biology. J T E was a prime mover in bringing about this activity. The success of this venture was aided also by the SURVEY'S secretary, David Bearman, who a t that time was an advanced eraduate student a t the Universitv of Pennsvlibr the ~ u m a n i i i e s the , Commonwealth Fund, and Merck Laboratories. The survey was operated from the APS Lihrary in Philadelphia which now acts as the depository of the collected material. archivists of their work and contributions. (2) Alert the interested parties to the importance of preserving records. (3) Serve as a clearinghouse for pertinent information and publish a newsletter to disseminate such findinps. (4) Gather hioI d e e d r e I . 5) r h i m:ir11i I I.ir, :rn.hiul m31crial>, m ~ ,I>! d l'rovicle 81 v t m ~ u u t e r i ~ini~,rni:itiw d and retrieval lg,,..~, for the collected infoimation. The SURVEY gave itself five years to accomplish the major objectives and is presently inactive (JTE). About 600 autohioerawhies were collected reoresentine a 70% return of the mailed requests. The SURVEY concentrated on the USA and UK fur material. There were also some contributions from Germany, Poland, and Australia, very few from France, and none from the USSR. J T E felt that each country should do its own survey which should be in touch with an international clearinghouse to avoid excessive and nnnecessarv Because of the lack of funds and "dunlications. . storage space, there was no attempt to collect equipment. J T E also suggested that the future CHC should absorb the work of the SURVEY and the language of the Computer developed hv Dr. Bearman. The aeolonists who are in the wrocess of establishing a History Center are already mading such arrangements (JTE). Oral history will be one of the activitjes that a CHC will undertake. The CHC will also coordinate the oral history efforts that individual ACS Divisions may undertake. Unfortunately, many chemists (and scientists in general) who want to investigate the history of their science have no idea where to begin. Historians have developed methods and techniques that have led to an increased understanding of the past (MMS). Since few chemists can afford to go hack to school, a possible solution was resented hv Professor Sokal. He suggested that the CHC should sponsor or teach a series of workshows on historical methods to he held a t ACS National
and Regional meetings. MMS was directing such workshops on the history of psychology a t meetings of the American Psychological Association. The charge to participants was $48.00 for the six-hour course. It was suggested that such a course could he taught as an ACS Short Course even hefore the CHC becomes owerative. In his course MMS taught: (1) The state-of-the-"ah"; the latest research and history from recent publications. (2) Approaches and research tools which included a critical analysis of sources, such as notebooks, first draft of a paper as compared to the puhlished versions. Reliability and historical evidence was stressed. (3) Analysis of primary sources which included a "lahoratory exercise" where course participants had to reconstruct history from the presented evidence. (4) Techniques and results of oral history. Although oral history is considered to he a very popular and an interesting activity, MMS and SRW stressed that this method is actually a very difficult and time-consuming technique. As a rule of thumb, it requires three hours of preparation for every hour of a taped interview. Interviews must he carefully done, and statements must he checked before they can be passed on as "truths." Many individuals may no longer know the difference between a truth and something that is only symbolically true (MMS). The symposium participants were informed by Professor Wotiz of the efforts of the HIST task force directed toward the establishment of the CHC and some of the encountered difficulties concerning location and funding. At the Houston ACS meeting JHW appeared before and received the endorsement of the HIST proposal for the CHC from various ACS standing Committees and Commissions. The ACS Board of Directors also agreed in principle to establish the CHC (4). The level of funding is to he determined a t a later time. The HIST task force with the aid of the ACS Controller estahlished a budget of $55,000 for the first year of activities of a CHC which includes the salarv of a director and half-time grants and contracts (soft money). Some Committee, Board, and Staff members thoueht this fieure to he too low - ~ -ACS ~ considering the cost of operations in Washington. An alternative suggestion to the location and operation of a CHC was presented a t the symposium by Professor Thackray, curator of the Edgar Fahs Smith (EFS) Memorial Collection in the History of Chemistry, editor of ISIS, an international journal devoted to the history of science and its cultural influences, and professor in the Department of History and Sociology of Science a t the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. There are several arguments in favor of locating the CHC in Philadelphia. EFS (1854-1928) was a Professor of Chemistry and Provost a t Penn, President of the American Philosophical Society, and three times President of the ACS ( 5 ) . During the 1920-21 Presidencv. he was influential in establishingthe ACS Divisions of chemical Education and History of Chemistrv. He had an interest in promoting humanistic ~~
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time, worked closely with the EFS Collection and jointly published CHYMIA, the history of chemistry annual, now inactive (AT). AT also pointed out that it is no accident why the ISIS editorial office is currently located a t Penn. Its excellent Department of the History and Sociology of Science with Professors Huehes. Kohler, and A T will he able to provide guidance, leadership, and part-time graduate student assistance to the CHC if it is to he located a t Penn. The existing facilities have room to accommodate the CHC a t relatively low cost to the ACS. Professor Thackray proposed a full-time staff consisting of a director, assistant director, secretary, and two or three part-time research assistants. If the University of Pennsylvania were to donate the necessary space and auxiliary services, it would require a $50,000 per annum expenditure (61.
Some symposium participants and especially HS advocated caution, helievine that a CHC awav from the ACS National Headquarters in washington may Loose its ACS identity and lack the cooperation and assistance of the ACS memhers. Considering the present lack of space and high cost of operation in Washington, JHW and the participants agreed that a compromise and expediency should he considered. A temporary location in Philadelphia and a move to Washington when there is more space a t the ACS, and/or when outside funding is increased, was favored by most. AT also outlined a three-year pilot program to demonstrate the worth of the CHC. Because of the late start, AT recommended that the CHC should focus on American chemistry and chemical industry since 1800, and concentrate on outstandine chemists which he defined as Nohel Laureates, ACS presidents, chemists elected for membership in our National Academv of Sciences, and medal or prize winners such as ~arvan,%riestley,or Gihhs recipients: The symposium participants were quite puzzled why the ACS, the largest professional society in the world, does not already have an operating CHC. The cost of individual ACS members would be minimal, perhaps none a t all after the initial start-up period. The value received from a CHC would enrich our culture by educating our profession and the puhlic in general, activities that our Society is hound to engage by the terms of our National Charter. Preserving American Chemistry's achievements is a challenge that the ACS must accept (NDH). Acknowledgment
The organizers of the symposium and the specially invited speakers (RPM, J T E , AT, J P , SRW, and MMS) would like to thank the 1979 ACS President, Gardner Stacy, for providing travel funds from the ACS President Discretionary Fund. Literature Cited
He was an enihusiastic collector of books, journals, photographs, manuscripts, letters, and some equipment of interest to historians of chemistry. His collection is now part of the Van Pelt, University of Pennsylvania Library, and AT is its curator. This memorial collection could he the counterpart in the CHC to the Niels Bohr Library a t AIP-CHP. HIST, a t one
(1) Bri>sh,S.G . , J Col Sci. Teaching.May l978,288,footnote19. (21 Wheeler, J. A.,"Preface" in T.S. Kuhn, J. L. Heilbron. P. Forman, a n d L Allen IEditnr~J. Source?for History of Quantum Physics American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia, ,907 n ui
141 Chem ondEng. Nows,ISRO.A~~. 14.~27. ( 5 ) Bmwne,C. A.,.J.CHEM.EDUC.. 5, June, 1928. 16) Thackray to WotizIefte~,June 1,1979.
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