CHARLES ALBERT BROWNE AS A N HISTORIAN OF CHEMISTRY' HERBERT S. KLICKSTEIN and HENRY M. LEICESTER University of California and College of Physicians and Surgeons of San Francisco, California
W H E N CHARLES A. BROWNE died on February,3,1947, American chemistry sufferedh twofold loss. Not only was Dr. Browne an outstanding agricultural chemist who had devoted most of his scientific l i e to the service of the government, but he was also dean of historians of chemistry in this country. His colleagues in the field of sugar chemistry and technology have honored him for his achievements in this branch .of science. I t is fitting that his equally important work for the support and advancement of the cultural and humanistic aspects of chemistry should receive the same recognition, for this was a phase of his activities which was always close to his heart. Dr. Browne was born a t North Adams, Massachusetts, on August 12, 1870, the son of a prominent explosives chemist who had invented a widely used blasting fuse. As a comparatively young man, the father had lost his sight in an explosion, so that he never saw his son. Dr. Browne studied a t Williams College which granted him an A.B. in 1892 and an A.M. in 1896. He then served for a time as an analyst in New York, and as an assistant in chemistry a t the Pennsylvania Experiment Station. In 1900 he went to Gottingen to work with Bernhard Tollens in the field of agricultural chemistry and plant physiology. He obtained his Ph.D. there in 1902. After his return to America, he became a research chemist a t the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. His work on sugar led him to enter federal employment as Chief of the Sugar Laboratory of the U. S. Bureau of Chemistry in 1906. His skill and reputation as an agricultural chemist grew rapidly, and he remained in responsible positions in the Bureau of Agriculture until his retirement in 1940. He continued to serve as ~onsultantto the Bureau until his death. The strong interest which Dr. Browne felt in historical subjects found its first public expression in 1908 when he published a paper dealing with certain aspects of Greek philosophy. His excellent classical education probably led him to the field, but he soon turned his interests to the historical background of his own field of agricultural chemistry. Nevertheless, his ability to consult original classical sources was of the greatest value to him in his later work, when he traced the origins of many of the ideas on which modern chemistry is based.
In the decade from 1910 to 1920 he published anumher of papers on the history of various phases of agricultural chemistry. At the same time he began the collection of a library on the history of chemistry which came to be recognized as one of the best in America. On his frequent trips to Europe, he made a point of securing rare chemical works, and in this way he acquired volumes which are almost unique in this country. His interests in agricultural chemistry led h i to study the industries which are connected with agricultural processes, and these studies led him to a consideration of the rise of American industry as a whole. This was but a step to the study of the history of chemistry in America. In this way he came to devote most of his historical work to either of the two subjects, the history of agricultural chemistry or the history of chemistry in America. For the rest of his life, most of his historical papers relate to one or the other of these fields. Dr. Browne well realized the value of the primary source in historical research. .His own work brought him into contact with the leading men in his field, and his frequent trips abroad further widened the circle of acquaintances begun when he was a student a t Gottingen. Throughout most of his life, therefore, he made it a point to spend a period,of time each evening, before retiring, in writing an account of all the conversations and events of the preceding day. In this way he preserved a mass of information which will in time prove of inestimable importance to the historian of the future who desires to know the informal and unwritten hackground behind the events which influenced the development of chemistry in the first half of the twentieth century. Some of this material Dr. Browne himself used in telling of the early days of the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. This was organized unofficially in 1920 when Browne first met and talked with Edgar Fahs Smith of the University of Pennsylvania. The common interest of the two men led to a deep friendship which was of great significance for the further development of the study of the history of chemistry in this country. Not only was the Division of the History of Chemistry organized, but the discussions and plans of the two founders resulted in the establishment of a research center a t the University of Pennsylvania destined to do much for the study of the history of chemistry in America. ' Under the stimulus of the realization that historical
Presented before the Division of the History of Chemistry at the 111th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Atlantic City, April 15, 1947. 315
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matters were of interest to a number of chemists, Dr. Rrowne began to devote more time to his favorite hobby and a number of valuable papers soon appeared from his pen. In 1926 he edited the Golden Jubilee number of the Journal of the Ameriean Chemical Society, which reviewed the developments of fiftyyears in all branches of American chemistry. At the time of his death, he was occupied on a general history of the Society. This work will be edited and completed by others, but it will st,illbear the marks of Browne's unique style and genius. With the death of Dr. Smith in 1928, Browne redoubled his efforts on behalf of the history of chemistry. When the Edgar Fahs Smith Memorial Collection in the History of Chemistry was organized a t the University of Pennsylvania, he gave it his enthusiastic support. In 1945 he presented a large portion of his invaluable library to the Collection; and from 1946 until his death he served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Collection, and Editor-in-Chief of "Chymia," the annual publication in the history of chemistry sponsored by it. The crowning achievement of his scholarly career was the publication in 1944 of the "Sourcebook of Agricultural Chemistry." This book was of far greater scope than the name implied. Dr. Browne recognized that it is impossible to understand the development of any branch of a major science unless the full implications of that science are understood. His work, therefore, included the background of chemical theories and developments which explain the agricultural practices of each epoch from Greek times until the peroid of Liehig. It is a contribution to the literature of the history of chemistry which will long hold top rank. In every way, Dr. Browne served as a supporter and builder in the movement to make the history of chemistry occupy its rightful place in the science. He retained his active interest until the summer of 1946, when an eye affliction made it impossible for him to continue his work. Several manuscripts upon which he was working were completed even under these difficult conditions, but his health failed rapidly and his death early in 1947 deprived the field of the history of chemistry. of one of its leading workers. H i s death lvas a blow to the Division of the History of Chemistry, to the Edgar Fahs Smith Collection, and to all who have the interests of the history of chemistry at heart. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS OF CHARLES ALBERT BROWNE (1870-1947) 1908
1009
(1) "Cryptic legends and their significance,'' Open Court, 22, 40-7 (1908). (2) "Et~ymologyof.Greekmythologicaltermsaccording to Plato." ibid.., 22., 680-5 (1908). , (3) "Adultertttion and the condition of analytical chemistry among the ancients,'' Science, 29, 455-8
.
(lono) \-"--,.
1911 1914 1915
(4) " T h e comparative value of methods far estimating fame," ibid., 33, 770-3 (1911). (5) "The development of the sugar industry," School of Mines Quart., 35, 22341 (1914). (6) "Four anniversaries in tho historv of Greek philosophy," Open Court 29, 705-16 (i915).
"Thermomett~c; rt.ply to 1'. Caws,'' ibid., 30,130-
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41 (101fii
"A chemical lettw hr Dr.. Andrew Ure," Ind. Eng. Chem., 9,718-10 (1917). "The two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the chemical industrv in America." ibid.. 11. 16-19
"Review of t,he navk of Prof. 3. B. Harrison," i b i d , 11, 874-83 (1010). "The sugrtr industry in t,he French West Indics," Facts about Sugav, 9, September (1919). "Poem of the philosopher Theophrastos upon the Second Art-a metrical t,rr*nrlat,ion~ i t comments h u ~ o nthe historv of chrmistrv." . . Scientific Monihls. .. . i i , 193-214 (1
