History of Science as a Cultural Bridge
To the Editor: The recent article by Robert P. DeSieno [49, 31 (1972)l seems to ask for a solution to the "Two Cultures Syndrome" on the college level. At Grand Valley State College, a relatively small (4000 students), state supported, undergraduate liberal arts college; we have attacked the problem by offering a wide selection of courses in the history of science. Student and faculty reactions indicate that our approach has been remarkably successful. Our courses count toward the fulfillment of the College of Arts and Sciences science requirement. Whiie many students admittedly choose history of science as an easy alternative to a more rigorous laboratory course, a gratifyingly large number of students find in our program a mcaningful approach to science by seeing how
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Journal o f Chemical Education
closely it relates to their own disciplines. Two examples of student feedback from this past week serve to illustrate this point. An English major received a better understanding of Dante's allegories when we considered medieval cosmologies. A psychology major obtained a new insight into a scientific genius' accomplishments when we discussed Frank Manuel's psychological study of Isaac Newton. Our course offerings are sufficiently varied to provide a meaningful science experience to students of all interests. General courses present a continuous and non-technical picture of scientific developments in antiquity, the medieval and Renaissance period, the early modern period, and during the past one hundred years. Although most students plan to take only one or two of these courses to satisfy their requirements, a large number take three or all four courses in our sequence. Another popular course presents the role of science and technology in American society-a look at science in government, education, the military, and (of great importance) in the mind of the lay public. Finally, we offer a number of advanced courses in the
history of individual sciences. These courses are designed primarily for science majors who usually have no sense of history when it comes to their own discipline. Many interested non-majors, however, take these courses and often learn more science from them than they do from the freshman course in the subject. Our mathematics department requires our history of mathematics course of its B.A. candidates. Clearly the historical approach is not the only solution to Professor DeSieno's search for unity. I n some cases it has been tried and found wanting. However, our increasing number of courses, greater student enrollment, and overwhelmingly favorable feedback indicate that at GVSC, at least, this is a workable and pleasant solution.
Polywoter and Analytical Chemistry: A Lesson for the Future
To the Editor: To all of us who feel and express concern about the role of chemistry and its several branches in the world of the '70's and beyond, the October, 1971 issue of THISJOURNAL should prove to he highly instructive. Presented here mas a fascinating juxtaposition of the proceedings of the recent AAAS Symposium dealing with "Chemistry and Social Concern" and an account of the astounding history of "polywater." The paramount concern, social or other, of the chemist is the reliability of his observations which are, after all, the foundation of his science. I fervently hope that someday an architect will include in bas-relief or mural decoration of a university chemistry building a representation of Anteus, one of Hercules' many antagonists, whose strength derived from contact with the earth, in order to constantly remind us that chemistry is as strong as its experimental foundation, as the reliability of measurements. The elaborately inflated structure of the theory and lore of polywater is a highly dramatic but not isolated example of relegation of analytical chemistry to a minor role in the design and execution of chemical research. The solution of the polywater question was finally obtained by application of proper analysis although the techniques for the purpose were available long before the question was raised. This point deserves general attention a t a time when a large number of major universities are planning to eliminate analytical chemistry from their curricula entirely, "assimilate" it, or have already done so. Analytical chemistry is a discipline whose applications are easily recognized as "socially relevant," and important as a service branch. That it is equally vital in the proper conduct of all experimental research seems to he harder to grasp by some of our brethren before their "feet are yanked out from under them." Analytical chemistry, the science involving carefully executed measurements of all varieties related to composition and identification and careful evaluation of their reliability, rightfully deserves an
important place in the training program of both undergraduate and graduate chemists. Without some exposure to this discipline, non-chemists may well consider much of chemistry a series of (hopefully) delightful, interesting, hut not totally explicable assertions.
Thermodynamics and Pollution
To the Editor: It is unfortunate that a contribution to the huge pile of articles incorrectly relating thermodynamics to social or philosophical issues should appear in THIS JOURNAL [49, 18 (1972)l. It is not a consequence of the Second Law that "regardless of what is done to cure pollution things are bound to get worse." Even accepting that the entire material universe is a closed thermodynamic system which is by no means evident,' the Second Law has no bearing on the social and political decisions that can he taken and acted upon to minimize the problems of pollution. These include decisions to terminate many of our current practices but also in general terms to develop more efficient new technologies (and the Second Lav can he used to discuss efficiency unambiguously) that will key into the overall biological ecosystem. In particular we need to develop low-temperature technology based on electrochemistry for the short run and on the truly exciting promise of the technology of superconductors2 in the long run. This last application still awaits the development of materials that become superconducting above the ordinary boiling point of liquid hydrogen (20°K). CHARLES E.-HECHT
1 T . a ~.. n.. n. r,r 1... ~-~ a w -n T.IFSHITZ. , E.. "Statistical Phvsics." " , Ad~~, diaon-Wesley, Reading, Mass., 1958, p. 29. 2 MCCLINTOCK, M., "Cryogenics," Reinhold, New York, 1964. CEEGTER. P., Reports on Prog. in Phys.,30, 561 (1967). MATT H I A ~ B.; , PhysicsToday,23 (August, 1971). -.2
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To the Editor: Professor Hecht has in a way asked for depollution of my article "Pollution and Thermodynamics" (or was it "Thermodynamics Polluted?"). The pompous solemnity of thermodynamics seems to have been desecrated whimsically and facetiously. However, if my memory is correct, Professor Don If.Yost of Cal Tech warned his students to stop doing research when it xasn't fun. And, as an undergraduate student of Professor Ward V. Evans, I was dclighted by his amusing and homespun applications of the laws of physical chemistry to d o scribe the comfort of ducks in icy water, the priority of freezing of adjacent hot- and cold-water pipes in an abandoned house, gas-air explosions, keeping apples in Volume 49, Number 6, June 1972
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