2886
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
DECEMBER, 1930
He was a constant reminder of the important truth that the specialist need not necessarily be out of sympathy with life in its varied aspects.
* * * * * The writer wishes to acknowledge the help of many friends and relatives of Dr. Drown who kindly assisted in furnishing facts, references, and photographs for this article. Literature Cited (I) (8)
(3)
1. 2. 3. 4.
SMITH,"Robert Hare, An American Chemist." J. B. Lippincott Ca., Philadelphia. Pa.. 1917. DROWN, "Technical Training." an address before the Alumni Association of Lehigh University, June 20, 1883. DAVIS,"Eliot and Storer," J. CHHM.EDUC.,6, 868-79 (May, 1929). I n addition, the following sources of information were employed: TALBOT, "Thomas Messinger Drown," Tech. Rm.,7, 3-16 (1905). JACKSON, "Thomas M. Drown," Eng. Record, 51, 87-8 (Jan. 21, 1905). RAYMOND, "Biographical Notice of Thomas M. Drown," Trans. A . I. M. E.. 36, 288-304 (1906). Bowm, "History of Lehigh University." The Lchigh Alumni Bulletin. 1924, pp. 99-102.
Modem Science Is Not Scientific. A large part of what the public calls science and much of the science teaching in schools and colleges today is not really science, Dr. A. J. Goldfarb, retiring chairman of the medical science section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, declared a t the recent Des Moines meeting. "The extent to which unscientific science is taught in our schools is amazing," he said. "Maltraining like malnutrition, if long continued, has very serious and lasting effects on the organism." Evidence of scientific maltraining may be found in many of the papers sent to scientific journals which must he rejected for major and serious defects. Science is difficult to define and few educated or "schooled" persons today agree an what subjects may he properly called science, outside of a few broad classifications. "The experimental method, properly defined, characterizes real science and differentiates it from primitive science, from pseudo-science, from non-science, from anti-science," Dr. Goldfarb said. He described the history of the development of science and compared it t o the development of the human race, science having had its primitive stages, just as man had. The primitive stage of science included the fact-hdmg stage and the law-formulating stage, but the experimental stage represents a more complex and modem development. "Collections of facts do not constitute science. At best they are the prelude to science, the building blacks with which the structure of science is built," Dr. Goldfarb said. "To substitute the accumulation of facts and laws or dextcrity of manipulation for experimental methodology is nalve, erroneous, anti-science, the cartoon of science." "Fact and law worship dominate the science courses in nearly all schools and colleges," Dr. Goldfarb said. He believes that the methods of experimental investigation may be pursued long before work is done for the doctor's thesis, and he looked forward t o the day when there would be more scientific teaching of science in all schools and closer coaperation between all scientists no matter in what hranches they are engaged.-Science Service
