300 L ’en seign em en t de l’h istoire de la science
tion of both specialists is also possible, w hich has been confirm ed by the previous practice.
In spite of those fears and reservations, m y ow n belief is th a t th e history of science and technology can be, m astered indeed, as an independent speciality. I assum e how ever th a t for th e fu tu re historian of scienbe a n d technology th e re w ill be available both m onographs on th e history of the m ain disciplines of science and technology, and instructional aids as w ell as m anuals of un iversity type.
As reg ard s th e teaching, it is — in m y opinion — necessary to refleot once m ore upon locating didactics a n d upon th e kinds o f stu dents attend ing th e lectu res of h istory of science a n d technology. Considering the fact th a t th e su bject of th e history of science and technology is a common one a n d its division (into the h isto ry of science an d th e histo ry of technology) w ould be, for methodological reasons, illegitim ate, th ere arises a question of p ractical utility. There are sepa ra te centres for teaching hum anities and n atu ra l science, technological a n d m edical science. It is th e case in Poland at least.
In which of these centres th e research and th e teaching of th e history of science and technology as o f a uniform sub ject should be located?
I th in k th a t each of the scientific cen tres ought to possess its ow n chair of history of science an d technology Where n o t only general problem s of research an d didactics w ould b e conducted, b u t also- p a rt icular problem s which a re of in terest for th e given centre.
Professor Ronchi raised in h is lectu re an o th er im p o rtan t problem of practical character. Who is to le ctu re o n the history of science and technology, and w ho is to investigate it? I think, one an d th e same person only. Who' w ants to lecture on his ow n subject in an in terestin g an d useful way, has to know i t thoroughly, has to be th e investigator of a given problem . Let me em phasize once m ore th a t I do not tru s t the w orkers concerned w ith th e hum anities who do not conduct any practical studies w ith students w ith in th e scope of th e ir ow n research w ork.
A. T. Grigoryan
Professor Romchi’s lectu re is devoted to a v ery topical subject: to the teaching of th e history of science in th e higher educational establishm ents.
I should like to share m y ow n experience in th e w ay of teaching the history of science and technology in th e U.S.S.R. In the Soviet Union th ere are about one thousand in stitu tio n s of higher learning. In o rd er to supply all of them w ith in structo rs in th e h isto ry of science
D iscussion 301
and technology, it is necessary, first, to h av e a n im m ense arm y of teachers a n d professors, and, secondly, to secure textbooks an d teaching m ateria ls for th e h isto ry of science and technology.
For th e p resent, the h isto ry of science and technology is being ta u g h t n o t in a ll th e in stitu tio n s of higher learning. It is to b e noted th a t a v ery fru itfu l w ork is being done at th e Moscow U niversity. A t all of its five faculties of n a tu ra l science (those of m echanics and m athem atics, physics, chem istry, biology, geology and geography) lectu res on th e history of adequate science a re being given.
A t tw o of th e faculties th e re are stu d y centres fo r th e h istory of science (at th e m echanical-m athem atical facu lty — a cen tre for the history of m athem atics and m echanics; a t th e physical facu lty — a centre for th e history of physics).
The h isto ry of only p articu lar sciences is being tau g h t a t th e U ni versities of L eningrad,' Kiev, Odessa, Y erevan, K harkov, Tbilisi, Tash kent, Irkutsk, Vilnius, Rostov, D nepropetrovsk a n d others.
The history of science is being also tau g h t in m an y higher educa tional schools. T here are being given, in principle, lectures o n th e history of physios and m athem atics. This is explained by th e availability of textbooks a n d in stru ctio n al m aterials, by the supply of teaching personnel for those subjects, as well as by th e M inistry’s of Education agreem ent to th a t course being included in to th e program m e of edu cational schools. The teaching of th e h isto ry of physical-m athem atical sciences a t th e universities and teach er-trainin g schools is being cons iderably prom pted b y valuable books on th e history of physical-m athe m atical sciences, published in the Soviet Union.
Alone the Publishing House of th e Academ y of Sciences of th e
U.S.S.R., the P ublishing House of physical-m athem atical lite ra tu re and th a t of instructional-pedagogical lite ra tu re have published for some years past: th e fundam ental w ork in th re e volumes H istory of N atural Science in Russia (from its origins rig h t u p to 1917), Essays on the D evelopm ent of Physical Ideas w herein the first tria l was m ade to exam ine th e evolution of physical ideas th ro u g h o u t th e whole course of historical developm ent — from th e m ost ancient tim es up to our days; H istory of Physics b y Max Laue; H istory of Physics in two volum es b y P. S. K udriavtsev; H istory of Physics and Technology by P. S. K udriavtsev and I. J. Komfederatov; Variational Principles of Mechanics by L. S. Poilak; Essays on th e H istory of Mechanics in Russia by A. T. G rigoryan; Essays on the D evelopm ent of the F unda m en ta l Notions of Mechanics by A. T. G rigoryan and V. P. Zubov; H istory of A stronom y in Russia by B. A. Vorontsov-Veliam inov; H istory of Streng th of Materials by S. P. Timoshenko'; H istory of M athem atics in Russia by B. V. Gnedenko; H istory of M athematics in A n tiq u ity by
302 L ’e n s e ig n e m e n t d e l’h is t o ir e d e la s c ie n c e
E. Kolman; H istory of M athematics in the Middle Ages by A. P. Y ouch- kevitch and m any others.
There are (published every year v e ry helpful collections “H istorico- -M athem atical Investigations” an d “H istorico-A stronom ical Investiga tions”. L et us also en um erate excellent 'monographs by iB. G. K usnetsov: D evelopm ent of the Scientific O utlook of the W orld in Physics of th e X V IIth and X V IIIth Centuries; Principles of Classical Physics; Foun dations of the Theory of R ela tivity and of Q uantum Mechanics in th eir Historical D evelopm ent; The Principle of R ela tivity in th e A ncien t, Classical and Q uantum Physics; Evolution of the O utlook of the W orld an d Evolution of the Fundam ental Ideas of Electrodynamics.
The le ctu res on the h isto ry of technology a re being re a d only in some of th e technological colleges. To> th em belong: Moscov School of Energetics, Moscow School of Mines, L en ingrand’s, K iev’s, Riga’s, Tbilisi’s, and Y erevan’s polytechnic schools. The 'professorial and teaching cadres of those in stitutes, a p a rt from lecturing, are publishing textbooks on th e h isto ry of p a rtic u la r branches o f technology. Thus, for instance, the professors of th e Moscow School of Energetics, L. D. Belkind a n d I. J. Komfederatov, p rep ared a, textbook; on the h isto ry of energetics; th e late professor of th e Lenin,grad polytechnic school, V. V. D anilevsky, p rep ared a m anu al on th e h isto ry of technology; the academ ician S. G. S tru m ilin published a series of lectures on th e history of m etallurgy; Professor A. A. Zvorykiine published a course of the history of technology. The case is considerably b e tte r in all engineering schools o f ou r co u n try Where, fo r th e tim e being, lectures on the h istory of engineering a re being given.
The situation is n o t ibad about teaching th e histo ry of m edicine in the m edical schools o i th e U.S.S.R. In th e Soviet Union, the problem s of teaching th e h isto ry of m edicine a re being given a great 'considera tion. This is fav ou red b y the existence of su ch establishm ents and organizations as th e In stitu te of H ealth Services O rganization a n d of Medical H istory, as th e A ll-U nion 'Society of Medicine H istorians, 'and as section of m edical h isto ry at th e Committee of th e Soviet N ational Union of N atu ral Science an d Technology H istorians. The scientists of the above-nam ed establishm ents and organizations are carry in g on a great w ork in th e w a y of th e developm ent of m edical h isto ry in th e Soviet Union. Owing to th e ir efforts, th e teaching of th e m edical history is being conducted n early in alii th e m edical schools of o u r country. T here a re being published books on th e history of medicine, conferences a n d sym posia on m edical h isto ry are y early organized.
I fin d it advisable th a t th e com m ittee on teaching th e history of science, existing a t th e In tern ation al Union of th e Philosophy and H istory of Science m ay s ta rt w orking. F irst of all, it is necessary to gather inform ation from alll national com m ittees about th e sta te of
D iscu ssion 303 teaching th e h isto ry of science, a n d sub seq u en tly to convoke a .special In tern ation al Symposium • to th is end. The problem s of teaching th e h istory of .science should also be su b ject for discussion a t th e fo rth coming X lth In ternational Congress of the H istory of Science.
A. T eske /
Professor Ranchi m entioned in ihis le ctu re am ong difficulties w ith w hich th e teaching of th e b isto ry of science is confronted, also th e following one: th e stu d en ts p re fe r to focus th e ir atten tio n an d th e ir activity on th e p resen t state of th e discipline th e y have chosen, a n d on its fu rth e r 'progress ra th e r th a n a n its history; o nly v ery few a re interested’ in this la tte r respect. This is — a n d therew ith n o polem ical rem a rk is intended, only a sim ple statem en t — a r a th e r sound situ a tion, as a ll w e couild w ish is only th a t th e pro p o rtion of stud en ts m ay change a little in favour of the historical group.
B ut even if i t 'does not Change, I think, th is difficulty can b e o v er come. For it should b e possible to teach th e h isto ry of a given discipline in such a way, as to m ake it o f essential a n d im m ediate use fo r th e study of this discipline itself, as to enable us — to .say it by th e w ay of a n exam ple — to educate b e tte r chem ists a n d b e tte r physicists. In a som ew hat ru d im en tary fo rm th e historical points of view a re in common use in th e ordinary w ay of teaching.
Indeed, w hen lectu rin g fo r instance on th e th eo ry of rela tiv ity , nobody willl om it to introduce th e stu d en ts in to th e form er conceptions of space an d tim e. A nd if w e enlarge th is p ictu re b y giving th e s tu d e n ts not only the view s of Newton, b u t also those o f MaCh a n d of Lorentz, and by introducing a b ro ad er philosophical background, w e w ill n o t loose th e 'connection w ith o u r discipline. A nd it w ill h elp th e students, to u n d erstan d b e tte r th e [present issue.
True, w e can n ot expect to have an o th er 'historical chair attach e d to every existing one. B ut fo rtu n ate ly th ere are larg e fields of scientific research which, in despite of th e ir greatness, form a ce rta in u n ity — physics for instance o r chem istry — an d w hich a re rep resen ted by a w hole ensem ble of chairs. So, th e situation is n o t so 'difficult, a n d a historical chair connected w ith such a n ensem ble could of course serve not only didactic purposes of th e w hole ensem ble b u t p erfo rm also research w o rk in th e h isto ry of science.
A. P. Y o uchkevitch
In ord er th a t a course in th e h istory of one o r another science a t the respective facu lty of th e U niversity m ay m ake a success, i t h a s to fulfil, in any case, tw o conditions'. It ought to be in terestin g to th e
