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PREFACE
PREFACE
The final or Index volume of the Popular Science Library not only increases the value of this great set, but actually multiplies it. Volume XVI is in three parts: First, the editor, Garrett Serviss, in "How to Use the Popular Science Library," describes the way the reader may enjoy and profit most from its store of scientific knowledge in connection with his everyday experiences. Then follows Arthur Selwyn-Brown's "History of Science," an excellent foundation for the study of man's achievements
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1—Things on the Earth—Explained by
1—Things on the Earth—Explained by
(a) Anthropology, the Science of Man and His Ancestors, treating of his nature, origin, development, division into races and tribes, society, industry, etc. (b) Zoölogy, the Science of Animal Life, treating of the "lower animals," and of animal life in general as distinguished from the kingdom of the plants, although the related science of biology deals with both plants and animals, its special subject being the phenomena of life in its widest sense. (c) Botany, the Science of Plant Life. (d) Ge
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2—Things Above the Earth—Explained by
2—Things Above the Earth—Explained by
(a) Astronomy, the Science of the Heavenly Bodies. (b) Meteorology, the Science of the Atmosphere, rains, winds, storms, fair and foul weather, the changes of the seasons, and essentially related to the new and fast developing art of aerial navigation....
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3—Things Within the Earth—Explained by
3—Things Within the Earth—Explained by
(a) Geology, the Science of the Earth's Crust, or shell; which also deals with the various stratifications of the rocks, superposed one above another, and containing in the shape of fossils, and other marks, a wonderful record of the character and development of the living forms that have inhabited the earth during the long ages of the past. Of course some of the phenomena dealt with by geology are manifest on the earth's surface, and others, like volcanoes and earthquakes, hot springs and geyse
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CHAPTER I HISTORY OF SCIENCE
CHAPTER I HISTORY OF SCIENCE
The romantic history of science shows how the discoveries of the greatest human minds, slowly operating since the remotest times, have made possible our present-day civilization. Few studies are worthy of greater attention; no other department of knowledge affords more real pleasure. Whoever clearly understands the history of science possesses intellectual advantages over those who are ignorant of the causes that have led to the establishment of the basic principles of our modern industrial arts
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CHAPTER II PRIMITIVE MAN AND EARLY CIVILIZATIONS
CHAPTER II PRIMITIVE MAN AND EARLY CIVILIZATIONS
The development of scientific history has not followed a uniform course. Progress has been rhythmic. There has been always a reaction coming in the steps of brilliant discoveries. Periods of feverish experimental activities have been succeeded by others during which little apparent progress was made. Such dull intervals seem to have been necessary for developing, formulating, classifying, and testing the innumerable details and inferences that the discoveries of the active periods produced. Whil
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CHAPTER III PRE-BABYLONIAN SCIENCE
CHAPTER III PRE-BABYLONIAN SCIENCE
The transcending wonders of the phenomena of the heavenly bodies attracted the attention of primitive man at an early period of his intellectual development. The succession of day and night, the phases of the moon, comets, meteorites, the eclipses of sun and moon, the recurrence of the seasons were observed and recorded. In this way, through long uncivilized times, many scientific facts were noticed and handed down by tradition, and probably were among the first scientific data collected. We hav
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CHAPTER IV EGYPTIAN SCIENCE
CHAPTER IV EGYPTIAN SCIENCE
The early civilization in Egypt developed in the ancient cities of Thebes and Memphis. Authorities on the dawn of history in Egypt are unable to definitely account for the origins of the various peoples who have ruled the land. One school contends that the early negroid inhabitants originated in Africa. Another school opposes this view and suggests an Asiatic origin. Each of these schools can marshal facts to sustain its contentions. The truth is that Africa was inhabited at such an early period
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CHAPTER V FOUNDING OF SYSTEMATIC SCIENCE IN GREECE
CHAPTER V FOUNDING OF SYSTEMATIC SCIENCE IN GREECE
The world is indebted to the Greeks as much for science as for art and literature. The idealistic spirit of ancient Greece invested scientists as well as poets, artists, and thinkers generally. But the Greek scientists were students in the great schools of Egypt and brought much of their knowledge from that country. The greatest contributions made by Greece were in the nature of methods and analysis. They were led to these by the tendencies of the Greek mind to abstract thought and philosophical
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CHAPTER VI GOLDEN AGE OF GREEK SCIENCES
CHAPTER VI GOLDEN AGE OF GREEK SCIENCES
Science had made a great advance as a result of the researches and theories of the atomists. A consistent mechanical theory of matter and the universe had been set forth. Science and philosophy were stripped of many of the old superstitions that had clung to them. The leading theories invented were based on logical principles. While these changes were being worked out, numerous inventions of scientific instruments and apparatus were made and systematic methods of studying science were organized.
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CHAPTER VII THE ROMAN AND MIDDLE AGES
CHAPTER VII THE ROMAN AND MIDDLE AGES
The Romans succeeded to Greek culture; but they were a business people. They exhibited smaller intellectual capacity than the Greeks for analytical thinking. This precluded them from advancing the sciences. The Romans attained great eminence in oratory, history, art, and literature. They probably equaled the Greeks in music. They never produced any great thinkers like Aristarchus, Hipparchus, Euclid, Ptolemy, Archimedes, Democritus, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, and others referred to in the pr
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CHAPTER VIII SCIENCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER VIII SCIENCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
The wonderful advances made in the mathematical, physical, and astronomical sciences, and the invention of many new scientific instruments, together with the publication of improved textbooks and scientific tables, like those mentioned in the preceding chapter, stimulated interest in other fields of science at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Medicine, which failed to advance with the astronomical and physical sciences, began to improve. The Moors had established great medical schools i
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CHAPTER IX PRELUDE TO MODERN SCIENCE—THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER IX PRELUDE TO MODERN SCIENCE—THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
When the eighteenth century opened science had begun to make men think, and the works of the great scientists had changed the trend of thought on all sides. Liberty of conscience, of worship, and of opportunity were demanded, as well as representative government, economic freedom, and individual equality before the law. Men wanted to be free agents. The philosophical writings of Berkeley, Locke, Hume, Spinoza, Voltaire, Rousseau, and others supplemented the books of the scientists and promoted r
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CHAPTER X PHYSICAL SCIENCES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER X PHYSICAL SCIENCES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
During the nineteenth century, the path of scientific discovery might almost be represented by a vertical line. Never before was such rapid and marvelous progress made. The releasing of the mind from the oppressive restrictions of earlier conservative ages liberated the intellectual energies of mankind. A new idealistic philosophy supplanted that of an earlier period and universal attention was given to science and material things. Amidst these changes social science was devolved, and, with it,
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CHAPTER XI THE NATURAL SCIENCES
CHAPTER XI THE NATURAL SCIENCES
Manifestations of animal life are everywhere visible. They may be seen on mountain peaks, in desert plains, and by the seashores. Even the bleak arctic ice fields have their faunas. This extraordinary distribution of life has attracted attention since the dawn of history. Primitive man, by his often beautiful cave drawings, indicated that he studied intimately the wild life surrounding him. The basic facts of natural history were studied by the early peoples of the Near East. The Greeks prepared
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CHAPTER XII ORGANIC EVOLUTION, VARIATION, AND HEREDITY
CHAPTER XII ORGANIC EVOLUTION, VARIATION, AND HEREDITY
Science developed when primitive man began pondering over the problems of the creation. He sought the causes of life, of the development of life forms, and the authorship or origin of the uniformity and apparent design in nature. It is, therefore, probable that what we now study as the science of organic evolution is one of the oldest of the sciences. As the ages have rolled on, the origin of life has been explained in turn by theories of: (1) eternity of present conditions; (2) miraculous creat
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CHAPTER XIII CHEMICAL AND BOTANICAL THEORIES
CHAPTER XIII CHEMICAL AND BOTANICAL THEORIES
The World War served to demonstrate the degree of perfection which has been attained in chemistry. The wonderful high explosives used, the poisonous gases, the lubricating and motor oils and a multitude of valuable chemicals employed for military and naval purposes, many of which were developed at short notice, showed the modern chemist's command of his science. Yet chemistry is a new science. Practically it began with Robert Boyle, in England, in 1661. Boyle conducted experiments on the rarefac
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CHAPTER XIV GEOLOGY, METALLURGY, AND METEOROLOGY
CHAPTER XIV GEOLOGY, METALLURGY, AND METEOROLOGY
Geology is essentially a nineteenth century product. Fossils, minerals, rocks, and rock strata had attracted more or less attention from the earliest times. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had books dealing with such subjects, and Greek philosophers, like Aristotle, lectured upon them. But it was only in the last century that geology was placed upon a scientific basis and began to make progress. The reformation was begun by Cuvier's work on paleontology, the chemical and physical discoveries o
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CHAPTER XV MEDICINE AND PHARMACY
CHAPTER XV MEDICINE AND PHARMACY
Medicine was in a state of transition at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The great scientific discoveries of the eighteenth century had carried people away to such an extent that they showed a tendency to exaggerate their bearings upon medicine. The result was a wild diffusion of extravagant speculation and unsubstantial hypotheses. One of the leading physicians of the eighteenth century, who wielded broad influence throughout Europe, was Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738). His work, entitled
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CHAPTER XVI ELECTRICITY AND RADIOACTIVITIES
CHAPTER XVI ELECTRICITY AND RADIOACTIVITIES
Among the most marvelous scientific developments of the nineteenth century those in the electrical field claim universal attention. It was only as recently as 1844 that Morse introduced electric telegraphy. The telephone was introduced by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 and Edison built one of his early dynamos in 1878 and in 1879 made his first high resistance incandescent lamp for parallel operation. The first Edison power and lighting station was opened at 257 Pearl Street, New York City, in 18
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CHAPTER XVII SCIENCE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
CHAPTER XVII SCIENCE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
It is obvious that we are now in a great period of transition. Scientific discoveries came so quickly at the end of the last century that a recasting and readjusting of scientific conceptions had to be undertaken. This process was in progress when the World War began. The world-wide disturbance led to temporary scientific infertility except in such directions as served the purposes of war. But therein science became allied more closely than ever before with certain branches of industry, and the
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Revision Service Popular Science Library
Revision Service Popular Science Library
How To Send For It Between March 1, 1924 and May 1, 1924, and in the corresponding period of each succeeding year, fill out and mail to the Publishers, P. F. Collier & Son Company, 416 West Thirteenth Street, New York, the appropriate "Request Form." When Revision Sheets are received place them, in numerical order, in the looseleaf volume provided to hold them. A new title page and a new cumulative index will be supplied with each year's Revision Sheets. See "Request Forms" on succeeding
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