Essay on Classification by Louis Agassiz; Edward LurieReview by: William ColemanIsis, Vol. 54, No. 4 (Dec., 1963), pp. 511-512Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/228173 .

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BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS

is full and impressive; on others (e. g., the Covel letters) it is disappointingly meager.

I express the criticisms above with some regret, and I do so only if I may add that in my estimation they merely indicate the inevitable defects in a great and successful enterprise. They cannot, I trust, be mistaken for a con- demnation of the whole. Anyone who is interested in Newton knows of the inestimable contribution made by the volumes published so far, a contribu- tion that leaves us permanently in the editor's debt. Professor Turnbull died before Volume 3 appeared, though not before he had completed its prepara- tion. Together with the first two vol- umes it constitutes his final monument. We shall all be fortunate to leave equal ones behind us.

RICHARD S. WESTFALL Indiana University

* * *

Louis AGASSIZ. Essay on Classification. Edited by Edward Lurie. xxxiv + 268 pp. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1962. $5.00.

Agassiz's sojourn in the United States was notable for an active and successful propagandism favoring the serious study in the new nation of na- tural history, and it was also conspicu- ous for the relative emptiness of his own scientific production. Agassiz, the editor notes (xvii), sensed his failings and set about to correct this dispropor- tion. His Contributions to the natural history of the United States, to which the present " Essay " serves as introduc- tion, began to appear in 1857.

The "Essay" was first printed sep- arately in 1859 in London. This text, which "incorporated both additions and corrections" to the 1857 American edition, is the basis of the present re- issue. The editor has contributed an introduction discussing the develop- ment of the treatise and evaluating its scientific relevance and place in pre- Darwinian thought. Professor Lurie has also briefly annotated the text of the " Essay."

The "Essay" is a fascinating docu-

is full and impressive; on others (e. g., the Covel letters) it is disappointingly meager.

I express the criticisms above with some regret, and I do so only if I may add that in my estimation they merely indicate the inevitable defects in a great and successful enterprise. They cannot, I trust, be mistaken for a con- demnation of the whole. Anyone who is interested in Newton knows of the inestimable contribution made by the volumes published so far, a contribu- tion that leaves us permanently in the editor's debt. Professor Turnbull died before Volume 3 appeared, though not before he had completed its prepara- tion. Together with the first two vol- umes it constitutes his final monument. We shall all be fortunate to leave equal ones behind us.

RICHARD S. WESTFALL Indiana University

* * *

Louis AGASSIZ. Essay on Classification. Edited by Edward Lurie. xxxiv + 268 pp. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1962. $5.00.

Agassiz's sojourn in the United States was notable for an active and successful propagandism favoring the serious study in the new nation of na- tural history, and it was also conspicu- ous for the relative emptiness of his own scientific production. Agassiz, the editor notes (xvii), sensed his failings and set about to correct this dispropor- tion. His Contributions to the natural history of the United States, to which the present " Essay " serves as introduc- tion, began to appear in 1857.

The "Essay" was first printed sep- arately in 1859 in London. This text, which "incorporated both additions and corrections" to the 1857 American edition, is the basis of the present re- issue. The editor has contributed an introduction discussing the develop- ment of the treatise and evaluating its scientific relevance and place in pre- Darwinian thought. Professor Lurie has also briefly annotated the text of the " Essay."

The "Essay" is a fascinating docu-

ment in the history of ideas. It repre- sents a curious melange of ideas on classification and on natural history in general which had come to and matured in the mind of Agassiz during his early studies in Switzerland, Germany, and France. If in many of his specifically zoological views he reflects with various degrees of distortion the ideas of his self-appointed mentor, Cuvier, the same is not true of his philosophical inclina- tions. Here the debt lies more with German idealism as expressed in the Naturphilosophie and in Agassiz's own conspicuous piety. These early notions provided the "mental furniture" of Agassiz's subsequent intellectual career and it is, I believe, no great compli- ment to congratulate this opponent of the fashionable new idea of evolution merely because, in 1860, he was still "consistent" with the attitudes he re- flected in 1830 (xxiv). One index of the creative or original mind must al- ways be its flexibility.

Flexibility of mind was not one of Agassiz's virtues. There is no intention to denigrate his very great contribu- tions to geology and paleontology, even to natural history, when one reflects that the presumed novelty of the "Essay" is almost wholly derivative. The work is an eclectic piece in the best tradition. Agassiz, the editor em- phasizes (xxxiv), wanted to show that " classical biology rested on firm tradi- tional foundations." Agassiz states ex- plicitly and examines in considerable detail the innumerable problems which faced the morphological and classifica- tory divisions of the science, problems of embryological recapitulation, of the proper division of the animal kingdom, of the mutability or immutability of the species. As a source for the his- torical study of these ideas, as well as for the study of Agassiz himself, the " Essay " should serve as a fundamental text.

Unfortunately, the present reissue of the "Essay" will not, in my opinion, serve this purpose successfully. Omitted from this edition is the great bulk of the documentation which Agassiz had collected and which makes the earlier editions of the treatise a treasure-trove for the historian. For example, no one

ment in the history of ideas. It repre- sents a curious melange of ideas on classification and on natural history in general which had come to and matured in the mind of Agassiz during his early studies in Switzerland, Germany, and France. If in many of his specifically zoological views he reflects with various degrees of distortion the ideas of his self-appointed mentor, Cuvier, the same is not true of his philosophical inclina- tions. Here the debt lies more with German idealism as expressed in the Naturphilosophie and in Agassiz's own conspicuous piety. These early notions provided the "mental furniture" of Agassiz's subsequent intellectual career and it is, I believe, no great compli- ment to congratulate this opponent of the fashionable new idea of evolution merely because, in 1860, he was still "consistent" with the attitudes he re- flected in 1830 (xxiv). One index of the creative or original mind must al- ways be its flexibility.

Flexibility of mind was not one of Agassiz's virtues. There is no intention to denigrate his very great contribu- tions to geology and paleontology, even to natural history, when one reflects that the presumed novelty of the "Essay" is almost wholly derivative. The work is an eclectic piece in the best tradition. Agassiz, the editor em- phasizes (xxxiv), wanted to show that " classical biology rested on firm tradi- tional foundations." Agassiz states ex- plicitly and examines in considerable detail the innumerable problems which faced the morphological and classifica- tory divisions of the science, problems of embryological recapitulation, of the proper division of the animal kingdom, of the mutability or immutability of the species. As a source for the his- torical study of these ideas, as well as for the study of Agassiz himself, the " Essay " should serve as a fundamental text.

Unfortunately, the present reissue of the "Essay" will not, in my opinion, serve this purpose successfully. Omitted from this edition is the great bulk of the documentation which Agassiz had collected and which makes the earlier editions of the treatise a treasure-trove for the historian. For example, no one

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 21:11:20 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS

knew better than Agassiz did the vast literature of early nineteenth-century embryology. This was one of his specialties and Section XVIII of Chap- ter I, "Metamorphoses of animals," contains, in the original edition, liter- ally dozens of references of prime value to the historian of the subject; the new edition, I would estimate, prints fewer than ten per cent of these. This policy of omission has been followed through- out the reissue. Agassiz's own substan- tial notes, plus a number of other ref- erences, have fortunately been retained, yet it is disappointing to examine this lost opportunity. There is absolutely no consolation in being directed to the Agassiz-Strickland-Jardine Biblio- graphia Zoologiae et Geologiae. This work, published shortly before the "Essay," is arranged alphabetically. The original "Essay," by contrast, is really a profusely documented com- mentary and is arranged topically.

The index of the reissue is much im- proved over that of the London edition. New entries have been added and the older ones expanded and made more explicit. The volume is handsomely produced and as such is far more read- able than the original.

WILLIAM COLEMAN

The Johns Hopkins University

ALBERT B. COSTA. Michel Eugene Chev- reul: Pioneer of Organic Chemistry. 116 pp., illus., bibl., index. Madison: The State Historical Society of Wiscon- sin for the Department of History, Uni- versity of Wisconsin, 1962. $3.50.

Albert Costa's little book should go a long way towards rectifying the lack of information on, and appreciation of, Chevreul (1786-1889). This great chem- ist was born three years before the French Revolution and died eleven years before the twentieth century, hav- ing spent his life in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

The book is divided into five chap- ters, the first of which, " Chevreul the Man" (pages 1-19), traces the life of Chevreul including his work and asso- ciation with such great chemists as Proust, Vauquelin, Fourcroy, Gay-

knew better than Agassiz did the vast literature of early nineteenth-century embryology. This was one of his specialties and Section XVIII of Chap- ter I, "Metamorphoses of animals," contains, in the original edition, liter- ally dozens of references of prime value to the historian of the subject; the new edition, I would estimate, prints fewer than ten per cent of these. This policy of omission has been followed through- out the reissue. Agassiz's own substan- tial notes, plus a number of other ref- erences, have fortunately been retained, yet it is disappointing to examine this lost opportunity. There is absolutely no consolation in being directed to the Agassiz-Strickland-Jardine Biblio- graphia Zoologiae et Geologiae. This work, published shortly before the "Essay," is arranged alphabetically. The original "Essay," by contrast, is really a profusely documented com- mentary and is arranged topically.

The index of the reissue is much im- proved over that of the London edition. New entries have been added and the older ones expanded and made more explicit. The volume is handsomely produced and as such is far more read- able than the original.

WILLIAM COLEMAN

The Johns Hopkins University

ALBERT B. COSTA. Michel Eugene Chev- reul: Pioneer of Organic Chemistry. 116 pp., illus., bibl., index. Madison: The State Historical Society of Wiscon- sin for the Department of History, Uni- versity of Wisconsin, 1962. $3.50.

Albert Costa's little book should go a long way towards rectifying the lack of information on, and appreciation of, Chevreul (1786-1889). This great chem- ist was born three years before the French Revolution and died eleven years before the twentieth century, hav- ing spent his life in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

The book is divided into five chap- ters, the first of which, " Chevreul the Man" (pages 1-19), traces the life of Chevreul including his work and asso- ciation with such great chemists as Proust, Vauquelin, Fourcroy, Gay-

Lussac, Thenard, Dumas, and Bernard. Chevreul was indeed fortunate, for dur- ing his extraordinarily long life he saw organic chemistry develop from the rudimentary and primitive state it was in before the great works of Dalton, Berzelius, and W6hler, to a compara- tively well-organized science at the end of the last century. In addition to his researches on fatty materials, organic analysis, and dyeing at the famous Gobelins tapestry works, Chevreul was greatly interested in, and published on, the following subjects: magic, astrology, archaeology, philosophy and history of science and medicine, education, hy- giene, mineralogy, horticulture, agron- omy, alchemy, psychology, and several other topics. Thus he was very far from being the narrow specialist so charac- teristic of the modern scientist.

The second chapter (pages 20-38), "The Development of Organic Chem- istry to 1825," gives a good, but brief, synopsis of the subject as it was when Chevreul commenced his classic work on fatty substances. In the third and fourth chapters, " Fats, Oils, and Soaps " (pages 39-46), and " Chevreul and the Chemistry of Fats" (pages 47-63), re- spectively, we have a detailed account of Chevreul's great researches on the composition of fats and oils, and on the process of saponification. This work resulted in the publication of two of Chevreul's classic books: Recherches chimiques sur les corps gras, 1823, and Considerations generales sur l'analyses organique, 1824.

In Chapter 5 (pages 64-88), "Chev- reul's Influence," we see from his con- temporaries that his work was well ap- preciated. Berzelius cited Chevreul's work on fats as a model which young research chemists should emulate. Ger- hardt described Chevreul's researches as "beautiful," and Kopp pronounced them a "masterpiece." The great Lie- big himself maintained that Chevreul's work "was the starting point of all subsequent research (on) . . . organic materials." Like Chapter 2, this chapter recounts the history of organic chem- istry from about 1825 until the end of Chevreul's life, showing the ramifica- tions of his work in the development of an ever-increasingly complex subject.

Lussac, Thenard, Dumas, and Bernard. Chevreul was indeed fortunate, for dur- ing his extraordinarily long life he saw organic chemistry develop from the rudimentary and primitive state it was in before the great works of Dalton, Berzelius, and W6hler, to a compara- tively well-organized science at the end of the last century. In addition to his researches on fatty materials, organic analysis, and dyeing at the famous Gobelins tapestry works, Chevreul was greatly interested in, and published on, the following subjects: magic, astrology, archaeology, philosophy and history of science and medicine, education, hy- giene, mineralogy, horticulture, agron- omy, alchemy, psychology, and several other topics. Thus he was very far from being the narrow specialist so charac- teristic of the modern scientist.

The second chapter (pages 20-38), "The Development of Organic Chem- istry to 1825," gives a good, but brief, synopsis of the subject as it was when Chevreul commenced his classic work on fatty substances. In the third and fourth chapters, " Fats, Oils, and Soaps " (pages 39-46), and " Chevreul and the Chemistry of Fats" (pages 47-63), re- spectively, we have a detailed account of Chevreul's great researches on the composition of fats and oils, and on the process of saponification. This work resulted in the publication of two of Chevreul's classic books: Recherches chimiques sur les corps gras, 1823, and Considerations generales sur l'analyses organique, 1824.

In Chapter 5 (pages 64-88), "Chev- reul's Influence," we see from his con- temporaries that his work was well ap- preciated. Berzelius cited Chevreul's work on fats as a model which young research chemists should emulate. Ger- hardt described Chevreul's researches as "beautiful," and Kopp pronounced them a "masterpiece." The great Lie- big himself maintained that Chevreul's work "was the starting point of all subsequent research (on) . . . organic materials." Like Chapter 2, this chapter recounts the history of organic chem- istry from about 1825 until the end of Chevreul's life, showing the ramifica- tions of his work in the development of an ever-increasingly complex subject.

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