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Darwinism defended
volume is that it is often dated. Several chapters seem to have been written in 1975. While the editors have served readers well by keeping the book relatively free of typographical errors, despite the camera-ready type-face, by maintaining common standards and by avoiding extravagant claims, it appears to have been over-long in production. This is particularly noticeable in the atomic spectroscopy chapter, where the sections on graphite furnace atomization and the inductively coupled plasma are of only historical value. More diagrams and applications tables would have been helpful. Workers in the field will benefit from some chapters, such as those on x-ray fluorescence and pulse polarography, but may find the choice of methods reviewed a little arbitary. L. Ebdon Datwinism Defended. By Michael Ruse. Pp. 356. Addison-Wesley, London. 1982. Paperback f6.95. Defended offers a vigorous polemic directed against the benighted obscurantism of ‘Creation Scientists’. Ruse provides an extremely readable account of the intricacies of evolutionary theory, with a wealth of examples drawn from recent research literature, and also classical texts such as those of Darwin himself. Attention is given to divergent positions within the evolutionists’ camp, with Ruse favouring the ‘balance’ theory as an important component of Neo-Darwinian doctrine. He still clings precariously to the fence on the sociobiology controversy, but has, by now, virtually committed himself to the sociobiologists’ position. The book will be of considerable value to readers seeking to understand the current evolutionary debates, and, with its broad historical and philosophical perspectives, the account is much more illuminating than that which one finds in standard texts.
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The arguments of the Creationists themselves are also presented-and effectively demolished. Ruse argues cogently why their bizarre opinions should not find a place within biological curriculums. In all, his book provides a useful counterbalance to the politically-motivated efforts of the Creationists. It may seem that the author has used a sledgehammer to crack nuts, but as an outcome we have a lucid and entertaining general exposition of the main features of contemporary evolutionary theory. So the Creationists’ antics have generated something of value! David Oldroyd A Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, 3rd Edition. Edited by Trevor 1. Williams. Pp. 674. A. & C. Black, London. 1982. f 15.00.
This work, which first appeared in 1969, is the brainchild of Trevor Williams who has been associated with Endeavour for many years, and who was one of the editors of the massive A History of Technology published by Oxford University Press. Science, medicine, technology, and mathematics are covered as well as can be expected in a single volume. The 1100 biographies in this expanded edition were produced by 64 contributors following clear guidelines. Any editor involved in this kind of endeavour knows that he cannot satisfy everybody, especially not the experts with a tendency to complain about inadequate coverage of their own narrow area of preoccupation. The first criterion was that the scientists had to be dead; this prevents a backlash from those still living. Many wellknown historical figures are paraded, before our eyes, and also a few intriguing ones. Achievements of the more modern scientists that merited inclusion were the Nobel Prize and/or a Fellowship of the Royal Society. Obviously, this volume has nothing like
the scope of the Dictionary of Scientific but one can hardly carry its 16 volumes in one’s pocket. It is less eccentric than Asimov’s Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (1964) and hence less fun to read, but its biographies are lucid and workmanlike. Biography,
W. D. Hackmann
No Sea Too Deep. The History of Oceanographic Initruments. By Anita McConnell. Pp, xii-+ 762. Adam Hilger, Bristol. 1982. f 79.50,
In this book the author gives a very readable and well researched account of the development of instruments for investigating the deep sea from the late 17th century, when even the depth of the oceans was a matter of speculation, to the early 1900s. The instruments described fall into four main categories. Firstly, those for measuring the depth of the ocean, often combined with obtaining a sample of the sea bed. Secondly, comes the measurement of deep-sea temperatures and thirdly the taking of water samples at selected depths. Fourthly, and much later, came the current-meter. In the first three categories, instruments had been devised and tried at sea, often with little success, by the end of the 17th century and developments continued throughout the next 200 years. It is a story of dogged persistence in battling against a hostile environment, as well as of ingenuity in design. The author brings out the influence of political and commercial interests in stimulating improvements in technique. In the mid-19th century a reliable knowledge of the sea bed was urgently required for laying submarine telegraph cables, while earlier the Arctic expeditions, seeking a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, had provided the stimulus. K. F. Bowden
Darwintim
52
The arguments of the Creationists themselves are also presented-and effectively demolished. Ruse argues cogently why their bizarre opinions should not find a place within biological curriculums. In all, his book provides a useful counterbalance to the politically-motivated efforts of the Creationists. It may seem that the author has used a sledgehammer to crack nuts, but as an outcome we have a lucid and entertaining general exposition of the main features of contemporary evolutionary theory. So the Creationists’ antics have generated something of value! David Oldroyd A Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, 3rd Edition. Edited by Trevor 1. Williams. Pp. 674. A. & C. Black, London. 1982. f 15.00.
This work, which first appeared in 1969, is the brainchild of Trevor Williams who has been associated with Endeavour for many years, and who was one of the editors of the massive A History of Technology published by Oxford University Press. Science, medicine, technology, and mathematics are covered as well as can be expected in a single volume. The 1100 biographies in this expanded edition were produced by 64 contributors following clear guidelines. Any editor involved in this kind of endeavour knows that he cannot satisfy everybody, especially not the experts with a tendency to complain about inadequate coverage of their own narrow area of preoccupation. The first criterion was that the scientists had to be dead; this prevents a backlash from those still living. Many wellknown historical figures are paraded, before our eyes, and also a few intriguing ones. Achievements of the more modern scientists that merited inclusion were the Nobel Prize and/or a Fellowship of the Royal Society. Obviously, this volume has nothing like
the scope of the Dictionary of Scientific but one can hardly carry its 16 volumes in one’s pocket. It is less eccentric than Asimov’s Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (1964) and hence less fun to read, but its biographies are lucid and workmanlike. Biography,
W. D. Hackmann
No Sea Too Deep. The History of Oceanographic Initruments. By Anita McConnell. Pp, xii-+ 762. Adam Hilger, Bristol. 1982. f 79.50,
In this book the author gives a very readable and well researched account of the development of instruments for investigating the deep sea from the late 17th century, when even the depth of the oceans was a matter of speculation, to the early 1900s. The instruments described fall into four main categories. Firstly, those for measuring the depth of the ocean, often combined with obtaining a sample of the sea bed. Secondly, comes the measurement of deep-sea temperatures and thirdly the taking of water samples at selected depths. Fourthly, and much later, came the current-meter. In the first three categories, instruments had been devised and tried at sea, often with little success, by the end of the 17th century and developments continued throughout the next 200 years. It is a story of dogged persistence in battling against a hostile environment, as well as of ingenuity in design. The author brings out the influence of political and commercial interests in stimulating improvements in technique. In the mid-19th century a reliable knowledge of the sea bed was urgently required for laying submarine telegraph cables, while earlier the Arctic expeditions, seeking a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, had provided the stimulus. K. F. Bowden