The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-28
Science
by DAVID DIETZ=
Scripps-Howard Science Editor

Scripps-Howard Science Editor
PROFESSOR PHILIP LENARD.
l. himself a great man Of science,
has written a history of scientific
progress titled Great Men of Sci
ence" First published in German.
then translated for an edition in
Great Britain it is now offered to
the American public.
Professor Lenard begins with
PythagoraS of SamoS. who lived
about 500 B. c.. and carries his story
into the twertieth century.
Arbitrarily, ne decided to end his
story with the time of the World
war. discussing no scientist who did
not die prior to the war years. To
this rule. he made two exceptions,
Crookes and Van der WaalS. These
two lived to extremely old age, their
lives ending after the war. but they
were contemporaries of savantS
whose life spans fell within the cho-
sen period.
Professor Lenard has Just cele-
brated his Seventy-first birthday.
His book, therefore, represents the
reflections upon science of a man.
who has devoted his life to the
prosecution OF science.
1t is a book written by man who
understands the spirit 5, of science,
| the joyS of creative effort, the trials
and tribulationS Of a scientific
career, the bitterness of struggle,
and the sweetness of success.
1t is the book of man who
understands the scientific mind, for
in ways Of thought he is one with
the great ones he describes.
Until his retirement, Professor
- Lenard was professor of ply
sizes and director of the Pathological
Institute in the University of Hell
deIberg. He has been the recipient
of many horTors, including the Nobel
prize. the Rumford medal of the
Royal Society of London and the
Franklin medal of the Franklin In
Stitute of Philadelphia.
! He was a student of Heinrich
| Hertz. one of the men he discusses
in Great Men of Science" Herr
Hertz, it will be recalled, was the
discoverer of Hertzian waves. We
still use them a lot today. only We
call them radio waves nowl
Professor E N. Andrade of the
University of London, who in his
turn was a student of Professor
Lenard, contributes an introduction
to the English edition of the book
From it one learns that Professor
Lenard was always interested in the
history of science.
1T is now more than twenty years
since 1 worked as a research student
in his laboratory" Professor An
drade writes of Professor Lenard.
Thine has dulled many memories,
but the recollection Of his inspiring
and wholehearted devotion to the
service of science. of his generous
enthusiasm for the work of men
Of genius, living and dead. and of
his wonderful experimental skill and
resource, still is bright"
PROFESSOR LENARD has chosen
l. sixty-five scientists for discussion
in his Great Men of Science" Some
Of them are names you will recog-
nize, others are the names of scien-
lists whom Professor Lenard thinks
time has dealt with unkindly, hold
ing back the measure of fame which
they deserved.
He deals briefly with the ancients,
discussing only Pythagoras, Euclid,
Archimedes and Hipparchus. From
them, he leaps to Leonardo Da
Vinci, who was great scientist and
engineer as well as a great artist.
Then he goes to Nicolaus Coperni-
Gus, the publication of whose trea-
tise on the solar system in 1543 may
be regarded as the beginnings of
modern science.
A biologist might be inclined to
quarrel with Professor Lenards Sc
lections, not on the grounds of the
men he has included, but on the
grounds of the men he has omitted.
1t is evident that Professor Lenard,
himself physicist, thinks of science
chiefly in terms of the physical
sciences.
But no one should be disposed to
quarrel with him on that score. It
merely means that he has confined
his book to the side of science which
he knows best.
The book is extremely well illus
trated with siXty-two portraits. Len
ard. who believes that the great sci
entists all possessed great spiritual
qualities, urges the reader to study
these portraits. There is spiritual
profit" in such an examination. he
says.
The book is published by Macmil-
Ian at So.
To q MOCOr;+O