Œuvres complètes de Christiaan Huygens by Christiaan HuygensReview by: George SartonIsis, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Nov., 1938), pp. 431-433Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/225493 .

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REVIEWS 431

termes scientifiques arabes crees par les memes medecins, et surtout par UIONAIN lui-meme, 1'auteur de ce petit pr6cis." (p. iI)

L'6dition est baste sur un Ms. appartenant au P. SBATH (acquis par lui a Alep en '933; date I671) mais it a tenu compte des 5 autres MSS deja connus. I1 a ajoute a la traduction fran9aise un glossaire des termes medicaux qui sera fort utile. G. S.

Christiaan Huygens (I629-95).--(Euvres complktes de CHRISTIMAN HUYGENS, publi6es par la Societe hollandaise des sciences. Tome dix-neuvieme, Mecanique theorique et physique de i666 a I69. HUYGENS a l'Academie royale des sciences. 688 p. La Haye, MARTINUS NIJHOFF, 1937.

The volumes of this admirable edition have been announced to our readers just as soon as we heard of the publication of each, and after the publication of vol. XVII we wrote a general account of vols. I to XVII, I888-1932 (Isis 2, 213-15). Vol XVIII (I934) was announced more briefly (Isis 25, 215). The recent publication of vol. XIX gives us a welcome opportunity of speaking again of the whole collection, which is not as well known as it deserves to be. This is probably due to the fact that when a government (or an institution) spends a large amount of money on such a monumental publication it wrongly believes that it has done enough, does little if anything to advertize it, and even grudges review copies to scholars! The Editor of Isis has not received a single volume, and this has caused not the suppression of the reviews, for he would not think of retaliating in that way, but their unavoidable delay, for instead of knowing of the publication of each volume just as soon as it came out, he only knew of it indirectly as luck would have it.

In my general account (Isis 21, 2I3-5), I described briefly the contents of each volume; I shall now explain the circumstances of their edition. A special committee for the publication of HUYGENS' works was appointed by the Dutch Society of sciences in i882. The most active members were DAVID BIERENS DE HAAN (i822-95) and JoHANNE

BOSSCHA (I83 1-19I ); the only surviving member is DIEDERIK JOHANNES KORTEWEG (born I848). The present editor, JOHAN ADRIAAN VOLLGRAFF

(b. in Haarlem in I877), was asked by KORTEWEG to join the commnittee in I9IO. From I9IO to I928 the committee never met, its work being organized by KORTEWEG who corresponded or discussed with each member, especially with the illustrious physicist, HENDRIK ANTOON

LORENTZ (I853-1928), who was the secretary of the Society sponsoring the undertaking. VOLLGRAFF had obtained his doctor's degree in mathe- matics and physics in Leiden 1903, his thesis being devoted to electro-

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432 ISIS, XXIX, 2

magnetic rotations and unipolar induction. He was taken into the committee because he was not only a very well trained mathematician and physicist, but also a good Latinist and French scholar (a combination of qualities which is becoming rarer every day). His first assignment was thus to translate various texts from Latin into French. He did so for the Dioptrica (vol. XIV, I920) and for manyoftheastronomrical writings (vol. XV, 1925). When vol. XVI was being prepared, KORTEWVEG resigned (I927) and asked Dr. VOLLGRAFF and Dr. EDUARD JAN DIJKSTERHUIS

(born i892) to replace him. However, when LoRENTz returned from America, he was appointed by the Society, as KORTEWEG'S successor, but as he had obviously no time for historical work he himself appointed VOLLGRAFF his secretary. Thus LoRsNz was the president of the committee and VOLLGRAFF, the secretary and the effective editor (i).

At about that time (December 1927) the Director of the Leiden University Library ordered the return to his library of the HUYGENS'

MSS. (2) which had been loaned to KORTEWEG in Haarlem, and thus VOLLGRAFF who was then living in Middelburg was obliged to spend three days of each week in Leiden for the HUYGENS work.

The edition of vol. XVI (1929), begun by KORTEWEG, was completed by VOLLGRAFF and DIJKsTERHuIs. Vol. XVII (1932), VOl. XVIII (I934), and the present vol. XIX (I937) have been edited by VOLLGRAFF, who has done his task with the utmost skill and faithfulness.

Let us now say a few words of the new volume. A complete analysis of it is obviously out of the question, for it deals with a number of important topics each of which would deserve an elaborate study. I must restrict myself to a bare indication of the main contents. These are defined in the title " Theoretical and physical mechanics from i666 to I695 (i.e., from aet. 37 to 66, when HUYGENS died). HUYGENS at the Parisian Academy of science." This is divided as follows. Statics; dynamnics; airpump; programs of research in astronomy and physics; meteorology; properties of matter; sound, light, ether (matiere subtile, I667), magnetism, electricity, gravitation. Each of these sections is introduced by an editorial " avertissement " bringing out the main

(i) After LoR-n'z' death (1928), the Dutch Society appointed in his stead ARNOLD FREDERIK HOLLEMAN (b. I859), who is still president, with VOLLGRAFF as secretary. HOLLEMAN was a very distinguished professor of organic chemistry, without special interest in the history of science. LoRENTz' appointment was defensible, for LoRWN'z was a man of genius whose curiosity was universal, a man who could interest himself deeply in HUYGENS' achievements and could understand and appreciate them even if he had no time for investigations. HOLLEMAN's appointement on the other hand was indefensible, just the kind of stupidity and injustice perpetrated in that very form all over the world.

(2) HUYGENS had bequeathed them to that library.

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REVIEWS 433

points. The proper way of using this work is to read the " avertisse- ments " first, then refer to the original texts as far as needed. Con- sultation of it is greatly facilitated by an elaborate index of persons and institutions, of books quoted, and of subjects (e.g., capillarite, elasticite, ether, fluxions, horloges, vitesse de la lumiere). Thanks to these excellent indices the HUYGENS Opera ccnstitute a working tool of the very first order, which the student of seventeenth century science should always keep at his elbow.

To conclude, I feel it my duty to add this. This edition of HUYGENS' works is admirable. It does credit to the Hollandsche Maat- schappij which is thus giving to the world the best example of intelligent patriotism. As the fame of a nation depends very largely on its famous nen-and especially its men of science and men of letters-there is no finer way of exalting one's fatherland than by raising monuments to its illustrious'children, and there can be no greater monument than the complete and faithful publication of their achievements. However, anonymous editorship is all wrong. The editor's task is a very difficult one, full of pitfalls; it is also highly individual. We wish to be able to place the praise and blame where it belongs. The anonymous arrangement is unfair, for the committee receive undeserved credit for the editor's work, while if his work were blamed, they would quickly denounce him. Let the responsible editor, not the irresponsible com- mittee, receive his reward. In this particular case it must be a great reward, for Dr. VOLLGRAFF ha built for the Netherlands, for HUYGENS,

for the Hollandsche Maatschappij, and for himself, a monument aere perennius.

GEORGE SARTON.

Eugene Fairfield MacPike.-Hevelius, Flamsteed and Halley. Three contemporary astronomers and their mutual relations. x + 140 PP., ill.; London, TAYLOR and FRANCIS, Ltd., 1937; 12 S. 6 d. net.

Nous devions deja a M. MACPIKE: Correspondence and papers of Edmond Halley (1932; Isis, 20, 470-472), int6ressant recueil de documents pour servir a l'histoire du plus sympathique peut-etre des savants anglais du XVIIe siecle. Son nouvel ouvrage est d'une valeur moindre, et constitue tout au plus un modeste supplement au livre paru en 1932.

Les trois premiers chapitres sont de breves esquisses consacrees respectivement a HEVELIUS (i6i I-I687), FLAMSTEED (I646-17I9) et HALLEY (I656( ?)-1741/z). Un dernier chapitre etudie les relations mutuelles de ces savants; base sur des documents parfois inedits, c'est la seule partie du livre presentant quelque originalite. Des documents figurant dans les appendices, seule une lettre de la femme d'HEVELIus

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