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Department of History Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana
Marcel Dekker, Inc. New YorkBaselHong Kong
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Magner, Lois N. A history of the life sciences / Lois N. Magner. -- 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8247-8942-3 (acid-free paper) 1. Life sciences--History. 2. Biology--History. I. Title. QH305.M22 1993 574.09--dc2093-34946 CIP
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 1994 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Marcel Dekker, Inc. 270 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
This new and expanded edition of Lois Magner's A History of the Life Sciences is a brilliant and welcome addition to the much neglected field of the history of the life sciences. Of particular importance is the author's success in carrying the story from the beginning of human civilization through the intellectual concepts of the early Mediterranean civilizations and into the present era of molecular biology.
Dr. Magner has neatly woven the thread of biological history from the early knowledge of hunters, butchers, cooks, herdsmen, and primitive farmers on to the more philosophical cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. She skillfully shows how the philosopher's search for eternal knowledge drew upon the common people's basic, practical knowledge useful for everyday life.
The author moves rapidly from the understanding of the early major civilizations through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution, where biologywith some additional input, mostly negative, from natural magic and alchemybegins to have a profound impact on both art and anatomy.
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries show the growth of scientific academies and the profound improvement and use of instrumentsthe primitive microscopes, thermometers, barometers, and the analytical balance, in
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particular. Indeed, Chapter 3 and 4 are particularly useful in tracing the evolution of effective science in all areas of intellectual progress. Although the scientific community was still very small, the growth of scientific communication and the improvement of instrumentation in the period stimulated the study of a large variety of scientific problems.
The text smoothly shifts in the last six chapters to an analysis of biological problems involving cell theory, physiology, microbiology, evolution, genetics, and molecular biology. These chapters reflect a conversion from a generalist treatment to a specific study of the special segments of understanding of life in its most special rudiments. The author has been highly successful in her transition from the generalist view of the past to the specialist view of the present.
AARON J. IHDE EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AND HISTORY OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSINMADISON
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Preface
Given the remarkable advances in the life sciences and the explosive growth of studies in the history of science that have occurred since the first edition was written, it is virtually impossible to imagine squeezing even a bare outline of new information into a single volume. My primary purpose in writing this book has been to provide an updated introduction to a vast, complex, and fascinating story that can be used in a one-semester introductory course. I hope that this new edition will also be of interest to the general reader, and to teachers who are trying to bring more science or history into their own courses. Primarily, I have tried to call attention to the main themes of biologythe continuity and conflicts of theories and methodologies, the interactions between various disciplines, the diverse attitudes and ideologies with which scientists have approached the phenomena of life, and the interplay between science and society. Thus, this book emphasizes questions, puzzles, and conflicts that seem to reveal and reflect the fundamental themes at the core of the life sciences; it also examines some problems and individuals more closely than others in a way that may not accord with prevailing standards.
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