Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
try
(1924-5) was widely distributed, with a print run of 10,000 copies
(Howe 1924-5, front apparatus). One of the most prolific popularizers of
the period was Williams Haynes, who published many chemical titles,
including
Chemical Economics
(1933),
Our Chemical Heritage
(1935),
Men, Money and Molecules
(1936) and
Chemical Pioneers: The Foun-
ders of the American Chemical Industry
(1939).
2.
The American Context and the Origin of the Text
The issue facing science popularizers was how to make the public
understand the importance of a topic that was not recognized as a part of
daily life. Although there had been a number of notable Americans such
as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson interested in science, it was
not a subject that had garnered wide public interest. There were several
reasons for the lack of interest. Until World War I, science education in
America was not very advanced at any level, and the number of scientists
in the population was quite small. American competition in international
trade was relatively limited, focusing mostly on raw materials, as were
the demands to meet or surpass the technical standards of countries like
Germany, England, and France. The majority of scientists in the U.S.
working before the war were either foreign born or trained for their
higher degrees at European universities (Thackray
et al
. 1985). Although
the United States was slowly rising in scientific and industrial power
before the war, there was an explosion of growth because of the war.
While certain aspects of science might be seen a dangerous, after the
war it was clear that a strong scientific community was increasingly
desirable.
It is against this mixed image of chemistry that Morrison's book must
be read. The genesis of
Man in a Chemical World
started with one of the
most significant attempts to promote and 'Americanize' chemistry under-
taken by the American Chemical Society (ACS). For the 1935 confer-
ence, the ACS chose as their theme the tercentenary of chemical indus-
tries in America. (Morrison 1937, p. x) This offered an excellent plat-
form to promote chemistry as an important American industry. The
official poster (Figure 1) for the tercentenary showed a native in loin-
