The Scientific Temper: An Anthology of Stories on Matters
of Science
by Anthony R. Michaelis
Universitatsverlag C. Winter
Heidelberg, Germany, 2001.
598 pp., illus.
ISBN: 3-8253-1229-1.
Science biography
Reviewed by David Topper
The University of Winnipeg.
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9 Canada.
David.Topper@ds1.uwinnipeg.ca
There are some books, usually written by those who have achieved marks
of distinction in their lives, that are primarily meant to be read by
members of the author's family and kept for posterity. Darwin's short
autobiography was originally written to that end, although historians
of science have been scouring it (especially the unabridged copy) ever
since it was released to the general public. The book under review is
of this genre. Anthony R. Michaelis had a distinguished career as a
chemist and especially as editor of the British Science magazine Discovery,
as a founding editor of the Interdisciplinary Science Review, and as
the science correspondent for the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
It was a life immersed in science: after early research in chemistry,
he was involved in producing science films, but the core of his life
in science centered on his work for the magazine, journal, and newspaper.
For example, he wrote daily reports on science and technology for the
Telegraph and spent 20 years editing the Review.
The format of the book is singular, if not peculiar. Each page constitutes
a self-contained essay; only a few times do they continue across the
next page or two. The result is a series of rather short stories or
anecdotes from Michaelis's life. Tales of numerous trips around the
world: to Cape Kennedy (Canaveral), Australia, India, Antarctica, and
so forth - sometime with more detail than probably necessary (such as
who paid for the flights). Information about the gentlemen's club in
London to which he belongs. Anecdotes on the cars he has owned. An hourly
chronicle on the day of his 50th birthday. Hence my first sentence of
this review.
This is not to deny that some of the stories are quite informative and
interesting, especially his impressions of some famous scientists. Nevertheless
a good editor could have helped in highlighting some of the gems in
this rather long work. I would add one more thing: the title should
have been more specific. There is no way the potential reader could
be aware of the idiosyncratic nature of this book. One word added to
the subtitle would suffice: "An Anthology of Personal Stories on
Matters of Science."