| Description | Present at the meeting: Sir Harold Hartley in the chair; Dr A C Crombie; Mr K R Gilbert; Professor A R Hall; Dr N Kurti; Mr F R Maddison; Dr C E Newman; Professor W D M Paton; Dr W P D Wightman; Dr T I Williams
Matters discussed;
1. Membership - new members introduced by Chairman, and given a brief account of the functions and activities of the Committee
2. Minutes of meeting of 27 October 1965 confirmed
3. Teaching of the History of Science and Technology
4. British Catalogue of Historic Scientific Instruments
5. Title of Committee - Council approved change to 'British National Committee for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology'
6. Report of 1966 Meeting of Council of History Division of IUHPS
7. XII International Congress of the History of Science, Paris August 1968
8. Joint Committee on Historical Manuscripts - Reported that, ' following a preliminary meeting held on 12 July 1966 at the house of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, at which the Royal Society was represented by Sir Harold Hartley, Professor E N da C Andrade, Dr N Kurti, and Dr D C Martin, a joint Committee of the Historical Manuscripts Commission and the Royal Society had been set up to review the present position regarding scientific and technological manuscripts of historical importance, with a view to making recommendations for action. The members of the joint committee are: Sir Harold Hartey, Professor E N da C Andrade, Dr N Kurti and Professor E D M Paton (representing the Royal Society) and Mr Roger Ellis, Ssir Robert Somerville and Dr C V Wedgwood (representing the Historical Manuscripts Commission). The Chairman reported on the first meeting of the joint committee, held on 17 January 1967, and suggested that, with the agreement of the Royal Society and the Historical Manuscripts Commission, the minutes of that meeting should be circulated for information to the members of the British National Commitee. There was considerable discussion as to the storage of such historical scientific manuscripts and access to them in a national collection. Mr Gilbert mentioned the rebuilding of the Science Museum Library which in 2 or 3 years time might become a repository for manuscripts of this kind as it would have much greater facilities for sorting and preserving manuscripts than it had at present.
9. Manuscripts relating to Botany and Zoology - the Committee noted the minutes of two meetings held on 23 March and 29 November 1966 at the house of the Historical Manuscripts Commission to consider action to be taken to make information available on manuscripts relating to botany and zoology [NH/3(66) and NH/4(67)]. It was noted that these meetings related to a national project, but it was understood that there was also international interest on similar lines in European countries. '
10. Colloquium on the Scientific Revolution in the 17th Century, Prague, 1967 - nine invitations sent to historians of science in the UK, and it was agreed ' that participants should look to their universities for travel grants in the first instance but applications received by the Royal Society would be referred to the Travelling Expenses Committee. '
11. Dictionary of American Biography
12. Article on the Preservation of Scientific Manuscripts and Records - the Chairman drew the attention of the Committee to an article by Professor ANdrade in 'Notes and Records' volume 21, no 2 (December 1966) on 'The Preservation of Scientific Manuscripts and Records' and said that he would ask Professor Andrade if he would let the Committee have offprints when available. |