The Journal of Morphology as window and mirror: reflections and glimpses on the birth of American biology.
The centennial of the Journal of Morphology provides a fitting occasion to reflect upon the condition of American biology surrounding the founding years of the Journal. The Journal was started by C.O. Whitman in 1887. At this same time, the American biological community experienced a gradual change from a community of amateurs based within the natural history tradition to a professional community based within universities with specialized research programs. Many of the changes associated with this maturation process are exhibited in the pages of the first ten volumes of the Journal. They show that the Journal played a central role in communicating research methods and questions to the growing community of professional biologists. Moreover, these same volumes provide an accurate record of the character of the morphological sciences at the end of the 19th century.
Benson
K R
KR
Department of Medical History and Ethics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history*; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States