Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

Scientific Thought: In Context, edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 3 vols. 1,394p. Farmington Hills: Gale, 2008. 978–1–4144–0298–7; 2007–51972. $385.

While young students frequently display a mastery of a wide range of scientific concepts, they are often unfamiliar with the long process by which scientists have come to such understandings. This guide to the history of science introduces students to the historical development of 124 scientific disciplines or ideas. The articles are arranged topically into broad subject areas, including astronomy, biology, health and medicine, computer science, chemistry, physics, mathematics and scientific practice. Each entry defines the concept, explores the fundamental theories involved and highlights the contributions of notable philosophers and scientists. Connections are made to current applications and research. Topics include black holes, the telescope, the human genome, vaccines, chaos theory, the periodic chart, navigation, lasers and the scientific method. Frequent sidebars place inventions, issues and individuals in the context of their contribution to the advancement of human knowledge. Word lists explain related vocabulary. Selected primary sources provide additional perspectives. Every entry provides numerous suggestions for further research. Each volume includes a general glossary of more than 900 concepts. The third volume also contains an extensive chronology of milestones in the history of science. The chronology contains more than 4,500 entries, but unfortunately is not covered by the index. Arranging the general bibliography by subject also would have been more helpful. Nonetheless, this guide provides excellent historical background on many subjects that students will encounter in their middle and high school curricula.