John Maxson Stillman
Encyclopedia
John Maxson Stillman was a pioneer of the history of science
in the United States. He was also the first head of the chemistry
department at Stanford University
, as well as its first Chemistry Professor. His most enduring work was the posthumously published book The Story of Early Chemistry, decades later republished as The Story of Alchemy and Early Chemistry.
(1874), and then for two years abroad at University of Strasbourg
and University of Würzburg
. On his return, after teaching at the University of California (1876-1882), and working for the American Sugar Refining Company
in Boston (1882-1891), he was appointed at the newly founded Stanford University as its first Chemistry Professor, and head of the department in its opening year. Although Stillman's appointment was essentially by fiat of Senator Stanford
, who proposed a one-man list for David Starr Jordan
to consider for this job, Stanford historian Eric Hutchinson writes that "There is always a risk that appointments made at the behest of the mighty may turn out badly, but Stillman’s appointment was a good one." At Stanford, Stillman focused mostly on teaching and administration. He retired in 1917, and concentrated on writing thereafter. He died in December 1923. A 39-page in memoriam
volume was published in the following year by five colleagues at Stanford.
by Edgar Fahs Smith
found the book excellent but rather impersonal. The book was republished in 1960 by Courier Dover with the slightly modified title The Story of Alchemy and Early Chemistry. A review of this edition by historian Rhoda Rappaport (1962) in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
found it among the "best and most detailed treatments of a difficult subject", but criticized it for not being selective enough in deciding which of "those features of ancient and medieval thought and practice made a 'decided impress' upon the subsequent history" as the book's introduction promised. The book was described by Aaron John Ihde in The Development of Modern Chemistry (1964) as "an excellent account of the developments through Lavoisier", with the additional observations that "although subsequent scholarship has thrown new light on several matters, it is still one of the best American books on the subject." The editor of the Ambix
journal remarked in 1994 that the Dover edition of Stillman's book was still in print and still worth reading.
Regarding Stillman's overall work, Hutchinson (1977) writes: "Disregarding his papers on subjects other than science, Stillman published a total of nineteen papers and one book—and, even so, managed to acquire a good reputation as a chemist. Of those publications, seven papers and his book on the history of alchemy were the product of his retirement years. Yet, slender as Stillman’s output may seem by modern standards, what he did write was marked by scholarship of a high quality. In spite of the fact that he was not a strong classical scholar, and in spite of the meager resources of early California libraries as regards medieval manuscripts, Stillman’s studies in the history of science are carefully researched and clearly written."
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
in the United States. He was also the first head of the chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
department at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, as well as its first Chemistry Professor. His most enduring work was the posthumously published book The Story of Early Chemistry, decades later republished as The Story of Alchemy and Early Chemistry.
Biography
Son of physician Jacob Davis Babcock Stillman and of Caroline Maxson, John Maxson studied chemistry first at University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
(1874), and then for two years abroad at University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
and University of Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
. On his return, after teaching at the University of California (1876-1882), and working for the American Sugar Refining Company
American Sugar Refining Company
The American Sugar Refining Company was the largest American business unit in the sugar refining industry in the early 1900s.-Establishment:...
in Boston (1882-1891), he was appointed at the newly founded Stanford University as its first Chemistry Professor, and head of the department in its opening year. Although Stillman's appointment was essentially by fiat of Senator Stanford
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
, who proposed a one-man list for David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
to consider for this job, Stanford historian Eric Hutchinson writes that "There is always a risk that appointments made at the behest of the mighty may turn out badly, but Stillman’s appointment was a good one." At Stanford, Stillman focused mostly on teaching and administration. He retired in 1917, and concentrated on writing thereafter. He died in December 1923. A 39-page in memoriam
In Memoriam
In Memoriam may refer to:*In memoriam is a Latin phrase that translates directly as 'in memory of', examples of its uses can be found in obituaries and in epitaphs.Collins Latin Dictionary & Grammar...
volume was published in the following year by five colleagues at Stanford.
Publications
Stillman's most significant work is The Story of Early Chemistry, a book published posthumously in 1924. A 1925 review in the Journal of Chemical EducationJournal of Chemical Education
The Journal of Chemical Education is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal available in both print and electronic versions. It is published by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society and was established in 1924...
by Edgar Fahs Smith
Edgar Fahs Smith
Edgar Fahs Smith was an American scientist who is best known today for his interests in the history of chemistry...
found the book excellent but rather impersonal. The book was republished in 1960 by Courier Dover with the slightly modified title The Story of Alchemy and Early Chemistry. A review of this edition by historian Rhoda Rappaport (1962) in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
The Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences is a quarterly academic journal, originally published by the Yale University Department of the History of Medicine and now continued by Oxford University Press. It covers research on early medicine....
found it among the "best and most detailed treatments of a difficult subject", but criticized it for not being selective enough in deciding which of "those features of ancient and medieval thought and practice made a 'decided impress' upon the subsequent history" as the book's introduction promised. The book was described by Aaron John Ihde in The Development of Modern Chemistry (1964) as "an excellent account of the developments through Lavoisier", with the additional observations that "although subsequent scholarship has thrown new light on several matters, it is still one of the best American books on the subject." The editor of the Ambix
Ambix
Ambix is a peer-reviewed journal on the history of chemistry and alchemy, first appearing in 1937. It was not published from 1939 to 1945. It was one of the first journals of the history of science in the English-speaking world, preceded by Isis and Annals of Science It is currently published...
journal remarked in 1994 that the Dover edition of Stillman's book was still in print and still worth reading.
Regarding Stillman's overall work, Hutchinson (1977) writes: "Disregarding his papers on subjects other than science, Stillman published a total of nineteen papers and one book—and, even so, managed to acquire a good reputation as a chemist. Of those publications, seven papers and his book on the history of alchemy were the product of his retirement years. Yet, slender as Stillman’s output may seem by modern standards, what he did write was marked by scholarship of a high quality. In spite of the fact that he was not a strong classical scholar, and in spite of the meager resources of early California libraries as regards medieval manuscripts, Stillman’s studies in the history of science are carefully researched and clearly written."
External links
- Works at Open LibraryOpen LibraryOpen Library is an online project intended to create “one web page for every book ever published”. Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive and has been funded in part by a grant from the California State Library and the Kahle/Austin Foundation.-Books for the blind and...