Fráter Jánosné: A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia állandó bizottságai 1854–1949 (A MTAK kiadványai 70. Budapest, 1974)
Preface
10 initial organizational difficulties. In the nine years following the suppression of the War of Independence neither the election of new members nor the convocation of the General Assembly were permitted. Owing to such coercive measures, the Academy was forced to find new organizational forms to eontinue its activities.Thus was it that the first permanent scientific committees were set up. First among them were the Committee on History in 1854, Committee on linguistics in 1855,Committee on Archaeology in 1858,Committee on Statistics, and the Committee on Mathematics and Natural Sciences in I860» With this new organizational form realized, the Academy's work became more effective and important in the individual branches of science and scholarship. The committees were, in fact, "scientific workshops", bringing about a division of labour in the activities of the Academy, engaging a large number of scientists and scholars all working for the common goal. Their significance lies in the fact that they united the Hungarian men of science, who until then had worked individually and separately, and they also tended to organize the scientific endeavour. The committees'work was developing vigorously, and their scope extended. As a result of their fruitful work, the Academy decided to set up further committees. In the initial stage, the committees were aimed primarily at filling up gaps in the individual branches of science and scholarship in Hungary. The Academy's work was followed with increasing attention by the whole nation. Scientists and scholars working in the committees were thus expected scientifically to explore and investigate the Hungarian language, history, economy, the climatic conditions, plant and animal life, as well as the geology of the Hungarian soil. Committees working in the second half of the 19 t h century rightly recognized the trends in the development of science policy. With their periodicals and other publications - in which they freely drew on the achievements of international science, as well - , the committees not only promoted the Hungarian literature and science but also joined Hungary in the International scientific life.
