Technikatörténeti szemle 19. (1992)

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - Papers of the First „MINERALKONTOR” International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Veszprém, 12-16 August, 1991)

logy, anatomy and pathology led only to the formulation of the empirical problems. And these problems played a part of permanent factors of stability for institutional structures. Institutes of pathology were transformed into the institutes of pathophysiology, while those of anatomy into institutes of anatomy and histology, or institutes of anatomy and embryology. But institutes governed by the antireductionist ideology were never transformed into biochemical institutes. In practice, quite the opposite situation arise. In Kiev and Warsaw universities, methods of cyto- and histo-chemistry were employed for studies on functions of different gland's cells. This problem is usually included in the biochemical cognitive structure. But we observe another picture. New methods (remained physiological) stabilize the old institutional structures and realization of reductionist ideology in biochemical fields results in new, special institutional structures. We could not find a single example of such a transformation. In Russia, Great Britain, and Germany (the latter was a leading country in biochemistry at that time) all biochemical institutes were new organisations, rather than old institutions that have been transformed. However, cognitive characteristics of the institutional structure, more strictly, the elements of the institutional structure, change in reality in historical process. An analysis of massives of publications permit us to observe the mechanism of these changes. Usually it has pure institutional disposition. In this case, we go over to the ..atomic" level of institutional structure. The stabilization of theoretical elements into the institutional structure depends on „a carrier" of theory, rather than on the creator. For most cases, we have established that fixation of theoretical structures in several institutional structures of its elements was connected with the displacement of „the carrier" of the theory into some institutional structure. We may say that a prophet is not without honour, save for his own country. This principle - „the principle of the prophet", - is true by the end of 19th century and in first half of 20th century, at least in chemistry.