Britain: An official handbook > 1956

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BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
as strong as ever and its Fellows serve on most, if not all, of the Advisory Councils
of Government Departments.
In addition the Society is responsible for the administration of many research
funds and special funds derived from various sources and a number of Government
grants. These funds and grants are used for the promotion of science through
research, publications, congresses, the award of medals, lectures, and in many other
ways. Its Fellowship consists of approximately 500 eminent scientists and 50 foreign
members. Admission of the former is restricted to 25 a year, and of the latter to four
a year; a few eminent non-scientists are also elected to Fellowships. The Society
maintains a library (145,000 books of a purely scientific nature), issues a large
number of publications, including the Philosophical Transactions and the Proceedings
and convenes conferences which are attended by scientists from all countries.
The Royal Society of Arts (originally the Society for the Encouragement of Arts,
Manufactures and Commerce) was founded in 1754, and as it was the first society
of its kind its work was at first very wide, covering scientific, technical, industrial
and commercial matters on a world-wide scale. As institutions devoted to the
specialized branches of science and industry came to be established, the Society
gradually abandoned some of its earlier fields of work, but it is still a recognized
forum for the discussion of technical and other subjects.
The Royal Institution was founded in 1799 as a public body for facilitating the
introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements, and for teaching
the application of science to everyday life. Later it undertook the ‘promotion of
chemical science by experiments and lectures for improving arts and manufactures ’,
and ‘ the diffusion and extension of useful knowledge ’. Its character, however, was
largely determined by the work of Sir Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday who
established a tradition of research. Today the Institution has extensive research
laboratories, and lectures are given on the recent developments in science and other
branches of knowledge. Its library of 70,000 books includes many early scientific
works and manuscripts.
The British Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in 1831 to
promote general interest in science and its applications. At the present day one of
its chief activities is the Annual Meeting. Its 13 sections cover the whole range of
pure and applied science other than medical science, and there is a division for
studying the social and international relations of science. Collaboration with other
scientific organizations has always been an important function of the British Asso¬
ciation, and it has an organized relationship with over 150 scientific bodies and
learned societies. It has also played an important part in the development of science
by taking or recommending action to remove obstacles to the discovery and
application of scientific knowledge.
THE UNIVERSITIES
The universities carry the main responsibility for the pursuit of fundamental
research and for the training of scientists. During recent years there has also been
a considerable expansion of technological training and research facilities within the
universities, all of which now offer work in one or more technological subjects
(e.g., applied science, engineering, metallurgy and industrial fermentation). Early in
1953 it was decided that the Imperial College of Science and Technology (part of
London University) should undergo a major expansion with the aim of increasing
the number of scientists and technologists under full-time training from the existing
figure of 1,650 to 3,000 by the end of 1962.