A Little History of Science (Little Histories) - Hardcover

A Conversation with William Bynum

Q: Why did you write this book?

A: I was charmed by Gombrich's Little History of the World and thought I would like to do something like it for my grandchildren Alex and Peter. I used to teach the history of science and thought what a wonderful story it could make, to start at the beginning with the stargazers in Babylon and come up to the computer age of today. People from time immemorial, in all cultures, have thought about such things as why the sun rises and sets, how a hen's egg develops into a new chick, and why we fall ill and might be made well.

Q: What are the great turning points—for you—in the history of science?

A: The invention of the telescope and the microscope, which allowed people to do science on things that you couldn't even see with your naked eye.

Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, which changed the way we see the living world and offered us the chance to delve into the secrets of life. Einstein's theories of relativity, which opened up the universe to new interpretations.

The coming of the modern computer, which enabled scientists to tackle questions in fields as diverse as the human genome and climate change that would have been impossible a couple of generations ago.

Q: What are the major themes of your book?

A: My book has only one theme: science as a human endeavor to understand the world. The history of science is a journey through time, illuminated on the way by great thinkers, adept experimenters, and people of enlarged curiosity. Understanding that journey tells us something about who we are as human beings.

William Bynum is professor emeritus, history of medicine, University College London. He is author or editor of numerous publications, including most recently Great Discoveries in Medicine. He lives in Suffolk, UK.