The History of Agricultural Science and Technology: An International Annotated Bibliography by R. Douglas Hurt and Mary Ellen Hurt

Abstract

442 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE the text. Despite these shortcomings, this book provides an informa­ tive and balanced historical account of chiropractic in America. Lesley Biggs Dr. Biggs is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Saskatchewan. The History ofAgricultural Science and Technology: An InternationalAnno­ tated Bibliography. By R. Douglas Hurt and Mary Ellen Hurt. New York: Garland, 1994. Pp. xiii + 485; index. $75.00. Many members of SHOT have benefited from the fine series of Bibliographies of the History of Science and Technology published by Garland. R. Douglas Hurt and Mary Ellen Hurt have made an important, comprehensive, and creative contribution to that series. The 1,380 annotated citations are divided into nineteen chapters. The chapter on the plant sciences is the most extensive, containing 21 percent of the entries. Readers of Technology and Culture might find something useful among the 161 entries on agricultural technol­ ogies, an area in which Doug Hurt has made important contributions of his own. Chapters on agricultural science and animal science con­ tain over one hundred entries each. Biotechnology and the Green Revolution also receive attention, providing references for those in­ terested in the newest areas of agricultural research. These selections include enough sources to provide researchers interested in the standard agricultural science and technology litera­ ture with places to begin looking. The Hurts have gone far beyond the standard literature, however. As they explain in their preface, this bibliography reflects an unconventional approach and methodology. First, the Hurts often selected works from the scientific and social scientific literature, especially items published within the past few decades. There is noticeably less emphasis on works written by histori­ ans. Second, they tapped deeply into materials available through elec­ tronic databases, gaining access to countless sources that standard historical abstracts would miss. And third, the bibliography is truly international; they have included citations concerning the agricul­ tural science and/or technology of more than fifty nations. Some­ times, the authors’ methodology results in some unusual selections— such as a two-page history of veterinary medicine in Portugal, or a three-page account of irrigation policy in Bhutan. The approach also means that gems of unknown manuscripts or rare 19th-century books are not to be found. In general, however, the authors’ system is both valid and valuable. Surely there are hundreds of citations here that even the experienced scholar would not have easily found on his or her own. There were a few typographical errors—including one in the anno­ tation of an article I had written. But more important, all citations that I checked were correct, and the annotations were clear and accu- technology and culture Book Reviews 443 rately hinted at the value of the work. The index is also useful and reasonably thorough. Though historians will still want to consult more traditional bibliog­ raphies, such as those produced in the 1970s by the Agricultural History Center, the Hurts have provided a solid, up-to-date bibliogra­ phy with an innovative approach and extensive list of sources. Mark R. Finlay Dr. Finlay is an assistant professor of history at Armstrong State College. His disser­ tation was on the history of German agricultural experiment stations, and he has published articles on agricultural science in Europe and the United States. A Practical Introduction to Videohistory: The Smithsonian Institution and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Experiment. Edited by Terri A. Schorzman . Malabar, Fla.: Krieger, 1993. Pp. xi + 243; illustrations, notes, appendixes, bibliography, index. $30.75. “Videohistory,” as defined in this book, “is the video recording of visual information as primary historical evidence and involves a historian in shaping the original inquiry” (p. vii). It is an oral history interview recorded on videotape, with picture as well as sound. Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Smithsonian Institu­ tion sponsored a five-year “experiment... to work out new guidelines and methodologies” for videohistory (p. vii). In existence from 1986 to 1992, the Smithsonian Videohistory Program focused on the theme “Science in National Life.” It undertook twenty-two projects, including topics in astronomy, aviation, biology, computers, conserva­ tion, genetics, medicine, national security, nuclear weapons, paleontol­ ogy, robotics, space science, and watchmaking; a list ofthe projects and...