Francis Galton

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Sir Francis Galton and proficiency testing in cytopathology

Data from the National Cytology Proficiency Testing Update show that as of January 31, 2006, 9% of 12,786 examinees failed the test on the first attempt. For the second attempt, the failure rate among those who had initially failed remained surprisingly similar, 10%, although common sense would dictate that it should be much higher among those who have already failed the test once and should have lower professional skills. What is the reason for this remarkable improvement in performance? There is a simple explanation: this is a statistical phenomenon, known as "regression toward the mean." Two groups of examinees earn failing scores during proficiency testing: those whose skills are really insufficient and those who are competent but who achieved lower scores due to random variation in the test results. The latter, "misclassified" examinees subsequently "regress" toward the mean during the second test; that is, their test results become more commensurate with their genuine skills. Since the failure rates of all participants during the first and second attempts were similar, we must assume that the majority of the examinees who failed on the first attempt fall into the second, misclassified group, and only a minority have truly insufficient skills.     

Gentlemanly Men of Science: Sir Francis Galton and the Professionalization of the British Life-Sciences

Because Francis Galton (1822–1911) was a well-connected gentleman scientist with substantial private means, the importance of the role he played in the professionalization of the Victorian life-sciences has been considered anomalous. In contrast to the X-clubbers, he did not seem to have any personal need for there forms his Darwinist colleagues were advocating. Nor for making common cause with individuals haling from social strata clearly inferior to his own. However, in this paper I argue that Galton quite realistically discerned in the reforming endeavors of the1860s, and beyond, the potential for considerably enhancing his own reputation and standing within both the scientific community and the broader Victorian culture. In addition, his professionalizing aspirations, and those of his reformist allies, were fully concordant with the interests, ambitions and perceived opportunities of his elite social group during the Victorian period. Professionalization appealed to gentlemen of Galton's status and financial security as much as it did to the likes of Thomas Huxley and John Tyndall, primarily because it promised to confer on the whole scientific enterprise an unprecedented level of social prestige. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Francis Galton’s theory of inheritance and the problem of unconceived alternatives

Elsewhere I have argued that the most significant threat to scientific realism arises from what I call the problem of unconceived alternatives: the repeated failure of past scientists and scientific communities to even conceive of alternatives to extant scientific theories, even when such alternatives were both (1) well-confirmed by the evidence available at the time and (2) sufficiently scientifically serious as to be actually embraced in the course of further investigation. In this paper I explore Francis Galton’s development and defense of his “stirp” theory of inheritance and conclude that this particular historical example offers impressive support for the challenge posed by the problem of unconceived alternatives while simultaneously showing how we can make that challenge deeper and sharper.     

使用血细胞计数板测定微生物数量实验的改进

血细胞计数板是微生物数量测定实验所使用的特制载玻片。通常做细菌、酵母菌等数量测定实验时,先是让学生在显微镜下找到血细胞计数板上的方格网及其计数室,认识计数室的构造,之后再进行加样、计数等实验步骤。然而在实验中发现,由于构成方格网的线条加工的非常细而浅,且无色透明。