Biographical Memoirs: Volume 62 (1993)
Chapter: Front Matter
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by Act of Congress as a private, nonprofit, self-governing membership corporation for the furtherance of science and technology, required to advise the federal government upon request within its fields of competence. Under its corporate charter the Academy established the National Research Council in 1916, the National Academy of Engineering in 1964, and the Institute of Medicine in 1970.
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CONTENTS
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GEORGE FREDERIC BARKER |
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WILLIAM BLOOM |
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JOHN NATHANIEL COUCH |
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MAX LUDWIG HENNING DELBRÜCK |
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MICHAEL DOUDOROFF |
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HERBERT FRIEDMANN |
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JACOB FURTH |
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JOY PAUL GUILFORD |
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JOEL HENRY HILDEBRAND |
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GERARD PETER KUIPER |
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LEONARD AMBY MAYNARD |
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I. I. RABI |
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RICHARD BROOKE ROBERTS |
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KENNETH DAVID ROEDER |
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FRANZ SCHRADER |
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WILLIAM SMITH TILLETT |
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MAURICE BOLKS VISSCHER |
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ROBERT WILLIAMS WOOD |
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DON MERLIN LEE YOST |
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PREFACE
On March 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Act of Incorporation that brought the National Academy of Sciences into being. In accordance with that original charter, the Academy is a private, honorary organization of scientists, elected for outstanding contributions to knowledge, who can be called upon to advise the federal government. As an institution the Academy's goal is to work toward increasing scientific knowledge and to further the use of that knowledge for the general good.
The Biographical Memoirs, begun in 1877, are a series of volumes containing the life histories and selected bibliographies of deceased members of the Academy. Colleagues familiar with the discipline and the subject's work prepare the essays. These volumes, then, contain a record of the life and work of our most distinguished leaders in the sciences, as witnessed and interpreted by their colleagues and peers. They form a biographical history of science in America—an important part of our nation's contribution to the intellectual heritage of the world.
PETER H. RAVEN
Home Secretary
