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From: fax0236@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.bio,sci.chem,sci.med
Subject: Re: Forgotten Entities: Do You Remember Any?
Message-ID: <1990Oct27.093037.2024@uoft02.utoledo.edu>
Date: 27 Oct 90 14:30:36 GMT
References: <1990Oct25.232546.12357@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Lines: 34

In article <1990Oct25.232546.12357@portia.Stanford.EDU>, zimm@portia.Stanford.EDU (Dylan Yolles) writes:
> I'm interested in looking at the "forgotten entities" of science--entities
> which were once considered somehow "real" by some or most scientists but
> which were later recognized not to exist.
> 
> The entities could be particles from physics, cells or viruses from biology,
> and so on. Even entities from psychology (eg. the id, to take a silly example)
> might be okay.
> 
> I'm mostly interested in (relatively) recent examples-- say last 150
> years. But anything which reasonably well-respected scientists believed
> in would be good.
> 
> The *ultimate* example, for my purposes, would be one in which scientists
> actually thought they were manipulating an entity (in the way that electrons
> are manipulated by means of an electron gun), but later found they were
> mistaken (and that, perhaps, the entity didn't exist at all).
> 
> Any examples or references would be much appreciated. By all means post
> to the net if you think others might be interested (I suspect
> that there are some good stories here), but please send me a copy too,
> as I don't read most of these groups. Of course, I'll summarize any
> responses if there's interest.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Dylan
> zimm@portia.stanford.edu

POLYWATER!  From the 1960's (and maybe carried over into the early 1970's).
Someone else hopefully will provide the references, I was wet behind the
ears back then.

Doug Smith