Page 276 - J. C. Turner "History and Science of Knots"

On Theories of Knots 267

de Buffon, Linnaeus, Wallace, Darwin and Mendel.
Such is the vastness of this study, that splintering into sub-branches of
knowledge has perforce taken place. For example, there are now sciences (or
sub-sciences) of Physiology, Morphology, Anthropology, Embryology, Evolu-
tion and Genetics, and so on; and as each of these grows in size, it forms its
own branches, sub-branches, off-shoots.
As with Biology, so it is with the other great Sciences, such as Chemistry,
Physics and Medicine. They are each traceable from prehistoric times, and
have developed from myths and customs, from gradual accumulation of knowl-
edge and practices handed down from tribal times. The knowledge slowly be-
came more codified, written down, organised; and the practices became more
efficient, more likely to be correct, more useful as times passed. And every
Science has had its great discoveries, its great men and women, its moments
in history when big advances have become possible with a new invention or
discovery. The telescope and spectroscope in Astronomy, the microscope in Bi-
ology, Dalton's atomic theory and its effects on Chemistry and Physics-these
are but a few examples.
With all the subjects which we now unhesitatingly label as sciences, be-
lieving them to deal sensibly with their subject matter, it is well to remember
that until quite recently (within three centuries of now) they all were little
more than arts and crafts themselves, propelled by folk lore, magic and reli-
gious cant. For example, it was not until the middle of the 17th century that
Newton's work, building upon Galileo's discoveries, moved Astronomy and
Physics forward into the scientific paths they travel today. Chemistry grew
out of Alchemy; and even as late as the mid-18th century we did not know
anything sensible about what constitutes the air we breathe. A glance at the
history of medical `science' will show how primitive that was, right up to this
century; even today many of its `sub-sciences' are primitive, subject to fashion
and loosely formed opinion.
How, then, does the study of knots and the practice of knotting stand in
relation to the above examples?
It has to be said, first, that if knot theory is a science then it is a hidden
one-in the sense that very few people are aware of it. Whilst everyone beyond
the age of three has tied a knot, almost no-one knows that knots play a large
and quite vital role in their lives. They are taken completely for granted. They
may be seen (or, more likely, not seen) everywhere. They are used daily by
sailors, surgeons, soldiers, firemen, fishermen, building construction workers
and so on, in a wide variety of forms. They are made in many materials. Rope
making is a trade that exists today, and has existed for many thousands of
years. And, in a wider sense, any form of woven or knitted structure, and any
inter-weaving process, can be said to fall within the field of Knot Science.
Thus, although it does not stand in any limelight nowadays, except per-