Teilchenspuren in der Mikrotechnik

Wir danken M. Chlupka-Spohr, R. Handel, Chr. Trautmann und J. Vetter für wertvolle Anregungen zu diesem Bericht.     

Die Grundlagen der Erregung und der Erregungsleitung in der lebendigen Substanz

The Science of Nature -     

Die Technik der Glasherstellung in der Antike

Scientific analysis of glass, excavations, and written evidence in Greek and Roman literature provide reliable information on the manufacture of glass in antiquity. In the second millenium BC, when other vitreous materials had already been known for 3000 years, hollow glass was produced in Egypt. From the early sandcore technique the manifold methods of glassmaking by casting in molds, blowing in molds, and free blowing then rapidly evolved. These techniques achieved their highest perfection in the Roman period when elaborate techniques for surface decoration were developed, but not rediscovered until recently.     

Paradigmenwechsel und Paradigmenstreit in der Neurophysiologie der Motorik

A review is given of the theoretical trends in modern neurophysiology of motor control. Three periods are distinguished to which paradigmatic basic concepts, in the sense of Th. Kuhn, can be assigned. The main exponents of these concepts, their ideological background and their critics are briefly presented. Detailed consideration is given to the present controversial discussions on the basic understanding of the psycho-mental processes in the brain. Here, the old struggle between dualists and monists has awakened to new life. Recently, science itself has discovered fundamental limitations to the epistemological capacities of the human mind, which indicate a "metatheoretical ambiguity" of natural occurrences. This allows for several different (but provisional) interpretations even of human thought and action, which, however, remain ultimately unresolved.     

Zufall und Entdeckung in der Forschung nach der Ursache der infantilen amaurotischen Idiotie

Infantile amaurotic idiocy — the classical type known as “Tay-Sachs disease” — is the consequence of the accumulation of a ganglioside and a closely related derivative in the human brain. The accumulation of both substances is due to a genetically induced deficiency of their common catabolic enzyme system. K. Sandhoff discovered three enzymic variants of the disease, which, taken together, did not reveal any apparent causal relationship between enzymic defect and substrate accumulation. The role of chance and discovery in finding the three variants as well as in the elucidation of their causes is described.