Marcum James A
Department of Philosophy, One Bear Place #97273, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA.
Ann Sci. 2006 Apr;63(2):139-56. doi: 10.1080/00033790600552183.
During the twentieth century, a controversy raged over the role of electrical forces and chemical substances in synaptic transmission. Although the story of the 'main' participants is well documented, the story of 'lesser' known participants is seldom told. For example, Alexander Forbes, who was a prominent member of the axonologists, played an active role in the controversy and yet is seldom mentioned in standard accounts of the controversy. During the 1930s, Forbes incorporated chemical substances into his theory of synaptic transmission, advocating a complementarity model for the role of electrical forces and chemical substances. By focusing on Forbes and the axonologists, the controversy is simply more than a debate over 'soup' vs. 'sparks' but also involves the relative roles of electrical forces and chemical substances in synaptic transmission. The implications of this case study for the nature of scientific controversies are also discussed.
在二十世纪，关于电力和化学物质在突触传递中的作用引发了一场激烈的争论。尽管“主要”参与者的故事有详尽的记录，但“不太知名”参与者的故事却很少被提及。例如，亚历山大·福布斯是轴突学家中的杰出成员，他在这场争论中发挥了积极作用，但在关于这场争论的标准叙述中却很少被提及。在20世纪30年代，福布斯将化学物质纳入他的突触传递理论，主张电力和化学物质作用的互补模型。通过关注福布斯和轴突学家，这场争论不仅仅是关于“汤”与“火花”的辩论，还涉及电力和化学物质在突触传递中的相对作用。本文还讨论了这个案例研究对科学争论本质的启示。
