Do Lemmings Commit Suicide?: Beautiful Hypotheses and Ugly Facts

by Dennis Chitty

Overview

Unlike nearly all science books which tell of successful ventures and satisfactory conclusions, this book reveals the harsher but more common side of scientific research. Written by one of this century's most distinguished small mammal ecologists, it is both a personal history of and an apology for a life in science spent working on problems for which no final dramatic closure was reached. Included along the way are important anecdotes and history about Charles Elton and his pioneering work at the Bureau of Animal Population at Oxford University, from which much of modern population has grown, and insights on the philosophy and practice of science. This eye-opening account of a scientific career should be read by everyone in life sciences or the history and philosophy of science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195097856
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/09/1996
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.36(w) x 9.38(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

University of British Columbia (Emeritus)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Pioneering Observations, 1929-19393. Qualitative Changes, 1937-19394. Wartime Rat and Mouse Control, 1939-19465. Replication, 1946-19516. Behavior, Physiologym and Natural Selection, 1949-19617. Controversies, 1952-19568. Varying the Circumstances, 1952-19599. From Wytham Woods to Baker Lake, 1959-196210. Synchrony, 1924-195911. Review, 1923-196112. Epilogue, 1961-1995

Editorial Reviews

"An autobiographical account of a life's work in scientific research. . . . The book begins with a thorough de-bunking of the popular mythology surrounding lemmings. . . . This book is somewhat unusual for its genre, in that the author has chosen to emphasise the disappointments and false starts inherent in scientific research, including all the frustrations familiar to anyone who has ever engaged in the rustic alchemy of field ecology. . . . For philosophers of science and population ecologists who wish to know more about the history of small mammal ecology, this book may illuminate past advances in, and setbacks to, the understanding of population cycles. The references and insights into the practice of science will also be helpful to those unfamiliar with the literature on this subject."—Discovery

"Since this is the story of the career of most scientists, it needs to be told. I am sure that [Chitty] can speak for the majority that a life in science without a Nobel Prize is still worth living." —David Hull, Dept. of Philosophy, Northwestern University

"Chitty's saga will be of value to historians and philosophers of science as well as to ecologists generally." —Ecology

"Chitty, who is 84, has written a scientific autobiography, and combined it with a treatise on how science is really done. He has interwoven his summary of a career-long pursuit of learning how small mammal populations are regulated in nature (we still do not know how) with a case history of how to work with colleagues, how to design experiments, what observations to gather, and some of the things that can go wrong. . .Required reading for field zoologists." —Choice

"The search for causes of the fabled fluctuations of northern microtine rodents has been important in the development of ecology as a scientific discipline. But unlike the story of quantum physics or the discovery of the double helix, this quest has not, as yet, led to an exciting conclusion with profound implications. In fact, alchemy aside, few scientific endeavors have so slimly rewarded with general insights such prolonged investigative effort, and that so much of population ecology touches this talisman is remarkable. This book is an insider's account of these ecological investigations from their beginnings in the 1920s up to the present time, and as such is a valuable contribution to the history of ecology. . . . This ecological tale is recounted in largely chronological sequence, outlining the phenomena, the various investigations, the wartime effort at rodent control, the successive hypotheses to explain cycles, the many failures, and the controversies."—Northwest Science

"Although this book is not really about lemmings (it is mostly about voles), that really doesn't matter. It is primarily the story of nearly a lifetime of curiosity about and research on the problem of, 'what causes population cycles?' More than that, it is a commentary on the pleasures and problems of population ecology research in particular and the scientific enterprise in general. Professor Chitty is not without his own opinions on both of these matters, but his disagreements with colleagues are generally fair and clearly explained. . . . The advantage of a book such as this, as opposed to a review of the scientific literature, is that it provides a more realistic examination of the research process, with all its 'ugly facts' and practical limitations (such as the Second World War). . . . Chitty's life investigating this problem not only makes for an interesting story, but also provides insight into the complexities of ecological relationships."—Northeastern Naturalist

"spirited, often amusing book"—The Sciences

From the Publisher