Armies of Ninetenth Century

During the last few decades historians of science have shown a growing interest in science as a cultural activity and have regarded science more and more as part of the gene­ ral developments that have occurred in society. This trend has been less evident arnong historians of mathematics, who traditionally concentrate primarily on tracing the develop­ ment of mathematical knowledge itself. To some degree this restriction is connected with the special role of mathematics compared with the other sciences; mathematics typifies the most objective, most coercive type of knowledge, and there­ fore seems to be least affected by social influences. Nevertheless, biography, institutional history and his­ tory of national developments have long been elements in the historiography of mathematics.