[Taxacom] article on the decline of taxonomists

[dipteryx at freeler.nl]

Van: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu namens Peter Stevens
Verzonden: do 9-9-2010 15:53

> Seriously, we have been complaining about our decline 
> and the fact that nobody loves us for a century or so; 
> it does get a bit stale.  I have often thought about 
> pulling together the relevant literature;  

***
A century looks like an overstatement; more likely something
like half that. A likely cause/correlation for the decline 
should be decolonization; the very reason for having colonies
was to have products such as spices, drugs, dyes, etc, etc, 
derived from the living world. A lot of research capacity was 
tied up with that, including taxonomy; and when this economic 
incentive fell away ...

Paul