The History of the International Biometric Society

Lynne Billard

• Verlag: Chapman and Hall/CRC
• Jahr: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000599503
• Auflage: 1
• Thema: Mathematics
• Thema: Games in Mathematics

The International Biometric Society (IBS) was formed at the First International Biometric Conference at Woods Hole on September 6, 1947. The History of the International Biometric Society presents a deep dive into the voluminous archival records, with primary focus on IBS's first fifty years. It contains numerous photos and extracts from the archival materials, and features many photos of important leaders who served IBS across the decades.

Features:

• Describes events leading up to and at Woods Hole on September 6, 1947 that led to the formation of IBS
• Outlines key markers that shaped IBS after the 1947 formation through to the modern day
• Describes the regional and national group structure, and the formation of regions and national groups
• Describes events surrounding the key scientific journal of IBS, Biometrics, including the transfer of ownership to IBS, content, editors, policies, management, and importance
• Describes the other key IBS publications – Biometric Bulletin, Journal of Agricultural Biological and Environmental Statistics, and regional publications
• Provides details of International Biometric Conferences and key early symposia
• Describes IBS constitution and by-laws processes, and the evolution of business arrangements
• Provides a record of international officers, including regional presidents, national group secretaries, journal editors, and the locations of meetings
• Includes a gallery of international Presidents, and a gallery of Secretaries and Treasurers

The History of the International Biometric Society will appeal to anyone interested in the activities of our statistical and biometrical forebearers. The focus is on issues and events that engaged the attention of the officers of IBS. Some of these records are riveting, some entertaining, some intriguing, and some colorful. Some of the issues covered were difficult to handle, but even these often resulted in changes that benefited IBS.

1 Introduction

DOI: 10.1201/9781003285366-1

By all accounts, Chester Ittner Bliss¹ was the spark that led to the formation of the Biometric Society, later called the International Biometric Society (the “Society”). Ronald Aylmer Fisher (from 1952, Sir Ronald) and Gertrude Mary Cox had key supporting roles (Figure 1.1), along with numerous others of our past statistical luminaries. In recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of Fisher’s death, Billard (2014) focused on his role in the origins of the Society. By drawing upon the archival records, we look at the history of the Society across all Society dignitaries, without any undue emphasis on any one person. However, certainly, the vitally important role played by Bliss could not be ignored, but as the history unfolded, clearly many more of our predecessors also contributed in important ways.

FIGURE 1.1 (a) Chester I. Bliss, (b) Gertrude M. Cox, and (c) Ronald A. Fisher.

The archives consist of letters, and then more letters, covering proposals, thoughts, and actions from the various actors. Outside of conferences, letters were the primary medium for communication, though even then there were extensive records of deliberations. It is extraordinary how deeply committed the members were to the Society, at least as revealed by the archives. Even when voting (on whatever issues), there would frequently be added comments, some pages long; Bliss always faithfully recorded all opinions in his subsequent reports. In this volume, we focus on issues and events that engaged the attention of the officers at the Society, i.e., international, level. Some of these records are riveting, entertaining, intriguing, and colorful, while some issues were difficult to handle (but even these often resulted in constitutional or procedural changes that benefited the Society). For most, it was the President and/or Secretary carrying the banner seeking resolution. Bliss, David Finney, and Cox were “brilliant” (to use hyperbole), despite Finney’s self-deprecating remark to an incoming Secretary that with time you will discover “I am a thorn in the flesh” and his handwritten promise (when informed of his election as Vice-President) that “I shall endeavour to be useful.” In reality, however, a distinguishing feature throughout was the thoughtfulness, diplomacy, tact, and an ability to rise “above the fray” to look at issues from the broader perspective. Most officers made lasting and important contributions to the betterment of the Society. Therefore, in this history, we attempt to convey the details and flavor of events that unfolded over the years as depicted in the archives rather than the sanitized versions of published Society reports.

¹ Full names are given at the first mention of a person within a chapter; subsequently, only the last name is used.

In addition, the archives contain numerous letters detailing possible nominations for a wide variety of positions along with sometimes quite frank assessments of suitability, address changes of members (providing an interesting tracking of institutional moves of members for anyone so inclined to follow these), name changes due to marriage, notices that a journal issue had not arrived, letters to members who were in arrears with their dues payments (who knew?!) as well as regional delinquency rates in collecting dues, requests for membership forms, budgets, records of all kinds, and so forth. There are also stacks of records of voting returns complete with commentary sometimes about the issues involved. Except where pertinent to the story, this present history has not reported on any individual letter, notice, or voting record. What shines through however, is the pride of being a member, a builder, and a conservator, of what has become a very important Society especially for the biometrical world to which it was addressed.

Therefore, we trace the formation of the Society (in Chapter 2) as reported and described in the voluminous archive records. This takes us back to the beginnings which culminated in the Woods Hole International Biometric Conference meeting (September 5–6, 1947) at which the Society was formally established. Then, in Chapter 3, we follow significant markers that defined the Society down through subsequent years; these include memberships, committees, or simply ‘events’ that captured the attention of the leadership of the day. Committees tended to be added with the emergence of new undertakings and certain needs which required attention; these were established permanently as standing committees or as temporary ad hoc committees. That chapter also includes details of international affiliations.

From the outset, the Society was to be an international society rather than a federation of national associations. Thus, there was a unique regional structure spanning global geographical areas, each with its own autonomy but each very much a part of the whole Society. The structure and formation of these regions, and also national groups for smaller clusters of members, is outlined in Chapter 4. That chapter includes details relating to the first four regions, specifically, the Eastern North American Region (ENAR), the British Region (BR), the Western North American Region (WNAR), and the Australasian Region (AR), all formed within one year of the establishment of the Society. Then, in Chapter 5, aspects of those regions that formed over the next ten years are described. These include the Indian Region (IR) in 1949 (though this region collapsed in 1951, moved to group status in 1953 before returning to regional status again in 1989), the Région Française (French Region, RF) in 1949, the Société Adolphe Quetelet was formed as the Belgian Region (RBe) in 1952, the Italian Region (RItl) in 1953, the Deutsche Region (German Region, DR) in 1955, and the Região Brasileira (Brazilian Region, RBras) in 1956. Those regions that formed over subsequent years are covered in Chapter 6. Here, we learn that Afdeling Netherland (The Netherlands Region, ANed) although a national group as early as 1949 became a region in 1960, Region Österreich-Schweiz (Austro-Swiss Region, ROeS) which evolved from an earlier Swiss National Group came into existence in 1962, the Japanese Region (JR) formed in 1979, the Nordic Region’s (NR) emergence in 1982 consisted of national groups making up the Nordic geographical region and merged with the Baltic National Group in 2002 to become the Nordic-Baltic Region (NBR), the Hungarian Region was established in 1988 though it later reverted to national group status (in 2003), and the Spanish Region (REsp) was approved in 1992. Chapter 6 also describes developments in Eastern Europe; as well as national groups not elsewhere covered and the formation of networks (usually to facilitate scientific meetings of smaller national groups). Abbreviations of Regions and National Groups are provided in Chapter 12, Table 12.1.

The core of the Society, indeed its scientific backbone, is the journal Biometrics; later other publications were added. Thus, the role of Society publications is outlined in Chapters 7 and 8. Scientific meetings, be these International Biometric Conferences (IBC) or Symposia, are also an important part of the scientific mission. These are described in Chapter 9.

The Society is governed by the Executive Committee consisting of the international Society President (“President”), the international Society Secretary (“Secretary”), international Society Treasurer (“Treasurer”), and the Biometrics Editor (from 1956; later, with the addition of new journals, this role was filled by an editorial representative variously defined over the years). This Executive Committee worked with the International Society’s Council (“Council”). An over-riding criterion of the structure of Council was that all regions be represented; Council members were the conduit for information to pass to and from the international Society level and the regional and national group levels. The Society functioned through its Constitution and By-laws. Each region also had its own governing processes and its own By-laws (which minimally had to comply with those of the Society). As the Society expanded in membership and regions, as various issues arose, and as new roles and endeavors were taken on, it would become necessary to revise these entities. The fundamentals of the Constitution and its changes are described in Chapter 10. That chapter also describes the evolution of the business and management aspects of the Society.

Chapters 1–10 constitute detailed histories in the Society’s first fifty years, up to 1997. However, in Chapter 11, some highlight markers that have occurred since 1997 are briefly outlined. Occasionally, when adjudged necessary for purposes of continuity of the narrative, a snippet of post-1997 detail is included in an earlier chapter where applicable.

Finally, for the record, a listing of the former Presidents, Secretaries, and Treasurers is provided in Chapter 12. This chapter also lists former regional presidents and national group secretaries, and editors, as well as table 12.2 summarizing locations and local and program chairs for the International Biometric Conferences and key Symposia.

The official face of any association, including our Society, is its leader, its international President; therefore, this volume starts off with a Gallery of Presidents displayed in the beginning. However, oftentimes it is the international Secretary well supported by the international Treasurer both of whom are the bedrock on which Society activities and communications are built; thus, this volume closes with a Gallery of Secretaries and Treasurers.

2 In the Beginning – Woods Hole

DOI: 10.1201/9781003285366-2

The International Biometric Society (“Society”) was founded at Woods Hole on September 6, 1947. This chapter discusses the formation of the Society through the eyes of the Archival records, focussing on details of events leading up to and at Woods Hole.

In the American Statistical Association’s (ASA) new constitution of 1938, provision was made for the establishment of sections. Thus, immediately its first section, the Biometrics Section (“Section”), was formed on March 14, 1938, for members interested in aspects biometry applied to the biological sciences. Then, in 1945, because no meetings could be held due to World War II, the Section started Biometrics Bulletin with Gertrude Cox as Editor, to serve as a newsletter to keep Section members informed of events.

The ASA constitution also allowed for the “growth of sections into self-supporting associate societies” as part of ASA’s program. Therefore, in 1945, Chester Bliss as Section Chair, appointed a committee to draft up a constitution which if adopted would become “Biometric Society, an Associate of the [ASA]”, i.e., an American Biometric Society somewhat akin to what the economists had done. In the end, at its January 1946 meeting, these plans were tabled. By now, Cox was having a difficult time with the ASA office over publications issues (even saying “I am floored with this editorial setup”), culminating with her long October 3, 1946 letter to her editorial board, conveying her concerns. Likewise, Bliss also in frustration at being “a ward of the A.S.A. Board of Directors with no authority in its own right” wrote a five-page letter on October 7, 1946 to Section officers, outlining some proposals for the journal (such as making it a quarterly journal “at least as good as the Journal of the American Statistical Association”) and importantly proposals for what was a “call” for a new society. “ ...[W]e can [not] go through another year on the present basis” concluded Bliss. Both letters generated a flurry of responses, in support.

Meantime, the International Statistical Institute (ISI), an international organization whose prime focus had been government statistical entities since its 1885 formation, under its new constitution had expanded its scope to include non-government members including mathematical and biometrical statisticians. The first ISI session after this expansion was to be held in Washington, DC in September 1947. When the preliminary scientific program was published in early 1947, Bliss among many others felt that the biostatistical community had been ignored. Fortuitously, Bliss encountered the economist Charles Frederick Roos on a Saturday March 29 train trip from New York to Princeton; on bemoaning the ISI development, Roos replied that maybe Bliss should follow the route taken by the economists and form...