The International Congress of Mathematicians

Abstract

ON August 9, 10 and 11, the first International Congress of Mathematicians met in Zurich. By the morning of the 9th there were in attendance 200 members from all parts, viz.: from Switzerland, 53; Germany, 40; France. 25; Italy, 19; Russia, 18; Austria Hungary, 16; United States, 7; Sweden, 6; Denmark, 4; Belgium, England, Holland, 3 each; Greece, Portugal, Spain, each. The gathering, while fairly representative of the different branches of pure mathematics, did not adequately represent applied mathematics. The meeting of the British Association in Toronto was doubtless responsible for the absence of many English mathematicians, who might otherwise have been at Zürich; but, even making allowance for this, the presence of three representatives of English mathematics can hardly be regarded as a sufficient recognition of the importance of the congress.