Francis Walshe, Michael Polanyi Collection

The collection, which is almost entirely printed or typescript, was accumulated by the neurologist Sir Francis Walshe (1895-1973). It is assumed that the typescripts of Polanyi's works were compiled by Walshe, rather than being Polanyi's originals. The collection includes some works by the philosopher Marjorie Grene, who was influenced by Polanyi.

• /1 Ts "The Stability of Beliefs" Polanyi, M. 1952.
• /2 Ts "From Copernicus to Einstein" Polanyi, M. 1955.
• /3 Printed Article from the Twentieth Century Sep 1955. "Words Conceptions and Science" Polanyi, M.
• /4 Ts "The Magic of Marxism" Polanyi, published in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists June 1956 and EncounterDec 1956
• /5 Ts "Problem Solving" Polanyi, M The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science August 1957
• /6 Ts "Beyond Nihilism" Polanyi, M. [1960, Polanyi's Eddington Lecture]
• /7; Ts "Faith and Reason" Polanyi, M. 1961.
• /8 A printed leaflet Science: Academic and industrial Polanyi, M. 1961.
• /9 Printed book The Republic of Science Polanyi, M. 1962.
• /10 Ts "My time with X-Rays and Crystals" Polanyi, M 1962
• /11 Ts "Tacit Knowing and the Pre-reflective cogito" Polanyi , 1962
• /12 Ts Science and Religion Polanyi, M published as "Science and Religion: Separate dimensions or Common Ground" Philosophy Today 7 Spring 1963
• /13 Ms "Collected Articles and Papers of Michael Polanyi" Gelwick, R L. [1963]
• 10; Ts "On the Modern mind" Polanyi, M. 1965.
• /14 Ts "The modern mind It’s Structure and Prospects" Polanyi, M published as "On the Modern Mind" Encounter 24 May 1965
• /15 Ts "Is Biology a Molecular Science?" Polanyi, M. 1966.
• /16 Ts "Clues towards the Understanding of mind and body" Polanyi, M.[c.1966?]
• /17 Ts "Hobbes and the Modern Mind: An introduction" Marjorie Grene, c.1966
• /18 Printed Journal Chemical and Engineering News 21st Aug 1967.
• /19 Offprint "The Growth of Science and Society" Polanyi, M., Minerva1967
• /20 Ts "Logic and Psychology" Polanyi, M. The American Psychologist 1968
• /22 Ts "Knowing and Being" Polanyi, M. Published in volume same title, ed by Marjorie Grene 1969
• /23 Printed book Anatomy of Knowledge ed Marjorie Grene. 1969.
• /24 Printed leaflet Colloque De L’Academie Internationale De Philosophie Des Sciences 1969.
• /25 Ts "Science and Man" Polanyi, M.1970.
• /26 Ts of an obituary notice for Sir Francis Walshe (Died 21st Feb 1973)
• /27 Letter dated Nov 1979, from the Sir Francis Walshe collection acknowledging the receipt of a collection of Polanyi’s works which was given as part of the Walshe collection to the Rockefeller medical library in 1979.
• /28 Ms of a request for a grant to publish a volume of essays and hold a consultation, n.d.
• /29 A number of loose typed sheets numbered 23-25, 32.

Sir Francis Walshe was a distinguished neurologist. He studied medicine at University College Hospital, and held junior appointments there at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London. In 1921 he was appointed honorary physician at the National Hospital, and held the same post at University Hospital, London from 1924. As a neurologist, his areas of specialism were the functioning of the cerebral cortex in relation to movement and neural physiology in relation to the experience of pain.

From 1937 to 1952, Walshe edited the journal Brain. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1946, and delivered the Harveian lecture at the Royal College of Physicians, London in 1948, and the Ferrier Lecture at the Royal Society in 1953. Walshe was knighted in 1953. He was president of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1952-4. In the latter part of his career, Walshe expanded his interests to more philosophical considerations of the mind-brain relationship.

Michael Polanyi achieved distinction in both the natural and human sciences. he was born in Budapest in 1891, and studied medicine at the University of Budapest. After serving in the Austro-Hungarian army during the First World War, he returned to Budapest to take a degree in chemistry.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Polanyi was primarily known as a physical chemist. He worked at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Fibre Chemistry, and then the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physical Chemistry, being appointed professor of physical chemistry at the latter institution in 1926. In 1933, he left Germany following the Nazi seizure of power, and became professor of physical chemistry at the University of Manchester. In this period, Polanyi was best known for his work on reaction kinetics.

By the late 1930s, Polanyi had become more involved with political issues, particularly where these related to intellectual freedom. Already a critic of national socialism, he was also outspoken against Soviet Communism and expressed concern over its appeal to some Western intellectuals.

In 1948, Polanyi gave up his chemistry chair at Manchester and took a personal chair in social studies (he retired in 1958). From this period, he focussed on philosophical wwork, particularly epistemology and the methodology of the sciences; his most influential work was Personal Knowledge (1958). He also wrote several political and economic works from a classical liberal viewpoint, including The Logic of Liberty (1951).

Arranged chronologically.

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

It is believed the

Walshe's main personal archive is held by University College London Special Collections (Ms Add. 301). This includes some correspondence between Walshe and Polanyi, 1962-1970. His library has been divided up between several institutions including the National Hospital, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and the Royal College of Physicians, London.

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

None expected.

The main collection of Michael Polanyi's papers is held at the University of Chicago Library. These include correspondence with Walshe, 1956-1970.