[whatshisface]

>The earliest papers were in some ways more readable than papers are today. They were less specialized, more direct, shorter, and far less formal. Calculus had only just been invented. Entire data sets could fit in a table on a single page. What little “computation” contributed to the results was done by hand and could be verified in the same way.

This is not even close to true. Look up Tycho Brahe's observations, and he's only the earliest I can think of.

[popcube]

in another way, if you read the early article in biology, they are very easy to read and funny! e.g., Wallace's article looks like travel note. but use them in research just a nightmare...