The term scientometry is used here to denote a collection of methods for analysing structure and development in science at a relatively highly developed level. As a methodological discipline, scientometry does not have any special object field; the methods can be applied in other social forms of organization than scientific ones, without any significant changes being necessary. Scientometry is not a particularly historical technique either although it is in that capacity that we will be concerned with it here. In fact, in many respects it is linked up with present science and must rather be called a quantitative sociology of science technique that can also be applied to parts of earlier science. In integrated studies of science – science of science – scientometry plays an important role as an instrument of analysis and prognosis for research policy.

One can distinguish between two kinds of studies within scientometrically orientated history of science, namely:

1. Studies that focus on the temporal development of science, quantified in various ways. Typically the development of scientific growth.

2. Studies that focus on the structure of scientific communication in a given period or on the influence of scientific contributions in the period. This form of history of science is close to many prosopographical and sociological studies.

Truly quantitative studies of history of science are a new phenomenon. The first completely quantitative history of science study – scientometrical in the sense we are using here – is from 1917, in which Cole and Eames applied bibliometrical methods to the history of anatomy.