Atheoretical science

In Sweden, where chemistry remained an atheoretical science, the periodic system did not bring about any change in education or research. The periodic system also did not impress chemists in France and Spain, where there was a long tradition of and debate about the classification of matter. Some research considered the system to be the worst kind of natural classification, which did not show chemical analogies clearly. Before the advent of atomic structural theories and quantum... 

Denisov, E. T." ATheoretical Approach to the Optimization of Antioxidant Action." Mechanisms of Polymer Degradation and Stabilization, edited by G. Scott. London Elsevier Applied Science, 1990. 

The acceptance of the periodic system in Sweden was also closely linked with developments in physics. First of all, the features of chemistry in Sweden—the wish to classify, the analytical skill, and the atheoretical attitude—were shared by other sciences in Sweden during the late nineteenth century. Thus, the mapping of physical phenomena such as spectral lines, stars, and magnetic inclination was one main preoccupation of physicists in Sweden, and it can be said to correspond to the wish to classify in chemistry, and the use of advanced techniques for precision... 

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