Polymer science is now an active and thriving community of scientists engineers and
technologists but there was a time not so long ago when there was no such community. The
prehistory of polymer science helps to provide key insights into current issues and historical
problems. The story will be divided into an ancient period ( from Greek times to the creation
of the molecular consensus) a nascent period (from Dalton to Kekule to van't Hoff) and a
period of paradigm formation and controversy (from Staudinger to Mark to Carothers). The
prehistory concludes with an account of the epochal 1935 Discussion of the Faraday Society on
Polymerization. After this meeting an active community engaged in trying to solve the central
problems defined by the discussions.
