I have read a lot about the history of science in Britain. Even before the creation of the Royal Society, people doing science generally all knew each other and

I have read a lot about the history of science in Britain. Even before the creation of the Royal Society, people doing science generally all knew each other and communicated extensively, so I think there was a high degree of accountability. Even in the 19th century, scientific sub-communities were small. I suspect that the problem of accountability arose in the 20th century with the expansion of institutional science.