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612 14. Appendix

phy of statistical methods and inference. He began to appreciate and build
practical statistical models, particularly useful for industrial applications. On
either count, philosophically he started drifting away from his “father’s foot-
steps.” It was quite some challenge for the younger Pearson to form his own
strong ideological base and research interests under the “shadow” of Karl
Pearson. During 1928-1938, extensive collaborations took place between Egon
Pearson and Jerzy Neyman whom he first met in 1924 when Neyman came
to visit the Galton Laboratory.
Neyman and (E. S.) Pearson (1928a, b) approached inference problems to
build statistical tools for experimenters to choose between two classes of
models. These culminated later into path-breaking contributions, Neyman and
(E. S.) Pearson (1333a,b). In the latter papers, likelihood ratio tests in the
multi-parameter cases were fully developed. Fisher criticized the Neyman-
Pearson approach claiming that his estimation theory, along with the likeli-
hood and sufficiency, was quite adequate, and that the work of Neyman and
Pearson on testing of hypotheses was misguided. This controversy between
Fisher and Neyman-Pearson was never settled.
Neyman and (E. S.) Pearson (1933a) has been included in the Break-
throughs in Statistics, Volume I [Johnson and Kotz (1992)]. Egon Pearson’s
(1966) own account of his collaborations with Neyman was recorded in the
article, The Neyman-Pearson Story: 1926-1934. Egon Pearson’s interests and
enthusiasm in editing statistical tables have been particularly noteworthy. With
H. O. Hartley, the revised Biometrika Tables for Statisticians, Volume 1 and 2,
were respectively published (Cambridge University Press) in 1954 and 1972.
Some of these tables are indispensable even today.
Egon Pearson received many honors. In 1935, he received the Weldon
Prize and Medal, and became President (1955) of the Royal Statistical Society
for a two-year period. In 1955, he was awarded the Guy Medal in Gold by the
Royal Statistical Society.
E. S. Pearson died on June 12, 1980 in Midhurst, Sussex. The opening
articles of Bartlett (1981) and Tippett (1981) in Biometrika detailed Egon
Pearson’s productive life and career. The obituary article which appeared in
the J. Roy. Statist. Soc. , Ser. A (1981, 144, pp. 270-271) is also very informa-
tive. The article, Egon S. Pearson (August 11, 1895-June 12, 1980): An ap-
preciation, written by Jerzy Neyman (1981) ended with the following sen-
tence: “The memories of cooperation with Egon during the decade 1928-
1938 are very dear to me.”
K. Pearson: Karl Pearson was born on March 27, 1857 in London. He
attended University College School and the Kings College, Cambridge as a
scholar. He got his degree in 1879 securing the Third Wrangler posi-
tion in Mathematical Tripos. He was appointed to the Chair of Applied