From willow bark to aspirin: The evolution of modern medicine, through the rise and fall of ancient and medieval empires
“There is a lot to learn from ancient medical treatises and scholars, not to only discover potential novel treatments, but also to learn the history of modern medicine, and appreciate the work that has been done thousands of years ago.”
Great science, uncomfortable history: Sir Gustav Nossal and the long tail of eugenics
“Dhoombak Goobgoowana has revealed the extensive influence of Nazi apologists, racists and massacre perpetrators in the history of the university – not referring to Nossal. It outlines how eugenic ideas about white superiority denigrated First Nations people, as well as non-white immigrants.”
Royal Society exhibition revives 18th-century debate about shape of the Earth
“Some members of the French Academy of Sciences interpreted measurements taken in Paris by scientists including Jacques Cassini as supporting the idea that the Earth was elongated at the poles, resembling a lemon or a melon.
By contrast, Isaac Newton had proposed that the centrifugal force caused by the Earth’s rotation would result in the planet being flattened at its poles, thus having a similar shape to an orange.”
Royal Society exhibition revives 18th-century debate about shape of the Earth
“_Some members of the French Academy of Sciences interpreted measurements taken in Paris by scientists including Jacques Cassini as supporting the idea that the Earth was elongated at the poles, resembling a lemon or a melon.
By contrast, Isaac Newton had proposed that the centrifugal force caused by the Earth’s rotation would result in the planet being flattened at its poles, thus having a similar shape to an orange._”
Did the Condemnation of 1277 Create Modern Science?
“The purpose of the Condemnation of 1277 was to stomp out any thought not strictly in accord with Church doctrine, including its various miracles such as the transformation in the Eucharist. To the extent that this condemnation was actually followed, it would have led to complete intellectual stagnation.”
I mustn't let May go by without a nod to my 2009 article on the discovery, during the 19th century, of same-sex copulation among Maybugs (also known as Maybeetles, cockchafers, doodlebugs). Do look out for them at it in your garden! 🌈🌳
“The first known calculation of the Earth’s circumference was made 2300 years ago by a man called Eratosthenes. I remember in school, how impressed I was by how accurately the Earth’s circumference was measured such long time ago. Today we’re going to take a closer look on how his calculation was made.”
Thomas Willis (1621-1675) : Neurologist, Chemist, Physician
“Willis is not only credited to be the founder of neurology, but he is also seen as the father of comparative neuroanatomy, as his work, in particular Cerebri anatome and De anima brutorum, compare the human brain with that of other species in ‘search for specific human abilities in cognitive functions’ (Molnár, p. 334).”
Thomas Willis (1621-1675) : Neurologist, Chemist, Physician
“Willis is not only credited to be the founder of neurology, but he is also seen as the father of comparative neuroanatomy, as his work, in particular Cerebri anatome and De anima brutorum, compare the human brain with that of other species in ‘search for specific human abilities in cognitive functions’ (Molnár, p. 334).”
The History of Ions: Unveiling the Electric Charge
"Around 1830, Faraday posited the existence of charged particles within molecules that migrate between electrodes during electrolysis—an idea ahead of its time."
#Image attribution: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Faraday_-_Man_of_Science_-_DPLA_-_5f2b65726e7d4bb523e98ae61828bc11_(page_6).jpg
The History of Ions: Unveiling the Electric Charge
"Around 1830, Faraday posited the existence of charged particles within molecules that migrate between electrodes during electrolysis—an idea ahead of its time."
#Image attribution: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Faraday_-_Man_of_Science_-_DPLA_-_5f2b65726e7d4bb523e98ae61828bc11_(page_6).jpg
The History of Ions: Unveiling the Electric Charge
"Around 1830, Faraday posited the existence of charged particles within molecules that migrate between electrodes during electrolysis—an idea ahead of its time."
#Image attribution: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Faraday_-_Man_of_Science_-_DPLA_-_5f2b65726e7d4bb523e98ae61828bc11_(page_6).jpg
"Space has fascinated authors, scientists, storytellers, and children alike. From a brief history of the moon to a collection of diverse stories connected to the stars, our Space Day reading list will deepen your love and appreciation of the cosmos."
"The term “eugenics” (from the Greek for ‘well born’) was birthed here in Cambridge by Trinity’s own Francis Galton in 1883. Galton was inspired by his cousin Charles Darwin and adapted the idea of natural selection to presuppose that the survival of the fittest had been distorted by social welfare policies."
"In most work in the history of science, the approach is to show how a particular event or outcome was the result of various social and intellectual influences. Bayesian history of science, on the other hand, focuses on the lines of evidence relevant to the historical development to see if the direction taken by an individual or group of scientists was consistent or inconsistent with the evidence at hand."
Henry Small; Bayesian history of science: The case of Watson and Crick and the structure of DNA. Quantitative Science Studies 2023; 4 (1): 209–228. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00233
"In most work in the history of science, the approach is to show how a particular event or outcome was the result of various social and intellectual influences. Bayesian history of science, on the other hand, focuses on the lines of evidence relevant to the historical development to see if the direction taken by an individual or group of scientists was consistent or inconsistent with the evidence at hand."
Henry Small; Bayesian history of science: The case of Watson and Crick and the structure of DNA. Quantitative Science Studies 2023; 4 (1): 209–228. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00233
Gloria Childress Townsend, eds. Rendering History: Women of ACM-W was just published this past week and is available on the ACM Digital Library. #histsci
<strong>Science of Naples: Making knowledge in Italy’s Pre-Eminent City, 1500–1800</strong>
"Individual chapters demonstrate the extent to which Neapolitan scholars and academies contributed to debates within the Republic of Letters that continued until deep into the nineteenth century. They also show how studies of Neapolitan natural disasters yielded unique insights that contributed to the development of fields such as medicine and earth sciences."
Science of Naples: Making knowledge in Italy’s Pre-Eminent City, 1500–1800
“Individual chapters demonstrate the extent to which Neapolitan scholars and academies contributed to debates within the Republic of Letters that continued until deep into the nineteenth century. They also show how studies of Neapolitan natural disasters yielded unique insights that contributed to the development of fields such as medicine and earth sciences.”
“This work is the first major attempt since the 1970s to challenge the idea that the essential engine of medical (and scientific) change in seventeenth-century Britain emanated from puritanism. It seeks to reaffirm the crucial role of the period of the civil wars and their aftermath in providing the most congenial context for a re-evaluation of traditional attitudes to medicine.”