NO. 109: FEBRUARY 2016

ISSN: 1751-8261 MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE

Contents Ayrton Prize Issue: Digital Delights Ayrton Winners 1-2 Voices of Science is Victorious Ayrton Shortlist Showcase 3-7 www.bl.uk/voices-of-science presents a selection of audio and Who was Hertha? 8- 9 video clips selected from more than 100 interviews with scientists and engineers, as well as photographs and biographical informa- Calculators of the Ancients 10-11 tion. Interview transcripts are also available, allowing visitors to BSHS Online 11 get a first-hand insight into the lives of notable scientists from a range of disciplines. Editing Pseudoscience 12-13

Conference Reports 13-14

Interview: Keith Moore 15

BJHS, Viewpoint, BSHS info. 16

Editorial

I This issue is dedicated to all things digital and computer-y, in honour of the awarding of our first ever Ayrton Prize. We feature the inside information on the shortlisted pro- jects from the people who created them (1-7). If you’re feeling inspired to try for the next Ayrton Prize, information on apply- ing for the prize is provided (2). As well as Above: the Voices of Science webpage, showing two of the many interviews that the awarding Ayrton, the BSHS have been busy team have conducted and made available online. online in other ways - we highlight how you can engage with us on your computer, Our favourite thing about the Voices of Sci- website provides historians of science with and introduce Web Editor, Jia Ou Song (11). ence website project was that it provided an introduction to the content of the longer An ancient device, the Antikythera the opportunity to present a more rounded interviews, but its format makes it useful for Mechanism, is the topic of a feature article picture of the life and work of scientists that teaching and research in its own right. These by Michael Edmunds (10-11). He discusses moves away from the flimsy stereotypes that interviews are unique in containing detailed the potentially ancient origins of the idea are so prevalent in popular culture. information about the lives and work of of a mechanical universe. Steve Fuller The website is a outcome of An Oral History scientists that is not available in other kinds of brings us up-to-date with a discussion of British Science, a major National Life Stories sources, and generally not in other interviews of a much more recent phenomenon, project to collect life story interviews with Brit- carried out with scientists. We have also used Wikipedia (12-13), and how this digital ish scientists, funded by Arcadia and based at the website to provide information about the giant shapes the history of pseudoscience. the British Library. Full interviews were made process for selecting interviewees and the And of course, no Ayrton special would be available on the British Library Sounds portal nature of the interview encounter, to help complete without a feature article on the as they were completed, but from the outset historians using the interviews in their own woman herself (8-9); Graeme Gooday dis- we intended to complement these with a research. In addition, the website draws atten- cusses the life and works of Hertha Ayrton website that would showcase edited extracts tion to interviews with scientists that were and husband William. and act as a gateway for researchers to access collected by National Life Stories prior to this Contributions to the next issue should the interviews in full. project. be sent to [email protected] by 15 Digital methods versus traditional tools Interviewing for An Oral History of British April 2016. of the historian is rapidly becoming a false Science started in 2009 and by mid-2011, with Alice White, Editor dichotomy as digital methods become a substantial number of interviews complete, integral to historical research of all types. Our we began to develop ideas for the website. We 2 Viewpoint No. 109

had a great variety of material and stories to tell with it, but few of our interviewees’ names are familiar to a public audience even if their ideas and innovations are, so we had to put much effort into navigation and structure. An early brainstorming session led by Mary Stew- art helped to identify the various different audiences for the site, accommodating their different needs into the design and planning for different user journeys. We also identified categories and sub-themes that the interview extracts might be used to highlight, as project interviewers Thomas Lean and Paul Merchant started cutting suitable clips. This was a time- consuming task because of the need for clips to stand on their own, shorn of the contextual The Voices website includes short videos explaining the process of interviewing and information contained in a longer interview. creating the website. Above is a still from an interview recording, with (L-R): Matt Caswell, videographer, Paul Merchant, interviewer and Richard West, interviewee. Along with Sally Horrocks, they also began to generate text to accompany the clips. The project was fortunate at this stage to be themes and the amount of text on the higher that would help to contextualise the oral his- level tory recordings and reflect on how they were “It breaks new ground in charting the lives of practising scien- pages created. Throughout we benefited from the tists and opens a gateway to a new generation of research and since guidance of our advisors, particularly Jon Agar no-one and John Lynch. engagement. The site itself is well-crafted and slick. Amongst a bothered The site went live in November 2013 after really excellent shortlist which included other innovative and to read 18 months of hard work, and we’ve updated it it. with more material since. We plan to continue engaging projects, Voices of Science is a worthy winner.” One to add extracts from existing interviews and Jamie Stark, BSHS Outreach & Education Committee Chair thing are trying to secure funding to continue the greatly interviewing programme to include those selected as a pilot for the British Library web- underestimated was the number of images areas of science not yet covered. site re-development, which meant that signifi- needed to make the website visually appeal- We were delighted when we found out that cant resources became available to develop ing. Website co-ordinator Steph Baxter, along we’d been shortlisted for the Ayrton Prize, not it to the next stage (user testing of the ‘wire with Elspeth Millar, Emily Hewitt and Hayley least because this provided an opportunity frames’ in September 2012). This was a sober- Moyse, took on the mighty task of sourcing to promote the website and the wider OHBS ing experience for us all; a website you think is images from interviewees and cataloguing project to the history of science community. designed in a clear and logical way seems any- the site content. Rob Perks, project director, thing but to actual users. We made substantial persuaded the project team to record videos An Oral History of British Science Team changes afterwards, reducing the number of to feature in an ‘About the project’ section National Life Stories, British Library What is the BSHS Ayrton Prize?

The Ayrton Prize is a new prize recognising outstanding web projects and digital engagement in the history of science, technology and medicine (HSTM). The prize name was chosen by members of the BSHS from a shortlist to recognize the major contributions of Hertha Ayrton (1854-1923) to numerous scientific fields (for more on Ayrton herself, see Graeme Gooday’s article on pp. 8 - 9).

The prize is organised by the BSHS Outreach & Education Committee. They considered all of the entries and compiled a shortlist. BSHS members then logged on and voted online for the overall winner.

To be eligible to be considered for the Ayrton Prize, it was decided that entries must: • Be a self-contained website (including blogs and other web-based projects), available in English, whose overall content is in HSTM, or a distinct HSTM subsection of a website, such as an online exhibition section of a museum website. • Have been created or updated with substantial new content within the last 2 years. • Communicate HSTM to a non-specialist audience and/or make new resources available for the study of HSTM. • Reflect current best practice in the discipline. • Make effective use of the medium.

More information on the Ayrton Prize and all other BSHS prizes can be found on: www.bshs.org.uk/prizes Viewpoint No. 109 3 Also on the 2015 Shortlist... Digital Stories from the Wellcome Collection digitalstories.wellcomecollection.org is an immersive, scrolling experience. It includes galleries, interactives and video that tells stories based on digitised material from the Wellcome Library’s collections and archives. Two virtual exhibitions provide journeys into mesmerism and scientific collection, integrating digital objects into storytelling in new ways.

Digital Stories began as a web project by Freud’s healing couch, and The Collectors, the commission Leo Bridle to make a film about Wellcome Collection to accompany the physi- tales of six knowledge-seeker who amassed James Tilly Matthews and the mysterious Air cal redevelopment of our building during objects as part of their search for truth. Loom that controlled him and his thoughts. 2013-15. As part of the redevelopment we had There were moments of great inspiration, Collaborations like this were essential to the set about transforming Wellcome Library’s but it wasn’t always plain sailing. As a com- finished product: we could never have made Reading Room from a traditional academic pletely new project, there was no template this by ourselves. study area into a more open and interactive for anything, so we developed the form of the Since launching both Mindcraft and The space for the public, drawing casually curious interactives, wrote the stories and researched Collectors, we’ve done some evaluation, visitors closer to a deeper engagement with the content simultaneously. One of the most looking at everything from the production the library’s collections. Initially, we thought enlightening parts of the process was to see process to usability issues. We’ve been of making some kind of mobile guide to the the tension between what looked good on gratified to learn that there was a real thirst content of the room itself. We soon thought screen and what was ‘authentic’. We opted for the kind of stories that we were telling and better of that, and set about making a digital for compelling visuals without sacrificing how we were telling them; understandably product that would do the same thing as accuracy. in a project of this size there were also some the Reading Room, but for a areas in which we’d failed to geographically wider online “One of those rare websites to be experienced rather than understand just what would audience. hit home with audiences. We worked with award-win- browsed. A rich montage of images, audio, animation, and We’re now looking at ning Brighton-based design interactive elements, combined in innovative fashion to cre- both the framework agency Clearleft on product ate engaging stories. we developed and the development, settling on a storytelling method, to format inspired by the new Tom Lean, BSHS Outreach & Education Committee find ways of taking them wave of interactive ‘longform’ forward. We’re particularly journalism typified by the New York Times’ Though we didn’t quite know what we interested in talking to anyone else thinking Snow Fall. We then set up a small in-house would end up with when we started out, about similar forms of ‘big’ or ‘slow’ digital production team that worked together with one thread that ran through the project from storytelling, not just to share what we’ve Clearleft’s team of designers, together with beginning to end was the desire to tell stories learned, but to learn from others. freelance writers developing the stories. from the history of science and medicine that We were very pleased indeed to be short- We developed two complete stories: Mind- began with the stories and used collections listed for the first Ayrton Prize, and looking craft, an alternative history of hypnotism to tell them, rather than attempting to tell the at other projects it feels like prestigious and mind control that ultimately arrives on stories of the collections themselves. Perhaps company to be in. Though Digital Stories was the most interesting thing that this allowed firmly focused on engagement with a curious us to do was to public audience rather than an academic one, commission new we made lots of use of embedded original work, in the form sources from paintings to whole books, using of short films Wellcome Library’s player software. We’re and infograph- increasingly interested in the overlapping ics, that helped territory between what’s ‘playful’ for research- tell the stories, ers but ‘serious’ for the public. It feels like the without being Ayrton Prize is rewarding just this kind of tied to only emergent practice. Film and infograph- using collec- ics help to bring the tions material. It Danny Birchall stories to life online. was a particular Wellcome Collection pleasure to [email protected] 4 Viewpoint No. 109

Equatorie of the Planetis The text showcased on cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/ view/MS-PETERHOUSE-00075-00001 dates from the 14th century, and describes an instrument for calculating the position of the planets. The website has detailed explanatory notes, and an innovative virtual model, complete with instructions, which lets you use the equatorium just like a medieval scholar would have done.

The project was the brainchild of Scott tunity for research We Mandelbrote, Fellow and Perne Librarian into Price’s role in were hon- of Peterhouse, who saw an opportunity to the establishment of oured to be short- kick-start the digitisation of the College’s the discipline of history of listed for the Ayrton Prize alongside manuscripts. The Equatorie of the Planetis was science in the UK in the 1950s. such attractive and innovative projects. We a relatively well known manuscript in need The heart of the project was the virtual hope that the publicity will encourage people of further study, and Scott had the idea of equatorium, a collaboration between Ben to visit the site and play with the equatorium creating a physical reconstruction and virtual Blundell and me. The challenge for me was – we’ve already had great feedback from both model. He suggested a collaboration with the to identify and isolate the key features of the scholars and teachers using it in their classes. Whipple Museum. I was looking for a project instrument, breaking down the process of its for PhD research, and Director and Curator use into discrete steps that could be shown Seb Falk Liba Taub brought me into the project. At an on a virtual model, and to explain these to University of Cambridge early stage Scott also involved staff from the Ben. In turn, Ben had the challenge of coding [email protected] Cambridge Digital Library, and Professors a tactile model and a physical process. He Rod Thomson and Kari Anne Rand, experts found that some of the problems he faced in medieval libraries were the same as Further Reading in general and this “Equatorie beautifully shows how the physical version, • For programmer Ben Blundell’s take on manuscript in particu- digital media can help to bring sci- such as working at an the project, see: www.section9.co.uk/ lar. He was also able to appropriate scale. Oth- posts/2014-05-28-Equatorie.html recruit a very generous entific text and instrument alive. ers, such as simulat- • For more on Price and history of science, donor, Professor Joe The inclusion of the digital model ing the movement of see: astrolabesandstuff.blogspot.co.uk/ Pesce, whose support of the related equatorium allows the equatorium’s silk search/label/Derek%20de%20Solla%20 enabled us to hire an threads, required inno- Price expert programmer, for a combined study rarely pos- vative programming Ben Blundell. sible in physical collections.” skills. And of course The project had a virtual equatorium several parts, each Katy Barrett, BSHS OEC that would work for with its own chal- any date in the past lenges. Decisions had to be made concerning or future, but based on fourteenth-century whether the manuscript should be disbound tables, needed to transition seamlessly or if conservation work needed to be carried between the Julian and Gregorian calendars! out; once digital images were obtained, the We are really happy with how the virtual presentation and accessibility of these needed equatorium allows visitors to the website to careful planning. The detailed explanatory get a feel for how these medieval instruments text, written by Kari Anne Rand and me, which would have worked – and it’s beautiful, too. covers the historical and personal context, We’re also especially happy with how well linguistic and palaeographical details and the whole concept is integrated within the technical content of the manuscript, came out Cambridge Digital Library: in many ways it’s of our own research. Care was taken to ensure a traditional digitisation project, simply mak- that this text was fully linked with the images ing an important manuscript accessible to a of the manuscript. A fully searchable transcrip- worldwide audience, but its versatility and tion and translation was also produced. searchability makes the most of the digital Early in the project, the physical reconstruc- medium. We feel the lesson of this project is tion made for the manuscript’s first editor what can be gained by bringing together a Derek Price in Cambridge’s Cavendish Labora- small team of experts in different fields who, tory was rediscovered in the Whipple Museum learning from each other, can work together Top: the equatorie digital model in action. stores, which made it unnecessary to produce to provide new insights into much-studied Above: folio 74r. Courtesy of the Master a new reconstruction, but provided an oppor- manuscripts and archives. and Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Viewpoint No. 109 5

Historic Recipes (for Success!) recipes.hypotheses.org/ brings old recipes to life for academics, students and the general pub- lic. Posts include anything from Babylonian recipes on tablets to literary interpretations of Chinese recipes. Regular series, such as “First Monday Library Chat”, are supplemented with special issues. The Recipes Project emerged gradually. Its origin is in the Medicinal Receipts Research (MRR) group, which met occasionally and set up a listserv in the early 2000s. (Some of dents for a bit of extra administrative assis- religious prohibitions. The Recipe Project’s contributors, such as tance. But our success really comes from the Digital methods are increasingly part of the Anne Stobart, were founding members of the 80+ people who have written such excellent historian’s toolkit. Who doesn’t (at the very MRR.) Then, in 2010, Elaine Leong established content for the blog! least) regularly use online primary source a website on early modern recipes at the The amazing community of writers and collections such as Eighteenth Century Col- University of Warwick; when she moved to the readers are the best things about the project. lections Online and dip in and out of Twitter Max Planck Institute in Berlin, the webpage In creating the Recipes website, we have built or relevant blogs? As growing numbers of was archived and the research group lost a wonderful community of scholars and lay projects appear online, there are lots of data- impetus. A couple years later, Elaine Leong people who are interested in recipes. Our wide bases readily available. Digital methods allow and I became involved in an online recipe geographical and temporal scope also makes historians to sift through massive amounts of transcription project (emroc.hypotheses.org) the project very inclusive. The blog is a place data held on various databases, or to benefit and thought that blogging might be a good where scholars share cutting edge research from alternative ways of visualising the data, way of reconnecting with the aims of MRR and teaching practices—and it makes it very such as network analysis or mapping. These and building a much larger online community easy to keep track of the field as a whole: Who are only tools though—the ability to assess interested in recipes. are the graduate students? Who is working on the information gained by using the tools is similar top- still one of the basic skills of a historian. “It offers beautifully illustrated primary sources, multi-dis- ics for dif- One thing we’d say to anyone thinking ciplinary international scholarship and lively informal com- ferent time about setting up a project is that when it periods or comes to blogging and social media, it takes ments and blogs. With real breadth of audience (from profes- geographic a while to build up an audience and group sional chefs to Wiccans to academics!) and insightful analysis, regions? of contributors. Don’t be discouraged! Our By read- biggest outcome is our success in gradually it truly offers historical food for thought.” ing each building a community. We have developed a Jeff Hughes, BSHS Outreach & Education Committee other’s large group of contributors, which includes posts, graduate students and professors alike. And Elaine Leong and I have been co-editors contributors become aware of new ways of in 2015, we had over 200000 unique visitors— since the autumn 2012, but we realised after looking at old problems, which stimulates most of whom stopped to read several blog about a year that it was difficult to sustain the new thinking on recipes. This process is facili- posts during a visit. commissioning, editing, administration, and tated by the comments left by readers, and by We were thrilled to be shortlisted for the promotion of an increasingly successful blog the conversation that occurs on social media. Ayrton Prize, and especially honoured when with only two of us. The answer? Co-editors! Some posts are written in response to other(s), we saw who our competition was. We brought in two more co-editors (Amanda which pushes the debate even further. Herbert and Laurence Totelin), a social media Also… recipes are so much fun. They are Lisa Smith editor (Laura Mitchell), a First Monday Library deceptively simple: they encourage us to dig University of Essex Chat editor (Michelle diMeo) and occasional beneath and around a seemingly straightfor- [email protected] administrative assistants (Julia Jaegle, Chelsea ward list of ingredients and directions, provok- Clark and Erin Spinney). We have also invited ing conversations about historic foodways, More on the Recipes project history is in- guest editors to organise special series, and, linguistics, scientific praxis, conceptions of cluded in a flashback section of the website: very occasionally, we hire postgraduate stu- race and class, medical breakthroughs, and recipes.hypotheses.org/recipes-project-flashback 6 Viewpoint No. 109

The Board of Longitude cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/longitude is a digitised edition of the entire extant Board of Longitude archive as well as other papers, currently totalling nearly 64,000 digital images. Schools resources and archive stories give context and wider reach to this important and easy-to-use scholarly resource.

The Longitude project came about as part of and organise across three sites, Some of the amazing images from the collection. Above: a pre-existing AHRC-funded research project, with so many people doing Marine chair, William Chevasse. RGO 14/36: 51r and a collaboration between the History and Phi- so many different things. We below: Globe instrument, Edward Chafe. RGO 14/39: 39r losophy of Science Department in Cambridge brought the project in on time and the National Maritime Museum in Green- and on budget, and a major factor in this digital collection, they provide introductions wich. Everything was in place for the research was having plenty of face-to-face meetings to important aspects of the archive. Film is a project and the Library to join forces and – email can only get you so far! In the final powerful way of communicating ideas, and produce a sustainable and comprehensive stages, the Education and Outreach Officer putting them straight onto YouTube means digital resource for everyone to use. We got from the National Maritime Museum spent that they have a broad audience. We learnt some money from JISC and away we went! quite a lot of time “embedded” in the Library. that it’s just as important to push material out Collaboration has been the key to the pro- This was invaluable, drawing all the threads to places like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, ject’s success – bringing together the some- together into a comprehensible whole. as it is to draw people into the site. People are times very different perspectives of the aca- Though demic, library and museum worlds. A range of the project “This site provides an insight into the process and products people worked on the project – researchers, had its of historical research, and sheds new light on a well-known archivists, curators, photographers, design- challenges, ers, technical staff, film makers and (very the benefits episode from the history of science. Inclusion of material for importantly) education and outreach experts. certainly school groups and identification of highlights and stories The richness and usefulness of the site is a made it product of the variety of skills and experience worthwhile makes the site useful for wider audiences too.” that went into its creation: it would have been work. For a Melanie Keene, BSHS Outreach & Education Committee impossible for any of the project partners to start there’s have achieved this on their own. the importance of the material we’ve made still viewing, using and thinking about the Communication was a major widely available. Historians no longer have to material even if it isn’t strictly on your terms. challenge be physically in the Library – now anyone in Our statistics show that we’ve had over 55 – trying to the world can use these valuable resources for thousand users, with an average time on site schedule free. Digitisation also makes some tasks easier: exceeding four and a half minutes. This indi- for example generating indexes of people or cates lots of people are looking at the material places are mentioned in a large archive can in a detailed and thorough way, consistent now be done with a simple search. And some with teaching and research. There has also methods would have been impossible in the been a lot of publication on the archive since pre-digital age. For instance, using record- launch, and we now have a single unified site ings in ships’ log books to track 18th century for digital content, so the end of the project climate patterns. We’re only just beginning does not mean that the site is frozen in time. to see the results of these methods, and Since the project launch we have added new it’s going to be exciting to see how they material to the collection using the same change the whole field. workflows, and will continue to do so in the Just as important as the content future. So for us, the project taught us a lot of the project is the way we’ve about how to make, open-ended digital made it available – intimately link- resources, something we are continuing with ing the latest research with the current projects such as our Darwin Manu- archive itself is a very powerful scripts and Transit of Venus digitisation. model. Add in the hundreds of We were so happy to find out that we’d links to museum objects and been shortlisted for the Ayrton Prize, espe- search functionality across the cially when we saw the strength of the other whole collection and you start to candidates. It’s fantastic to get that kind of see the primary sources in a very specialist recognition. Unfortunately we didn’t rich environment, producing new win this year, but we hope to have a couple of research questions and answers. candidates for the 2016 prize! My favourites from the project are Huw Jones the three animated films. Using images University of Cambridge of real documents and objects from the [email protected] Viewpoint No. 109 7

Science Gossip www.sciencegossip.org/ crowd- sources information about historical documents: a new approach to engaging public audiences. This site is a citizen science platform that invites participants to tag illustrations from a series of Victorian natural history periodicals, generating a rich and interactive history of science resource.

Science Gossip was born out a desire to see bers of the Missouri Botanical Garden, includ- but are how a citizen science community could help ing Trish Rose-Sandler, Mike Lichtenberg partners both improve the accessibility of a digital re- and William Ulate, who are the core content in the source and produce data for historians work- providers. The Missouri Botanical Garden will produc- ing on historical images and periodicals. The ensure that the metadata generated is openly tion of resulting community, and the data they have available to researchers in due course. The history! generated, have far outstripped our initial real work of the website, however, is done by Our hopes for the project. It’s now an incredibly the thousands of citizen scientists (currently favourite vibrant place for the generation of new ideas more than 8000!) who do the classification aspect of the website so far is the range of and information. and bring new lines of historical questioning really interesting illustrations and illustrat- The website developed from an open call to the dataset. ing processes that the users are highlighting for new citizen science projects, organized Creating citizen humanities projects such within the ‘Talk’ section (talk.sciencegossip. by the AHRC project “Constructing Scientific as this allows us to analyse vast archives – so org). The citizen scientists are showcasing Communities: Citizen Science in the 19th and much a part of the ‘big data’ question in the just how fascinating periodicals are for both 21st Centuries” (ConSciCom) and Zooniverse. history of science. We have just completed Victorian and modern audiences. While many Responding to this call, the Missouri Botani- the classification of 130,000 pages from 17 users are anonymous, there is an active com- cal Gardens – acting as a key participant in Victorian periodicals, which is phenomenal! munity of participants who engage with lively the digital library of the Biodiversity Heritage The data from this will be used to improve the discussion. The moderators of the Talk forum, Library – proposed a project to help them image search capability of these periodicals @jules and @yshish, do an amazing job of identify, categorize and create metadata for within the Biodiversity Heritage Library. I’ll both answering queries of other users and a collection of images that lay within their also use this material for research on the use also bringing new questions to the mate- digitized sources, but which were not easily of illustration within Victorian natural history rial. For instance, recently, some of the users searchable. The goals of the proposed project journals. In the future, we plan on continuing have become very interested in getting more to upload information on the female contributors to Science Gossip had harnessed the technology designed new peri- the various periodicals and have started a list for ‘Zooniverse’ with a project that brought together (and odicals, and of female authors. The designation of female potentially contributors is beyond the scope of what the benefitted) contemporary scientists, historians of science also books website asks users to do. However, giving and the general public. It’s an excellent way for researchers and other users freedom to pursue their own interests printed created an opportunity for them to advocate to contribute to improving the accessibility of their source materials. for further research into content, which will material.” As all of the be essential to understanding the historical data that role of these periodicals as sites for a broad Liz Haines, BSHS Outreach & Education Committee comes out participation in 19th century science. of Science We were very honoured to be shortlisted for fit perfectly with the research I was conduct- Gossip is made by and for public use, it is the Ayrton, especially considering the excel- ing for ConSciCom on the role of illustrations hoped that other researchers and interested lent company that it placed us in! What the within natural history periodicals. parties will also use the data to answer ques- Ayrton has shown is just how rich and wide A huge number of people were involved tions they may have about Victorian illustra- ranging the digital resources are within HSTM. in the creation of Science Gossip. Partners tion. included Victoria Van Hyning who was then What is really fascinating about Science the citizen humanities lead; frontend web Gossip is that the key to generating ‘big data’ Geoff Belknap developer Jim O’Donnell who works on Con- is in changing the role the public has to play in University of Leicester SciCom projects more generally; and mem- this research; they are no longer an audience, [email protected] 8 Viewpoint No. 109

The Authoritative Hertha Ayrton Graeme Gooday on the history of Hertha Ayrton (1854 - 1923), after whom our new digital prize was named.

Hughes medal until 2008. paratory examinations, and the patronage of And despite widespread Barbara Bodichon, the philanthropic activist support to elect her an for womens’ rights, in 1877 Hertha Marks com- F.R.S., the Royal Society’s menced study of mathematics at Girton, one lawyers claimed in 1902 of two colleges then dedicated to women at that its statutes debarred the University of Cambridge. her, as a married woman, Coached by Richard Glazebrook for the from holding a Fellowship. Mathematics Tripos examinations, Hertha Hertha was characteristi- Marks was persistently drawn to practical cally undeterred by thus and educational aspects of the subject. She apparent snub. Indeed, up constructed a sphygmomanometer, and to her untimely death (from devised problems and solutions in Mathemati- blood poisoning) in 1923, cal Questions from the Educational Times for she continued researches almost two decades. After completing her interspersed with cam- studies in 1881 (Cambridge did not then paigning for women’s award women degrees), she returned to Lon- enfranchisement, and fam- don to earn her living by teaching. In her spare ily duties of care. How was time she not only ran a club for working girls it that she positively thrived and cared for her ailing sister, but also devel- on the many challenges oped and patented a line divider for upscal- Oil on canvas painting of Hertha Ayrton by Helena Arsène that came her way? And ing drawings. The positive reception granted Darmesteter. Image courtesy of The Mistress and Fellows, how was it that Phoebe her device in 1884 encouraged her to pursue Girton College, Cambridge Sarah Marks, born without research. Drawn to the fast-growing field privilege in 1854, became of electrical technology Hertha enrolled at A little more than a century ago, two well- the world-famous (Mrs) Hertha Ayrton? As for Finsbury Technical College – one of only a tiny attended lectures in London set important so many women in the 19th century, the very handful of women to do so. She had already precedents for communicating physics and limited routes into a scientific career were made the acquaintance of the Professor of its applications. The first, on the enigmatic mediated through the contingencies of family Physics there, William Ayrton, shortly after the ‘hissing’ of electric arc lights, was presented connections and female support networks. death of his first spouse. When she arrived at at the Institution of Electrical Engineers As the third of seven children in an impover- Finsbury, he made special arrangements for (IEE) on March 23rd 1899. The second, at the ished Orthodox Jewish family in Portsmouth, her studies to accommodate teaching obliga- Royal Society on June 16th 1904, explored Sarah Marks was no stranger to adversity. tions - even as he moved to the new City and remarkable patterns spontaneously formed Her mother was a seamstress and her father Guilds College at South Kensington. in seashore sand ripples. These well-received a refugee from anti-semitic persecution in William Ayrton came from an intellectual lectures were highly topical, original and Poland. Never in robust health nor successful family that strongly supported women’s analytically acute – and delivered for the first as a watchmaker-jeweller, he died when Sarah rights. In 1866 he had encouraged his cousin time in these organisations histories by a was seven years old. Her early schooling was Matilda Chaplin to train for a medical career. woman. The lecturer in both cases was Hertha thus organised by aunts in London: her cousin At the invitation of Sophia Jex-Blake, Matilda Ayrton, by then Britain’s most distinguished Marcus Hartog introduced her to science, joined the ‘Edinburgh Seven’ group of women female practitioner in applied physics. Just and his older brother Numa (the first Jewish determined to study medicine despite vehe- two months after her IEE lecture, her celebrity senior wrangler at Cambridge, appointed ment opposition. After becoming the first Mrs was sealed as the first woman to become a in 1869) taught her mathematics. Support- Ayrton in 1871, Matilda qualified in midwifery full IEE member; and two years after her Royal ing her mother by teaching, at the age of 16, as a fallback career and trained a new genera- Society lecture, she received its prestigious Sarah came into the cultural orbit of Mary Ann tion of Japanese midwives when accompany- Hughes Medal. Hertha Ayrton is thus now an Evans (George Eliot). And here Sarah found ing William to Japan. Eventually qualifying as iconic figure in early 20th century science, and a supportive network of intellectual women M.D. in Paris and licensed in Ireland, Matilda has been an inspiration to many women (and that both raised her aspirations and renamed began her practice in Sloane Street, London men) ever since. her. Ottilie Blind dubbed her ‘Hertha’ after in 1880, and studied ophthalmology at the But how significant a precedent did she set? Swinburne’s eponymous poem on the earth Royal Free Hospital. But her brief medical No further women were IEE members until goddess (Erda), and the nickname rapidly career was cut short upon her premature 1958, and no other woman was awarded the stuck. With Blind’s companionship in pre- death from tuberculosis in July 1882, leaving Viewpoint No. 109 9

William to raise their child Edith. It was thus when, owing to the Institution’s prohibition recently bereaved and seeking a new intellec- of female speakers, Pierre Curie was ironi- In Memory: A Personal tually matched companion for academic and cally obliged to explain why Marie alone was Recollection of John Forrester domestic life that William Ayrton thus came to responsible for the discovery of radium. Tragi- When I began to think about possible PhD know Hertha at Finsbury. cally Marie and Hertha both soon found that topics, lecturers listened kindly to my half- After a brief courtship that centred upon widowhood was a prerequisite for uncon- baked ideas. ‘That sounds a bit weird’, was her critical proof-reading of his Practical Elec- tested authorship. the upshot of what they said; ‘maybe John tricity: a Laboratory and Lecture Course (1887), Indeed by 1901, William’s health was deteri- Forrester would supervise it’. A man whose William and Hertha were married on 6 May orating from overwork, so the Ayrtons took to chief quality was a willingness to supervise 1885, the new ‘Mrs Ayrton’ having reconciled seaside convalescence at Margate. It was this the slightly weird: he sounded pretty good. her orthodox Jewish mother to their secular fortuitous circumstance led Hertha to critique And so, trepidatiously, I knocked on his door. union. For the 22 years of their companiate existing explanations of the regularity of sand The sunlight from the high, metal-framed marriage, William and Hertha each took great ripples. Her analysis of the mechanisms of windows of his office soaked through the care to establish the independence of her standing waves and vortices led to her famed spongy golden atmosphere of countless achievements. Hertha maintained a part-time Royal Society lecture of 1904. A decade later hand-rolled cigarettes. He was sitting career in lecturing on electrical innovation, she extended this analysis to assist in repelling behind his desk, this Buddha-faced icon of notwithstanding her variable health and the poison gas attacks that appalled the world Freudian genius and subject of awed under- care for their daughter Barbara born in 1886. in spring 1915. The effectiveness of the Ayrton graduate tales of lecturing eccentricity. Fittingly, Hertha’s resources for independ- ‘flapper’ Fan in the Great War trenches has John knew enough about semiotics to ent research were much enhanced in 1891 been disputed, but not all users deployed it know which words were, and were not, by a Bodichon legacy (left by women’s rights with Hertha’s recommended techniques. needed. The same went for his supervisory campaigner Barbara The Ayrtons joined the skills. He would run with what you had Leigh Smith Bodichon). Women’s Social and Politi- written, and never tried to impose his own An opportunity to use cal Union (WSPU) in 1906, interests or narrative. He picked up on odd these resources soon and William’s last public threads and by-comments, which in his opened up: William act was to ride with the hands would mysteriously turn out to be the had planned to lecture WSPU’s parade through trick to unravelling the whole ball of wool. on the arc light at the Hyde Park in July 1908. John was mischievous, philosophical, Chicago Electrical In widowhood, Hertha’s clever. He was also kind: never one of those Congress of 1893, but a home hosted both her people who needed to assert his (vast, servant there acciden- laboratory research and polymathic) knowledge as superior to that tally burned his paper. suffrage campaigners: in of someone junior. He treated all ideas Hertha agreed to repli- 1912–13 Mrs Pankhurst courteously, as though there were some cate the research, and and others stayed there speck of percipience in there waiting to be obtained so many new while recovering from magnified. results that they agreed William Ayrton (1847-1908), circa hunger strikes. Efforts to In hindsight I wonder whether some of thereafter to make the 1890. Image Courtesy of the Science secure votes for women John’s willingness to entertain off-centre electric arc her special- Museum / Science & Society Picture in the UK were (partly) topics had to do with his own career experi- ist area. Library fulfilled in February 1918 ence. At a time when sociologically-inspired One key problem owing to demonstrations historians of science were busy critiquing was the strange hissing and recurrent sput- - such as Hertha Ayrton’s fan - of women’s now notions of truth and factuality, they were tering of the electric arc in street lighting. This indisputable capacities. While her researches nevertheless re-treading the same paths of Hertha found to result from oxidation at the on vortices had several potential major peace- proper science by way of historic exemplifi- positive carbon electrode. By excluding oxy- time industrial application, Ayrton dedicated cation. They were physically perched, after gen from the pair of carbon arcs, she obtained her efforts after the war to launching the all, at the periphery of the New Museums a steadier light, and formulated the ‘Ayrton International Federation of University Women site, which belonged to the science depart- equation’ to inter-relate arc length, pressure, in 1919 and the National Union of Scientific ments. John, however, got on with psychoa- and voltage. Her international reputation was Workers in 1920. Hertha Ayrton’s commitment nalysis as though that had always belonged established when she published her find- to publicly engaged and useful science appro- in a department devoted to science. He was ings serially in the Electrician and then in her priately now lives on in the BSHS Prize named a path-breaker for what ‘counts’. monograph The Electric Arc (1902), long the in her honour. The last time I saw John was also a sunny standard historical and textbook treatment day, an afternoon. He was talking about a of carbon-arc lighting. When the Admiralty new-found passion for Game of Thrones. commissioned William in 1903 to solve the Graeme Gooday I was, not for the first time, a little non- problems of roaring and wandering in its arc- University of Leeds plussed. ‘Now we have Game of Thrones we lit searchlights, it was Hertha’s research that [email protected] don’t need Shakespeare any more’, he added showed the solution lay (again) in oxygen-free with that ‘I dare you to take me seriously’ operations and redesigned carbon arcs. The smile. Admiralty nevertheless persisted in send- If you are interested in reading more on Ayr- Thanks to John there are many of us ing William payment for her research. Such ton, you could consult Evelyn Sharp, Hertha out there, a secret society of former PhD problems of spousal attribution (and perhaps Ayrton: A Memoir (London, Edward Arnold: students, who dare to take apparently silly a shared Polish heritage) prompted Hertha to 1926). things seriously, and supposedly weighty become a sympathetic confidante to Marie things not too much so. Thank you, John. Sklodowska-Curie. Both Ayrtons had been Thank you to Paula Gould, Sophie Forgan and Charlotte Sleigh, University of Kent present at the Royal Institution in June 1903 the late Joan Mason for sharing their insights. 10 Viewpoint No. 109

The Mechanical Universe: Calculation & Concept Michael Edmunds on the importance of ancient devices like the Antikythera Mechanism. What’s wrong with the following statement taken from a popular textbook on Western Civilization? “The unique contribution of the Scientific Revolution to the making of the modern world-view lay in its new mechanical concep- tion of nature” I want to argue that there is good evidence that the idea of a mechanical Universe goes back a lot further in time. Most readers will have heard of the Antikythera Mechanism. This is an astronomical calculator made around 100 BCE, from a shipwreck discovered in 1900 AD near the island in the Mediter- ranean after which it is named. Its main functions were finally reconstructed in the early years of the 21st century. It used well over 30 gear wheels in complex and inter- A reconstruction of the Antikythera Mechanism. The front (L) shows the Moon, Mercury, leaved chains to drive dials showing calendri- Venus, Sun, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter in the zodiac, with a lunar phase display near the cal cycles of the sun and moon, including centre. The upper back spiral (R) is a 19-year lunar/solar calendar, and the lower spiral eclipses, and a topographic display showing shows lunar months of the 18.2-year Saros cycle in which eclipses are likely to occur. the position in the zodiac of the sun, moon Copyright: Hublot, with fonts from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. and known planets – although the gearing for the latter is missing. It included a display Johannes Kepler and Wilhelm Schickard dis- were common enough to be known about of the lunar phase, and even incorporated a cussed the construction of such a device, and not just by astronomers, but also by members variable-speed mechanism to mimic some the practical examples were developed by Pascal of the more general intelligentsia such as the moon’s irregular motion. in 1642 and Moorland in 1666. But it was medic Galen. The importance of the Antikythera Mecha- not until the 19th century that they became You might regard the hardware simply nism is evident in three ways – firstly as a extensively used, yielding to electronic as ancient “executive toys”, and indeed salutary lesson not to underestimate ancient devices in the second half of the 20th. their actual purpose (a visible statement of Greek technology and ingenuity, secondly The late development may have been partly knowledge? teaching devices?) is not clear. as the first know mechanical calculator, and due to a conceptual barrier – the meshing of But I think there is a deeper importance in thirdly as a survivor of a tradition of devices gears inevitably gives rise to irregularities, and their existence which bears strongly on that that may have profound implications for the to maintain accuracy to several significant “mechanical conception of nature”. As a development of scientific thought. figures requires the development of discrete device, the Antikythera Mechanism shows sev- The subsequent development of a more rather than simply analogue devices. Availabil- eral interesting properties: (i) it is causal – one general purpose mathematical calculator ity of cheap labour for computation may also gear drives the next (ii) it is deterministic – the seems to have taken rather a long time. It is have reduced the necessity of its invention for gears turn in a pre-arranged train (iii) it is reg- known from correspondence in 1632 that economic applications. ular – cycles and motions are reproduced (iv) Without the it can show “regular irregularity” – i.e. complex survival of the but still deterministic behaviour (v) it is oper- Antikythera ated with a single knob – i.e. a prime mover Mechanism we which drives all its actions. These are the might have diffi- principles of a rational mechanical Universe. It culty in accepting is not necessary to believe that the Universe the reliability is actually driven by some hidden array of of references to gear wheels. What is important here is a sort such devices in of “proof of existence of a solution”. If you can classical litera- show that some mechanical construction can ture. There are at mimic the motions of the known Universe, An exploded schematic of the known gear trains of the Antikythera least twenty rea- then even if you do not know the form of the Mechanism. The red gears drive the sun pointer and the other trains. sonable reports mechanism of the real Universe you never- The green and blue gears drive respectively the back dial spiral displays between the first theless have a solid basis for a rational belief of lunar/solar calendar (upper) and Saros eclipse cycle (lower). The yel- century BCE and that such an explanation could be found. At low gears, incorporating a variable speed device, drive the moon pointer the fifth century least it stops the need for arbitrary gods to on the front dial. Copyright: Antikythera Mechanism Research Project AD. The devices push the sun, moon and planets around – and Viewpoint No. 109 11

The BSHS Online #histsci

Wells Cathedral clock whose original mechanism was built around 1390. Like the Antikythera Mechanism, it has a moon phase indicator. Photograph by Cormullion. the prime mover can be secular forces rather than a deity. The emergence of such views at early times was also recently proposed on other grounds in The Mechanical Hypothesis in Ancient Greek Natural Philosophy by Sylvia Ber- ryman. There is even a suggestion by James Evans and Christiàn Carman that the epicyclic mathematical models developed by the Greek to explain planetary motion may themselves have been stimulated by analysing geared mechanisms, rather than vice versa. Some sort of survival of the tradition of Above: The newly revamped BSHS website. Be sure to take a look if you haven’t already! geared mechanical astronomical displays can be faintly traced up to the time of the inven- The BSHS has been busy online lately. You from the journal and @BSHSOutreach lets tion of the clock regulator escapement around may have already engaged with the us online you know what we (and others) are up to in 1280 AD. The escapement led to a technologi- in some form, but you may not be aware of regard to outreach and engagement. Last but cal explosion in the development of gearing all the different ways you can be part of the not least, @BSHSViewpoint provides previews and to the era of the mediaeval cathedral and history of science community online. During of new issues, and lets you know the latest town clocks, many of which showed lunar/ 2015, our website (www.bshs.org.uk) had an themes. Tweets from BSHS events are collated solar and astronomical information. By 1364 overhaul: you can see the homepage above. and curated at storify.com/bshsnews/ We are Giovanni de Donde in Padua had constructed The website features information on the also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheB- the first known device – his “Astrarium” – that society and its prizes, grants, and publications. SHS), providing updates on news and events. is more complicated than the Antikythera It also has a range of extras, such as plenary Reaching out further into the web, in July, Mechanism. Interestingly enough, it is clear lectures from our conferences, back-issues of the OEC hosted an “editathon” at the BSHS from letters that de Donde knew of the Greek Viewpoint, and the BSHS Travel Guide – short Conference in Swansea, teaching attendees mechanical astronomical devices, and there posts on places of historical and scientific the basics of how to create and edit Wikipedia is a good chance that Copernicus had heard interest. If you have something newsworthy articles. We then made some contributions - about, or even seen, de Donde’s Astrarium to the history of science community (e.g. a fortunately there is a “sandbox” to practice in during his studies in Italy (c 1496 – 1503). scholarship, fellowship, or conference), you before making anything public! One attendee So the Antikythera Mechanism is an exam- can have it listed on the website. Maintaining did some much-needed updating to the ple of a continuous tradition that provides our shiny new website is our Web Officer, Jia-Ou BSHS Wikipedia entry (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ more than just mechanical curiosities, more (“jya-oh”) Song. She manages the web-related British_Society_for_the_History_of_Science). even than the precursors of modern calcula- aspects of the BSHS, and has a foot in the We also learnt about editorial policies and tors and computers. It can be argued that this strategic online development of the Society as guidelines (some of which Steve Fuller tradition was a crucial enabler of the whole a resource for all things history of science. She critiques in his article on the next page). idea of a rational, causal, deterministic Uni- also moonlights as a PhD candidate at the Uni- For instance, conflict of interest guidelines verse. An idea of course that blossomed – but versity of Manchester, on a project examining mean that BSHS Council should not edit the did not originate – in the “Scientific Revolu- the cultural and political influences on science Wikipedia page - but if you have something to tion”. museums in the UK and China. She is in charge add and are not on Council, go ahead! of the “contact us” form on the website. All of these digital elements of the BSHS Michael Edmunds As well as via the remodelled website, you depend on the involvement of the history of School of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University can interact with the BSHS on social media. science community. They are very friendly and [email protected] Many BSHS members are #twitterstorians possess a wealth of collective knowledge, so if (historians on Twitter), and we have official you are thinking of trying out something new, To read more, see Mike’s paper: ‘The Antikythera BSHS accounts too: @BSHSNews reports on from attempting to create an Ayrton-worthy Mechanism and the Mechanical Universe’ the latest from the society and also retweets. website to tweeting, look out for inspiration, Contemporary Physics, 55, 263-285, 2014. The handle @BJHSeditor provides the latest potential collaborators, and guidance online. 12 Viewpoint No. 109

Pseudoscience & Wikipedia Steve Fuller discusses science, pseudoscience, philosophy and editorial wars of attrition on the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia.

When considering Wikipedia as either a belief, all the research tool or a living historical record, it while putting is worth recalling that it was started only in a brave face on 2001. Yet, by the time I first wrote about it six the persistent years later, Wikipedia already had nearly two elusiveness million entries in English alone (the number of its named is now over five million) and was being cited quarry. four times more in US judicial decisions than As for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Moreover, Nature entry enumer- had deemed it only slightly less accurate than ating alleged that canonical reference work. Nevertheless, pseudosci- Wikipedia remains an object of suspicion – ences, all and perhaps rightly so. I routinely tell students the usual to treat the entries mainly as collectively suspects, past curated material on the named topic: take the and present, links more seriously than the text. are included For all its undisputed virtues of access, -- with extra Wikipedia is the sort of repository of human attention paid knowledge for which the concept of a ‘second to psychology opinion’ might have been invented. It is to and medicine. Wikipedia’s credit that it contains ‘Talk’ pages Yet, three likely which recount – in lugubrious if not gory suspects are detail – the second, third and more opinions conspicuously on offer in response to various entry edits. It absent from is probably the closest that historians could this otherwise ever get to seeing the global hive mind fitfully thorough approximating a state of reflection. Neverthe- line-up: Social less, the results can seem puzzling, especially Darwinism, when judged against Wikipedia’s expressed eugenics and tripartite editorial policy of neutrality, verifi- sociobiology. ability and no original research. Instead the Consider the rather detailed Wikipedia entry makes Phrenology is an example of Pseudoscience on the Wikipedia page. entry on ‘Pseudoscience’, which branches out a point of Franz Joseph Gall examining the head of a pretty young girl. Coloured lithograph by E.H., 1825. Image courtesy of the Wellcome Library, London. into a ‘List of topics characterized as pseu- deeming ‘pseu- doscience’. Were it not for the entry’s surface doscientific’ incoherence, which tends to be a feature of non-Darwinian versions of social evolution However, it is striking that eugenics gets off longer Wikipedia entries, one would never that were common from the 18th to 20th so lightly, considering Wikipedia’s preoccupa- guess that ‘pseudoscience’ is largely a rhetori- centuries. tion with pseudoscience. My guess is that a cal device. It is deployed rarely by scientists, Even when one turns to the elaborate, use- difference in generational sensibility – that sometimes by philosophers and most often ful and largely sympathetic entry on ‘Eugen- is, distance from the Second World War – is at by self-appointed popular defenders of sci- ics’, the only mention of ‘pseudoscience’ is in play here. People schooled in my generation ence. Thus, one finds the opinions of people a rather apologetic vein, namely, that some would have been much quicker to ferret out and periodicals associated with the Southern people think that ‘improving the human insidious motives and intellectual fraud in California-based Skeptics Society carrying stock’ is not a scientific idea. One would never human-oriented biological research and some significant weight in Wikipedian discussions of guess that eugenics and other extensions of would go beyond ‘pseudoscience’ to call its pseudoscience. ‘selectionist’ thinking into the human domain practitioners ‘crypto-Nazis’. Nevertheless, upon turning to the Talk page, such as sociobiology had been considered But I do not wish to suggest that Wikipe- one discovers that ‘Pseudoscience’ is classed paradigm cases of pseudoscience in the 1970s dians are by contrast indolent. In fact, the as a ‘vital article in Philosophy’, which will when I first came across the idea of ‘pseudo- diligence previously deployed on selectionist come as news to professional philosophers of science’ as a student. topics are now deployed to ferret out insidi- science, many – if not most – of whom believe I make this point not because I believe that ous motives and intellectual fraud in move- it’s a pseudo-topic. Even the authoritative eugenics is pseudoscience. On the contrary, ments such as intelligent design which try to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry my own views on eugenics are rather similar introduce ‘supernatural’ considerations into on ‘pseudoscience’, cited by Wikipedia, is to those of the Wikipedia editors – and it the conduct and interpretation of science. quick to deflect the issue to the more generic should already be clear that I don’t hold much To be sure, creationism has been always a epistemological problem of the warranting of store by the very idea of pseudoscience. staple of pseudoscience, but mainly because it Viewpoint No. 109 13 Conference Reports claimed that the Bible was the ultimate source of epistemic authority, trumping even the lat- est science. In contrast, intelligent design may Leibniz - scientist, Leibniz - philosopher be seen as trying to achieve much the same using the tools of science against received University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, 3 - 5 July 2015 scientific opinion. ethics and theology. When I first learned about pseudoscience The range of Leibniz’s in the 1970s, establishment thinking – not to contributions from the be confused with the ‘relativists’, ‘postmod- practical and mundane ernists’ and ‘New Agers’ routinely demonized to the high-minded in Wikipedia – was quite receptive to the and visionary remains blending of science and religion in aid of impressive even now. some synthetic ‘humanist’ future. Two of the Granted the modern originators of the Neo-Darwinian synthesis, category of ‘science’ Theodosius Dobzhansky and Julian Huxley, as we know it did not had promoted the works of the heretical really exist at the time, Jesuit palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin in Above and below left: the beautiful location of the Leibniz as Professor Maria just this spirit. However, all of this happened conference. Right: one of the informal conference dinners, Rosa Antognazza from before a ‘religious right’ gained ascendancy, facilitating new collaborations. King’s College London first in Christian America but now equally seen pointed out. Be that in terms of Islamic militancy. At that point, These are busy and exciting days for Leibniz as it may, it is still clear that the early modern religion became the default enemy of science, scholarship. In early July 2015, a 30-strong period was witness to a crucial stage in the unless its knowledge claims were clearly sepa- group of researchers from all around the process from which modern science eventu- rated from those of science. world, some acclaimed and others at the be- ally emerged. “Leibniz’s position,” according Wikipedia editorial sensibility seems to have ginning of their academic careers, all met up to Antognazza, “marks a milestone towards been formed by this relatively recent turn in Lampeter, a small university town that sits a modern understanding of the distinction of events. When combined with Wikipedia’s nestled in the rolling green hills in the Welsh between philosophy and science.” implementation of its own norms, it can be countryside. Some of the participants had Leibniz’s intense pursuit of intellectual pro- difficult for readers to get a fair sense of the come a considerable distance, from Canada, gress and his seemingly endless production issues surrounding a hotly contested case of the USA, Russia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and line of writing (over 15,000 letters and papers) ‘pseudoscience’ such as intelligent design sim- Germany. Among them was Professor Michael will perhaps never be fully understood, and ply by focusing on the text of the entry page. Kempe, from the Leibniz Archive and Research the sheer volume of manuscripts he left One always needs to go to the cited sources, Institute in Hanover and the Academy of Sci- behind will constitute a sizable challenge the Talk pages and then judge for oneself. As ences in Göttingen, who gave a biographical for the Leibniz community for decades. It someone active in the intelligent design con- keynote talk on Leibniz as a far-sighted court may perhaps come as a surprise that Leibniz troversy, my own Wikipedia entry illustrates advisor and international networker. scholarship is not as cohesive as one might what I have in mind here. So why all the bustle and excitement? expect. Over the three days of the conference, Wikipedia’s norms provide grounds for Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was a special focus was placed on nurturing the permissible editing in the minimal sense. Thus, one of the 17th and 18th centuries’ leading relationships between the Anglo-American an entry may be written in a neutral tone, with lights during the early scientific period, and groups and the German Leibniz Archive, home verifiable sources and no original research, yet the Lampeter conference was the first of of the Akademie Edition, where much editorial without representing the full range of opinion many which are due to take place everywhere work takes place and still a good number of on a topic. If there is a missing opinion, it is throughout 2016 in honour of the tercente- original manuscripts remain in need of tran- presumed that someone will eventually pro- nary of his death. The aim of this particular scription and translation. The conference, with vide it – and that often happens, eventually. conference was to celebrate the diversity of its remote setting and organised communal Moreover, there is no specific commitment Leibniz’s vast interests in conjunction with dinners, helped to promote collaboration and to providing a clear statement of a position his engagement with the sciences of his time. paved the way for future projects, hopefully being criticized, and certainly not in any Accordingly, the conference program was split strengthening relationships that otherwise specific proportion to the criticism published. into four subcategories: metaphysics, math- may not have had a chance to flourish. Again, it is left for a criticized party’s defenders ematics and The three organisers, Lloyd Strickland (MMU to make their presence felt. In practice, this early sci- and University of Wales), Erik Vynckier (inde- means for better or worse that the treatment ence, epis- pendent), and Julia Weckend (Oxford, OUDCE) of controversial topics can turn out to be an temology, would like to thank the British Society for the editorial war of attrition, which perhaps suits a and finally History of Science for providing a student bur- medium that does not regard Social Darwin- sary for the event. ism as pseudoscience!

Julia Weckend Steve Fuller University of Oxford, University of Warwick Department for [email protected] Continuing Education. 14 Viewpoint No. 109

Medicine of Words: Literature, Exhibition Notice Medicine and Theology in the Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee Middle Ages Discover the life and legacy of John Dee: one of Tudor England’s most extraordinary St Anne’s College, Oxford. 11 - 12 September 2015 and enigmatic figures. Mathematician, magician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, duced by the imperialist, alchemist and spy, Dee contin- plenary panel ues to fascinate and inspire, centuries after of Denis he entered the court of Elizabeth I. Our ex- Renevey hibition explores Dee through his personal and Vincent library. On display for the first time are his Gillespie, in beautifully annotated and illustrated books. their papers Now held in the collections of the Royal “‘In myn ere College of Physicians, they reveal tantalising heuenly glimpses into the ‘conjuror’s’ mind. Features sown’: the loans from the Science Museum, the British Healing Museum and the Wellcome Collection, Power of including Dee’s own magical mirror and the Name of crystal ball, and a commissioned film by art- Jesus” and ist Jeremy Millar. Events to include weekend “Seek, Suf- Above & right: Graduate students able to attend opening, curator talks, lectures, walking fer, and Trust: the conference thanks to BSHS bursaries. tours of London and more. Ease and Dis- 18 January – 29 July 2016, free entry To put it somewhat anachronistically, the ease in Julian Usual opening hours: Monday to Friday, connection between Medical Humanities and of Norwich”. Both explored the impacts of 9am to 5pm (Please note that opening times Medieval Studies is undergoing a Renaissance. medical terms in religious texts, with specific may vary: check online before your visit). There has been a resurgence in interdiscipli- reference to how two classic medieval spir- Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews nary work, with many medievalists exploring itual writers use illness and health as central Place, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4LE the complexity and sophistication of medical concepts in their writings. Subsequent papers www.rcplondon.ac.uk/johndee and scientific culture in pre-modern Europe. explored this connection between language While there are many conferences on medical and health in religious texts, and looked to see humanities topics, and many more on the how reading such material was seen as a form Grant Notice diverse aspects of medieval studies, it is still of treatment. This theme was complemented Royal Society grants available uncommon to have an event that exclusively by the next, exemplified in John Thompson’s for history of science explores this kind of interdisciplinary work. plenary “Medieval English Healing Places of The Royal Society would like to publicise As a result, the recent conference held at St the Soul”, in which he looked at the medieval a scheme available to provide support for Anne’s College was a welcome opportunity to library as a place of healing and at the Vernon research in the history of science or to assist bring together a diverse set of scholars and Manuscript as a textual space for health. with publication of scholarly works in the experts working in this in area. In attendance Corinne Saunders and Charles Fernyhough history of science. were medical doctors, scientists, literary schol- then introduced their plenary ‘Reading Mar- Early career scholars are particularly ars, art historians, and even an Anglican nun. gery Kempe’s inner voices’. Corinne described encouraged to apply, but applications The aim of the conference was to examine how Kempe’s voice-hearing experiences fit will also be considered from non-tenured medieval views of the healing power of words, within a tradition in European mysticism and researchers and retired scientists working in drawing on perspectives from literature, medi- have profound resonances for contempo- association with an eligible institution. cine and theology. rary research in voice-hearing. Charles then The scheme provides support for either Several central themes emerged. The first explained how his cognitive model of inner research in the history of science (up to was the link between literary language and speech has been enriched by Kempe’s writ- £15,000 incl. VAT) or to assist with publica- medical language, and it was introduced by ings. The event was rounded off by the final tion of scholarly works in the history of Mary Carruthers’ plenary “Stylistic effects and plenary, Peregrine Horden’s “A Healing After- science (up to £5,000 incl. VAT). bodily health in the aesthetics of the Mid- word: Conclusions and Prospects”, in which Applications should be submitted dle Ages”. Carruthers explored the important he provided a synoptic overview of the main through the Royal Society’s electronic grant premodern connections between various themes and issues of the conference, and the application system (e-GAP). Applications are medieval literary styles and medieval con- new directions research is heading towards. initially reviewed by two members of the cepts of health and healing. She focused on Thanks to all those who attended, too many Royal Society Research Grants panel and key terminology in manuals of style, and high- to mention all here; and to the conference then shortlisted. The shortlisted applications lighted the literal ways these literary terms committee and graduate helpers. Finally, are reviewed by the Panel Chair and the final were understood. Subsequent talks took up thanks is due to the BSHS for generously sup- decision is made. this theme of the literary and the bodily, and porting travel bursaries for graduate students For more information, see the webpage: explored how similes and metaphors are to attend the conference. royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/ employed in medical texts. The second major Daniel McCann grants/research-grants/ theme was the connection between religion Faculty of English Language and Literature and medicine in literary works. This was intro- University of Oxford Viewpoint No. 109 15

The Viewpoint Interview

Keith Moore is Librarian of the Royal Society. He has also worked at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Wellcome Institute.

What are your favourite history of science books? Keith is on the right, Antiquarian and association copies. Books holding the Society’s that were used by their owners. I find silver mace beside grangerized books to be fascinating. For cameraman James someone who spends time preserving Hennessy. printed and manuscript material, volumes Photograph courtesy of that have been deliberately altered or Brady Haran, 2015. enhanced are an illicit pleasure. I like the artist Kurt Schwitters for similar reasons (he’d be there with Wells, if I’m allowed two historical figures) - he worked with collage and would merrily chop up pictures, ephemera and typography to create miniature jewels of art. Who or what first turned you towards the What has been your best career moment? history of science? The best thing is always the next thing! I came to history of science by what was at that time a slightly odd route, but What would you do to strengthen the which is now becoming more common I And worst? history of science as a discipline? suspect. My first library jobs were in the Leaving collections that you feel belong to A healthy injection of grant funding Lake District, within literary collections you. Librarians like me spend lots of time with wouldn’t hurt! (The Wordsworth Library in Grasmere, historians and scholars in reading rooms, but The Armitt Library in Ambleside). But we only lend them the manuscripts, after all. I was always interested in things like Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s scientific How do you see the future shape of the reading, Humphry Davy’s relationship history of science? with Romanticism, and the natural history Which historical person would you most like I think that AHRC funding streams are work of Beatrix Potter and the remarkable to meet? tending to make institutions more Armitt sisters. When I left the Lake District It’s an anniversary year in 2016, so I’m going important players in academic history for London, it was to work in scientific and to pick H.G.Wells. I read Wells growing up and of science – I’m thinking of the Science technical collections with long histories. I think that his lifelong interest in popularizing Museum, National Maritime and others. science made a deep impression on me. He From that point of view, I’d like to see the desperately wanted to be a Fellow of the Royal Society getting more involved in Royal Society and I’m probably more offended collaborative history of science and there is What’s your best dinner-table history of than Wells was that he didn’t get elected. It’s a good deal of interest within the Society’s science story? nice to see that Penguin have just republished Fellowship to make that happen I think. Goodness that would be a dull dinner! I his book The Rights of Man (1940). We’ve had quite a few successes in creating prefer history of science stories about odd or joining very productive partnerships. eating habits and other people’s dinner Katherine Ford, our first joint PhD with tables. Engineering rivals and friends Reading University, was recently awarded Robert Stephenson and I.K.Brunel enjoying If you did not do your current job, what other her doctorate – I hope there will be many their last Christmas dinner together in career might you choose? more to come. Egypt in Cairo in 1858 feels eccentric and I’d like time for at least a couple more rather endearing. The digestive capabilities careers. Some marine biology would give me of Joseph Banks and Frank Buckland are opportunities to indulge in more scuba diving. probably best saved for after coffee. Something archaeological perhaps – this is a great period for human origins research. 16 Viewpoint No. 109

The British Journal for the History of Science Forthcoming papers include:

• Sarah A. Swenson, ‘“Morals can not be drawn from facts but guidance may be”: the early life of W.D. Hamilton’s theory of inclusive fitness’ • Alper Bilgili, ‘An Ottoman response to Darwinism: İsmail Fennî on Islam and evolution’ • Ian Lawson, ‘Bears in Eden, or, this is not the garden you’re looking for: Margaret Cavendish, Robert Hooke and the limits of natural philosophy’ • Koji Yamamoto, ‘Medicine, metals and empire: the survival of a chymical projector in early eighteenth- century London’ • Sheila Wille, ‘The ichneumon fly and the equilibration of British natural economies in the eighteenth century’ • Jung Lee, ‘Between universalism and regionalism: universal systematics from imperial Japan’ www.bshs.org.uk/publications/bjhs

Viewpoint: the Magazine of the BSHS

Contributions All contributions and correspondence should be sent to the Editor, Alice White, School of History, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NX; [email protected]. Electronic communication is preferred. Viewpoint is issued three times a year – in February, June and October. The next issue will be in July, 2016 and the deadline for copy is 15 April, 2016.

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