SIS Bulletin Issue 74

Scientific In,, t~ ument Society Bulletin September No. 74 2002 Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society ISSN0956-8271 For Table of Contents, see back cover President Gerard Turner Vice-President Howard Dawes Honorary Committee Gloria Clifton, Chatrman Alexander Crum Ewing, Secreta~ SImo¢l Cheifetz, Treasurer Willem Hackmann, Editor Peter de Clercq,Meetings Secreta~ Ron Bristow Tom Lamb Tom Newth Alan Stimpson Svh'ia Sumira T'revor Waterman Membership and Administrative Matters The Executive Officer (Wg Cdr Geoffrey Bennett) 31 High Street Stanford in the Vale Farmgdon Tel: 01367 710223 Oxon SN7 8LH Fax: 01367 718963 e-mail: [email protected] See outside back corer for information on membership Editorial Matters Dr. Wiilem D. Hackmann Sycamore House Tel: 01008 811110 The Playing Close Fax" 01608 811971 Charibury OX7 3QP e-mail: [email protected] Society's Website http://www.sis.org.uk Advertising See 'Summary of Advertising Services' panel elsewhere in this Bulletin. Further enquiries to the Executive Officer. Typesetting and Printing Lithoflow Ltd 26-36 Wharfdale Road Tel: 020 7833 2344 King's Cross Fax" 020 7833 8150 London NI 9RY The Scientific Instrument Society is Registered Charity No. 326733 © The Sc~nt~c Inset So~ty 2002 Editorial Who Has Litz Wire? case, the two limiting factors are lack of ports of the SIS's nahonal and interna- skill and lack of the right material. A tional visits also fi~rm a useful record for A journal's editor divides up his year not separate newsletter to cover our needs the future. in seamms but when the final copy is due would be probably too expensive and at the printers. Ah yes, it must be near the labour intensive, but certainly an 'ama- After nearly nineteen years as a curator end of August as the pile that will make teur's page' would be well worth a try. In of the University Museum in Utrecht, up the third i,~sue of the year is reaching the past we have had reconstructions Jan Deiman is moving to the exotic maturity! At the same time glancing into under the rubric of the 'Facsimile File' island of Bali, Indonesia. His successor the garden he becomes aware that there with contributions by Ralph Barrett, at Utrecht will be Klaus Stauhermann, is an indefinable tinge of autumn in the Klaus Staubermann, and Allan Mills who will be the curator of the scientific air, which means that he will soon have who has been especially active in this uxstrument collection and also of the to start to plan the winter Bulletin. area. So come on you 'dabblers' - we are medical collections. I am sure that you looking forward to your suggestions. would like to wish them both the Ix~t In the letters' section of this issue our for the future. Finally, it is g(xx] to know member Chris Dyos makes a most Judging by the report, this year's visit to that both the displays and depots of the interesting suggestion. A 'dabblers' North Germany was very successful. scientific instruments were evacuated in branch' would be great fun, especially Such reports are useful as it gives those time in the recent di~strous fltx~ds in as I am an inveterate dabbler myself, who could not attend an impression of Dresden. We wish the staff our corn- always with a couple of restoration and the location of instruments in which migrations in the clear up that now has reconstruction projects on the go. in my they are especially interested. The re- to take place. Cover Story Instruments Shape the World Willem Hackmann lnga Elmqvist's paper in this issue the p(~sibilities of the new sciences and engravmgs have been identified as hav- brought to mind an evocative engraving scientific instruments for the impn~ve- ing been by his hand. Many of these were by Maarten van Heemskerck ~mtitled ment of mankind. Navigation and sur- engraved by Dirck Volke~z. Coornhert, Human Instruments as Part of the Created veying had helped with opening up the Philips Galle, Herman Muller and Cor- World, published in 1572. There is a New World, and within the next thirty nelis Cort, and reproduced by the preponderance of agricultural imple- years the invention of the telescope, Antwerp print publisher Hieronymus ments, but among the other identifiable followed by the microscope, would Cock. From the l,V~ffls, many of these instruments are a set square, hororary dramatically open up the mind as well prints were adorned with verses in Latin quadrant, sand glass, diptych dial, and by the humanist Hadnanus Junius, who possibly a compass and an alchemical Van Heemskerck, tram in that town in al~ lived in Haarlem. Van Heemskerck the Netherlands in 1498 (and who died in flask. [X~mesticated animals - another of was much influenced by Raphael, Miche- man's triumphs - are peaceably grazing. nearby Haarlem in 1574), was one of the langelo and Giulio Romano. In this print All this invention has led to a fruitful most productive of the Renaissance he combines a classical pastoral scene nature symbolized by the woman suck- artists of the Low Countries. About 100 ling her child. Van Heemskerck was paintings and the same number of with the instruments that in time would known for his muscular Venuses. By the drawings (the latter fix~m his pen(~ in transform the world radically. 1570s, society had become intrigued with Rome) have survived, and about 600 Mystery Object The following item to exercise your brain cells was emailed by Julian 14olland, Curator of Scientific Instruments at the Macleay Museum of the University, of Sydney. The photo (Fig. 1) shows a leveling device 3.5 metres long. it is made of steel and was apparently used at a metal processing plant in Sydney to .set up machinery. There are two linear bubble levels mountt~ in the 'blade'. There art, three 'pins' that can apparently Ix, set at different Im~sitions along the blade which al~ has nt, mhered gradua- tions (in feet?). It is clearly a precision device with its carefully made ca~. Has anyone encountered this device befort'? Fig. l hh/,tc~,,t~- Ic,'clm~' d,',',c Bulletin of the ~ienttfi¢ Instrument ~wietv No. 74 (2002) Announcements MINUTES OF THE 19TM ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Scientific Instrument Society held at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, London W1V OLQ on Wednesday 10" July 20(}2 at 4.00 p.m. Dr ~ ChUm m the Cha,r. h~m~d by. five cwators. Thm was ~ollowed I~ • ~ md w~ m aim ~ ~ r.d.ce we~.~ Ch~mma~ wek'om~ 31 membe~ to the AGM at ~het~'s (Wvmpa, wah • pm~; e~ m our cum.rd ~ where ~. I. Ajx~m mr al~ence wer~ re,wed m~m Dr Wdk.m ~'rumems to I~ auctmm~l •! thor k~rthc~nmg Mle Ha~kmann, Mr H~'a~d D~w~, Mr Tn~'~wWa~rman, 6 I I~-I~ * May ~WI2: The Annual Conk.mnce v~t was ~A~Tm~'r ad~d i/the" wm curer, rim on th~ Mr Mike Cc~vham. Mr Alan .~m~m. Dr Allan Mills to N,a.th t.~manv, based m Hamburg, w,~ v~ to 2- TheMmu~m~theAnnuaiGener•lMeeem~beld~m II~" k~. Wmgst Bn-nm4w~n. Ldmathal and Oki~nl~ . t~ u~..eama~,e Adan~ I~, the Tre~m~.r J~dv ~.1~1 and p~l~/~,d m ~ Bulletin ,~th¢ .~'m~t~" Alth~gh the number of delegate~ was lower than m al a I~.duced and Ulmr ~t alm~l~ I,utmm~m S~'a,~ ."~Nt~nber ~W'H were taken as pr~,-mus ctmma.n~ VL.~tSthe pnq~'ammr was d~n~d Ad~n of the Mmute~ ~.m moved i~ Mr ~tuart to ~ very n~c~'m~l. Denwm~rat~rm and lectu~ ~e~ wnttm off Mr Hawkms a~ed ~ the B~lktm could l'•il~. ~.c~w~l by Mr h~m Dmk'ock and appr~'ed included t~ m-~. ho~ and cnflcal aptera•a] of hmstonc s~d uuts~ tbe Son~ as happened w~ other unanlmoush. experiments ~ exlm~dmn~ ~ ~t sc~nflfic work ~-~. ~' :-~ ,, ~ "~,~,J Fair T~ m g~d~y ~ m~'ro-gravdy, m addition to the nalrman tam u~s mum Ix. cocm&rrd and also mm~luc~ms to museums and a¢chw~ vmt~d ]'he The ge~. ~l~-h ~Wk,v.-s was read I~,' the F.xmuUve was It.d by Pn~w Gudnm Wolf~chmtdt ~x,cnetarv Mr H R Brmw,w w~h me Cm~.mn~ Umm,r Aaon/v,~bn, 5 F~mve ~.,ms a~]1)e,m ~ me ~'-nre bhee~ and Accruing. wh~-h T,~al meml~v,d'up ,~a~ ~ at 31" Decrmber ~t]~l c~mpart.d w~th 5'~ tot the pre~mus ~ear The ment~ at the /'mvmdv L~brarv, the {L Al~dm~M d Amlii~s L,wmm,t~te~ bel~-~e that fallows b~.hmd ~ ,J.ghth" Camera Ob~u~a m C hfton, and the Industrial M u~-um. r~du~d rnembersh,p I~ure~ may include the ~xmom/c where Dr Almm M~'rL.me~L,aW wall talk an BrL~ep~ .T~ J~uvr nm~ t~t u~ conduct ~nd ~v,or dwna~ c~'~t,'rm over m~'nat~mal travd, and In.~'rum~m me ^u~ c n~. had b~n o~ a h~gh mmdaM ~md ~.~n~y of am ,,~ er,,~, conl~,~'e mp during fllu* ve~r very cost H~ve. He ~ that Ihev be re- At ~" Aprd. ~ member~ had m~! nmewed ~r 2 ~P N,wember 2tWr2: The IOth Annual lnv~t*~m appomted k~r the ca•rag ye.r n~'nbershnp tot the year 3W~2 ~W)3 me~,~r (~.rard I.'E Tumor.

Load more