From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences: Writing the History of Nineteenth-Century Science
edited by David Cahan
University of Chicago Press, 2003 eISBN: 978-0-226-08929-4 | Paper: 978-0-226-08928-7 | Cloth: 978-0-226-08927-0 Library of Congress Classification Q125.F695 2003 Dewey Decimal Classification 509.034
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
During the nineteenth century, much of the modern scientific enterprise took shape: scientific disciplines were formed, institutions and communities were founded, and unprecedented applications to and interactions with other aspects of society and culture occurred.
In this book, eleven leading historians of science assess what their field has taught us about this exciting time and identify issues that remain unexamined or require reconsideration. They treat both scientific disciplines—biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, mathematics, and the social sciences—in their specific intellectual and sociocultural contexts as well as the broader topics of science and medicine; science and religion; scientific institutions and communities; and science, technology, and industry.
Providing a much-needed overview and analysis of a rapidly expanding field, From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences will be essential for historians of science, but also of great interest to scholars of all aspects of nineteenth-century life and culture.
Contributors:
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Jed Z. Buchwald, David Cahan, Joseph Dauben, Frederick Gregory, Michael Hagner, Sungook Hong, David R. Oldroyd, Theodore M. Porter, Robert J. Richards, Ulrich Wengenroth
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
David Cahan is the Charles Bessey Professor of History at the University of Nebraska. He is the author of An Institute for an Empire: The Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt 1871-1918 and coauthor of Science at the American Frontier: A Biography of DeWitt Bristol Brace. He is the editor of Hermann von Helmholtz and the Foundations of Nineteenth-Century Science and Helmholtz's Science and Culture: Popular and Philosophical Essays.
REVIEWS
"Given its breadth, this multi-authored book is remarkably successful in meeting its goals. . . . The well-qualified authors admirably provide essays in biology, scientific medicine, earth sciences, mathematicvs, physics, chemistry, science, technology, industry, social sciences, and science and religion. Excellent extensive bibliography and index."
— Choice
"An excellent summary of the current state of affairs, offering analyses of key aspects of nineteenth-century science that will be valuable to all of us, including those just entering particular areas of research, to those writing lectures on unfamiliar topics, and to those outside the history of science."
— David B. Wilson, Annals of Science
"All of the essays are informative. . . . Particularly impressive are the authors' efforts to transcend national boundaries, not to find some universal theory but to demonstrate the rich context of practice that advances or constrains particular intellectual developments. . . . The comprehensive bibliography alone makes this a valuable tool for teaching and research."
— Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"The book is divided into eleven chapters, each of which is written by an acknowledged expert and addresses a single field under the umbrella of science in the nineteenth century. . . . This is an important book because the issues discussed touch more than the historiography of nineteenth-century science. . . . [It] deserves a place on the shelves of professional historians as well as students. Its usefulness, however, will ensure that it spends little time there."
— Jeffrey R. Wigelsworth, History & Philosophy of Life Sciences
"All essays have been written by acknowledged experts. They are of high quality, very informative and will serve as excellent introductions to the field in question."
— Rienk Vermij, Ambix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
List of Contributors
1. Looking at Nineteenth-Century Science: An Introduction David Cahan
2. Biology Robert J. Richards
3. Scientific Medicine Michael Hagner
4. The Earth Sciences David R. Oldroyd
5. Mathematics Joseph Dauben
6. Physics Jed Z. Buchwald and Sungook Hong
7. Chemistry Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
8. Science, Technology, and Industry Ulrich Wengenroth
9. The Social Sciences Theodore M. Porter
10. Institutions and Communities David Cahan
11. Science and Religion Frederick Gregory
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences: Writing the History of Nineteenth-Century Science
edited by David Cahan
University of Chicago Press, 2003 eISBN: 978-0-226-08929-4 Paper: 978-0-226-08928-7 Cloth: 978-0-226-08927-0
During the nineteenth century, much of the modern scientific enterprise took shape: scientific disciplines were formed, institutions and communities were founded, and unprecedented applications to and interactions with other aspects of society and culture occurred.
In this book, eleven leading historians of science assess what their field has taught us about this exciting time and identify issues that remain unexamined or require reconsideration. They treat both scientific disciplines—biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, mathematics, and the social sciences—in their specific intellectual and sociocultural contexts as well as the broader topics of science and medicine; science and religion; scientific institutions and communities; and science, technology, and industry.
Providing a much-needed overview and analysis of a rapidly expanding field, From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences will be essential for historians of science, but also of great interest to scholars of all aspects of nineteenth-century life and culture.
Contributors:
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Jed Z. Buchwald, David Cahan, Joseph Dauben, Frederick Gregory, Michael Hagner, Sungook Hong, David R. Oldroyd, Theodore M. Porter, Robert J. Richards, Ulrich Wengenroth
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
David Cahan is the Charles Bessey Professor of History at the University of Nebraska. He is the author of An Institute for an Empire: The Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt 1871-1918 and coauthor of Science at the American Frontier: A Biography of DeWitt Bristol Brace. He is the editor of Hermann von Helmholtz and the Foundations of Nineteenth-Century Science and Helmholtz's Science and Culture: Popular and Philosophical Essays.
REVIEWS
"Given its breadth, this multi-authored book is remarkably successful in meeting its goals. . . . The well-qualified authors admirably provide essays in biology, scientific medicine, earth sciences, mathematicvs, physics, chemistry, science, technology, industry, social sciences, and science and religion. Excellent extensive bibliography and index."
— Choice
"An excellent summary of the current state of affairs, offering analyses of key aspects of nineteenth-century science that will be valuable to all of us, including those just entering particular areas of research, to those writing lectures on unfamiliar topics, and to those outside the history of science."
— David B. Wilson, Annals of Science
"All of the essays are informative. . . . Particularly impressive are the authors' efforts to transcend national boundaries, not to find some universal theory but to demonstrate the rich context of practice that advances or constrains particular intellectual developments. . . . The comprehensive bibliography alone makes this a valuable tool for teaching and research."
— Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"The book is divided into eleven chapters, each of which is written by an acknowledged expert and addresses a single field under the umbrella of science in the nineteenth century. . . . This is an important book because the issues discussed touch more than the historiography of nineteenth-century science. . . . [It] deserves a place on the shelves of professional historians as well as students. Its usefulness, however, will ensure that it spends little time there."
— Jeffrey R. Wigelsworth, History & Philosophy of Life Sciences
"All essays have been written by acknowledged experts. They are of high quality, very informative and will serve as excellent introductions to the field in question."
— Rienk Vermij, Ambix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
List of Contributors
1. Looking at Nineteenth-Century Science: An Introduction David Cahan
2. Biology Robert J. Richards
3. Scientific Medicine Michael Hagner
4. The Earth Sciences David R. Oldroyd
5. Mathematics Joseph Dauben
6. Physics Jed Z. Buchwald and Sungook Hong
7. Chemistry Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
8. Science, Technology, and Industry Ulrich Wengenroth
9. The Social Sciences Theodore M. Porter
10. Institutions and Communities David Cahan
11. Science and Religion Frederick Gregory
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE