Tag Archives: audiences

Sympathetic vibrations

Posted on March 3, 2011 by

Over at PACHSmörgåsbord, brought to us by the Philadelphia Area Centre for History of Science, Darin Hayton has been catching the longitude vibe while investigating the collection of the Library Company of Philadelphia. He describes an anonymous 1688 pamphlet that, famously for those who … Continue reading →

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Living Traditions at the Science Museum

Posted on February 25, 2011 by

How would you feel if I told you that the Science Museum says that homeopathy and acupuncture, as medical treatments, are no more effective than drumming or divination? Satisfied? I hope so.

Posted in Museums, Science | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

What are science museums for?

Posted on February 11, 2011 by

There has of late been a lot of attention focused on one small corner of the Science Museum of London. Not, sadly, the Science in the 18th Century Gallery I mentioned in a previous post but an exhibit within the … Continue reading →

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Hands-on science

Posted on February 3, 2011 by

Visitors to the Science Museum are often either delighted or slightly bemused by the contrasts provided by its exhibits. The oldest gallery, containing delightfully old-fashioned dioramas of agricultural machinery at work, faces one of the newer, on plastics. Both the topics … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Yes, histories of science are worth reading!

Posted on October 6, 2010 by

In a previous post, Alice Bell suggested in a comment that I read the article by Mark Erickson in this month’s issue of History of the Human Sciences. The issue also contains responses from Patricia Fara, Steve Fuller and Joseph … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

The Royal Soc and British Ass

Posted on September 9, 2010 by

Next week I will be speaking at the British Science Festival in Birmingham in a session celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society. I will be talking about the Society in the 19th century, which gives me the chance to compare and … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Institutions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment