By ‘the light of his own mind’: The story of James Ferguson, astronomer

2000 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Rothman
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Samuel Johnson ◽  
The Self ◽  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Scientific Instruments ◽  
Instrument Maker ◽  
George Iii

James Ferguson, the self-taught astronomer, scientific instrument maker, author and lecturer was a remarkable 18th century figure. This paper traces his life from humble origins as a shepherd boy in Banffshire, Scotland. There he observed the stars and planets by night and conjectured on the mechanics of the heavens. He taught himself to make and repair clocks and his outstanding talent as a portraitist enabled him to earn a living while he invented scientific instruments. He eventually came to London where he continued to design instruments and globes and commenced his career as lecturer and author. His later years as an esteemed recipient of a royal pension from King George III brought him Fellowship of the Royal Society with extraordinary provisions, and contact with Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Johnson and many other leading figures of his day.

XII.—The Great Astrolabe and other Scientific Instruments of Humphrey Cole

Archaeologia ◽  
1927 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 273-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.T. Gunther
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Scientific Instruments ◽  
Instrument Maker

The recent discovery of the finest known example of an English Astrolabe of the largest size, signed by the Elizabethan maker, Humphrey Cole of London, has afforded an opportunity of gathering together some notes on all instruments now known to have been made by him, and of setting forth the chief biographical details of his life. The result shows that he must be regarded as the leading English scientific instrument maker of his century.

Great Doctors and Medical Worthies

1988 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-284
Author(s):  
D. Emslie-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Samuel Johnson ◽  
Charles I ◽  
Century Health

After Harvey's visits to Scotland with Charles I the formation of a united Caroline University in Aberdeen was thwarted by the Civil War. In Oxford Harvey instituted a group of medical scientists, forerunners of the Royal Society, who almost explained the physiology of respiration. Harvey had several things in common with Dr Samuel Johnson. Johnson's medical knowledge and contacts are emphasised, examples of 17th and 18th century health regimens are given and Johnson's friendship with Scottish medical men and some others connected with the Royal College of Physicians and the Harveian Society of Edinburgh are described.

Book reviews: William Heberden, physican of the Age of Reason

1991 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-118
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Samuel Johnson ◽  
Age Of Reason ◽  
The Subject

Ernest Heberden, William Heberden, physician of the Age of Reason . London: Royal Society of Medicine, 1990. Pp. 246, £12.95 (hardback), £7.95 (softback). ISBN 1-85315-116-5. ‘ Ultimus Romanorum , the last of our learned physicians’, Samuel Johnson called William Heberden, not neglecting on another occasion to label him ‘ timidorum timidissimus ’ when Heberden would not accede to the dropsical Johnson’s request to have deep incisions made into his legs (Johnson took matters into his own hands and stabbed his legs with a pair of scissors after Heberden had left). Heberden, one of the most distinguished (and rich) London physicians of the 18th century, has not until now been the subject of a biography. This work, by one of William’s descendants, makes possible a rather more informed assessment of this illustrious figure.

scholarly journals Nobel Metal Microscopes - and Other Extravagances

1999 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-18
Author(s):  
John Gustav Delly
Keyword(s):  
Precious Metals ◽  
Science Museum ◽  
Scientific Instruments ◽  
Instrument Maker ◽  
George Iii ◽  
Made In

Now you would probably think that I was joking if I were to tell you that there are microscopes made of precious metals, such as silver, rather than brass, and objectives made with diamonds and rubies, rather than glass. But yes, Virginia, prodigal items such as these do actually exist - and not at the end of the rainbow. All right, suppose they do exist, who could afford one? Well, kings for one, Figure 1 shows what is perhaps the most elaborately decorated microscope ever constructed. It was made in 1761 by the wellknown instrument maker George Adams for King George III. George III placed great value on science throughout his long reign, as reflected in his collection of scientific instruments, which can be seen today in the Science Museum at South Kensington in London.

CHASSIS DESIGN & PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS FOR THE EUROPEAN EXOMARS ROVER

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-517
Author(s):  
Alex Ellery ◽  
Lutz Richter ◽  
Reinhold Bertrand
Keyword(s):  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Weight Distribution ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Equal Weight ◽  
Scientific Instruments ◽  
Design Issues ◽  
Martian Surface ◽  
Considerable Size

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars rover has recently been subject to a Phase A study led by EADS Astrium, UK. This rover mission represents a highly ambitious venture in that the rover is of considerable size ~200+kg with high mobility carrying a highly complex scientific instrument suite (Pasteur) of up to 40 kg in mass devoted to exobiological investigation of the Martian surface and sub-surface. The chassis design has been a particular challenge given the inhospitable terrain on Mars and the need to traverse such terrain robustly in order to deliver the scientific instruments to science targets of exobiological interest, We present some of the results and design issues encountered during the Phase A study related to the chassis. In particular, we have focussed on the overall tractive performance of a number of candidate chassis designs and selected the RCL (Science & Technology Rover Company Ltd in Russian) concept C design as the baseline option in terms of high performance with minimal mechanical complexity overhead. This design is a six-wheeled double-rocker bogie design to provide springless suspension and maintain approximately equal weight distribution across each wheel.

What is a scientific instrument, now?

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liba Taub
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Smithsonian Institution ◽  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Scientific Instruments ◽  
Classic Article ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of

Abstract In 1990, Deborah Jean Warner, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution, published her now-classic article ‘What is a scientific instrument, when did it become one, and why?’. These questions were prompted by practical curatorial considerations: what was she supposed to collect for her museum? Today, we are still considering questions of what we collect for the future, why, and how. These questions have elicited some new and perhaps surprising answers since the publication of Warner’s article, sometimes – but not only – as a reflection of changing technologies and laboratory practices, and also as a result of changes in those disciplines that study science, including history of science and philosophy of science. In focusing attention on meanings associated with scientific instrument collections, and thinking about what objects are identified as scientific instruments, I consider how definitions of instruments influence what is collected and preserved.

scholarly journals MAKYUNG AS AN OLDEST FORM OF MALAY TRADITIONAL DANCE THEATRE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Rosdeen Suboh
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
The Self ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
Dance Theater ◽  
Exact Date ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Performance Structure

Almost all previous studies on the Makyung dance theater concurred that the aforementioned performance was the oldest form of traditional theater amongst the Malays in Southeast Asia. It arrived or started before the arrival of Islam to the Malay Peninsula. Unfortunately, the written record on Makyung only existed at the end of the 18th century. Hence, the exact date on the origin of Makyung is difficult to determine. This means that the main sources of research on Makyung are from oral traditions, including myths, as well as the evidence contained in the self-titled performances, and not only depending the sources of writing, material evident or archaeological materials. Consequently, this article offers that Makyung is the oldest dance theatre in Southeast Asia through the analysis of previous historical records, studies and opinions about stories and elements in the performance structure.

The ‘Hardwicke circle’: the Whig supremacy and its demise in the 18th-century Royal Society

1998 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Politics ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Major Shift

This paper examines the composition and activities of an important grouping in the Royal Society in the middle decades of the 18th Century, which I call the ‘Hardwicke circle’. Members of the circle occupied high office at the Royal Society and effectively controlled its affairs for many years. The intellectual interests and political sentiments of the members of the circle are outlined, in part by looking at critics of their regime. It is argued that the waning of the power of the circle and the advent of the Banksian regime heralded a major shift in the cultural politics of the institution.

The History of Science as European Self-Portraiture

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
LORRAINE DASTON
Keyword(s):  
History Of Science ◽  
Scientific Revolution ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
World History ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Image ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
History Of

Since the Enlightenment, the history of science has been enlisted to show the unity and distinctiveness of Europe. This paper, written on the occasion of the award of the 2005 Erasmus Prize to historians of science Simon Schaffer and Steven Shapin, traces the intertwined narratives of the history of science and European modernity from the 18th century to the present. Whether understood as triumph or tragedy (and there have been eloquent proponents of both views), the Scientific Revolution has been portrayed as Europe's decisive break with tradition – the first such break in world history and the model for all subsequent epics of modernization in other cultures. The paper concludes with reflections on how a new history of science, exemplified in the work of Shapin and Schaffer, may transform the self-image of Europe and conceptions of truth itself.

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