• UTSIC Website Active!

    I’m pleased to announce that the University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection Website is now active! The first post is an essay, “A Short History of the University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection, written by Erich Weidenhammer (IHPST, University of Toronto) & Michael Da Silva (University of Toronto Faculty of Law). The post is a reprint of… Continue Reading

  • For the Maker of the Stars: The Cultural Reception of Print

    Accept then, most clement Prince, this gentle glory reserved by the stars for you. May you long enjoy those blessing which are sent to you not so much from the stars as from God, their Maker and their Governor. Your Highness’s most devoted servant, Galileo Galilei. Padua, Mach 12, 1610 -Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius (Venice, 1610); Dedication letter to Cosimo II… Continue Reading

  • VISUALS & REPRESENTATIONS: Giant’s Shoulders #28

    VISUALIZING SCIENCE David Bressan discusses the value of scientific caricatures,especially those by English geologist Henry De la Beche (1796-1855), in both revealing and teaching aspects of the history of geology. Michael Barton also discusses cartoons and caricatures representing Darwin of evolution (in its various forms). He remarks on how evolution was used as a means to comment on society… Continue Reading

  • Article Summary: Harold Cook, “Time’s Bodies: Crafting the Preparation and Preservation of Naturalia.”

    Harold Cook, “Time’s Bodies: Crafting the Preparation and Preservation of Naturalia,” in Merchants and  Marvels: Commerce, Science, and Art in Early Modern Europe. Ed. Pamela H. Smith and Paula Findlen (New York: Routledge 2002). Harold Cook’s (Brown University) article takes place in sixteenth and seventeenth Netherlands, and ties together the market economy and its capital investments,… Continue Reading

  • UofT Workshop: Visual Representation in Science

    Aaron is organizing a fantastic workshop to be held at IHPST in December. There’s a great list of speakers and promise of a scintillating discussion. If you’re interested in attending, drop Aaron an email. I’ve had this event penciled in my agenda since I first heard of it–truly excited for this!

  • Navigating the History of Science Blogosphere

    I’m writing a piece for the History of Science Society fall newsletter about history of science/medicine blogs and blogging on the blogosphere. It seems lately this has been a hot topic for discussion on the ‘net, especially after the New York Times Article which outlines possible web-alternatives to peer-review. Last year, our favourite history of… Continue Reading

  • The Giant’s Shoulders #26

    This month’s carnival focuses on a topic dear to my heart–Fools, Frauds, and FAILURES! Hosted by scicurious, the carnival contains a great collection of blog posts around the web, including two of mine, “Trust in Quacks,” and “Deafness as Discourse.” Thanks again for including me! Go on, Dear Reader, head over to the carnival and… Continue Reading

  • Mr. Curtis’ Acoustic Chair

    First introduced and described in the fourth edition of his Treatise on the Physiology and Diseases of the Ear (1831), John Harrison Curtis’ acoustic chair earned him national recognition as an inventor during the first half of the nineteenth century. The chair is a large library chair affixed with a trumpet alongside the chair such… Continue Reading

  • History of Science & Medicine Blogs: UPDATE

    It seems that I’ve missed countless of amazing history of science and medicine blogs on the blogsphere, either because they slipped my mind, or I wasn’t aware of them. Thanks to all who commented/emailed/chatted with me and directed my attention to these wonderful blogs. Rather than doing another long post (although I’m sure I’ll do… Continue Reading

  • History of Medicine Blogs

    After writing my post on links to several of my daily must-read blogs on history of science and general history, by the time I got to the end of my post, I realized I was missing the history of medicine! Did you know a quick Google search for “history of medicine blog(s)” does not provide… Continue Reading