Ambix最新文献

This paper considers the circumstances of an article written by John Davy, brother of Sir Humphry Davy, in which he presented the first chemical analysis of snakestones. Davy encountered snakestones in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where he was posted as a medical officer of the British army in the early nineteenth century. The equipment that Davy took to Ceylon demonstrated his intent to find and analyse unfamiliar local materials, thus carrying out a dual role as a "surgeon-naturalist." By comparing Davy's original notes on snakestones with his final published work, aspects of Davy's personality, and parallels between Davy's notetaking style and that of his brother, come to light. Davy's chemical analysis of snakestones was ground-breaking in the history of this purported alexipharmic. However, the significance of his publication was largely undercut by dismissive remarks contained in a note, "Additional Observations, by the Secretary," appended to its publication.

This obituary of William Hodson ("Bill") Brock (1936-2025) outlines his life and career as one of the leading historians of science, especially chemistry, of his generation. It describes his difficult childhood, his work at the University of Leicester (where he spent his entire career), his research and writing, and his contributions to the history of science community, concluding with a summary of the remarkable number of tributes paid to him following his death.

In the present article, I analyse a text attributed to a Byzantine alchemist, the so-called Christian Philosopher or Christianos. I argue that within this text it is possible to find one of the earliest descriptions, in the Mediterranean world, of lac dye and shellac manufacturing. The text is also useful for establishing a more precise chronology within the debate concerning the date of Christianos, placing him in the early seventh century CE, during the reign of the emperor Heraclius.

This paper revisits the very well-known episode of Humphry Davy's electrical detection, isolation, naming, announcement, and publication of potassium and sodium. His initial experiments were made in the basement laboratory of the Royal Institution during the autumn of 1807. This paper draws on recently digitised Davy manuscripts as well as two letters (published as an appendix) written by the medical student Henry Holland to his father at the end of November 1807 which all provide significant new insights into this episode. The letters also illustrate the sociability and clubbable mores of the scientific and medical communities. Taken together these sources tell a complex story of the issues involved surrounding Davy's results, what the nature of the new substances were and what they should be named (the evolution of their names has not been previously discussed) and, perhaps, most strikingly, how the new metals might be interpreted in terms of phlogiston theory. But beyond that, I interpret Davy's discovery of potassium and sodium as part of a long continuum of his approach to chemical and geological research and theory, rather than, as most of the historical literature portrays, an isolated but important event.

In 1909, Friedrich Rathgen, chief chemist of the Berlin Museums, faced a challenging task: dating a bust and ideally confirming its origin as a Renaissance artwork attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. To authenticate the bust, the chemical composition of its wax components had to be determined, forming historical arguments for the dating of the object by correlating the material components with their historical usage. Debates arose among fat chemists about accurate techniques and the complexities of isolating substances from historical wax. This case illustrates the relationship between art history and chemistry in the analysis of material objects. It shows how chemists adapted their methods to address the challenges of the scientific analysis of art works and how historical and chemical hypotheses intertwined to form art historical arguments. Moreover, it highlights the reciprocal benefits derived from chemistry's engagement in art history, thereby advancing methods in both disciplines. Tracing the origins of fat chemistry within the broader context of chemistry and contextualising the museum's chemical laboratory within art history, this study draws attention to the larger context encompassing both natural sciences and humanities. Lastly, this study serves an instructive example of the transfer of practical knowledge between sciences and humanities around 1900.

The concept of naturalness has been a cornerstone in scientific research, philosophical debates, and cultural narratives. Industrial settings, often considered as antagonistic to nature, pose a particularly interesting site for investigating the construction of naturalness. This special issue explores the multifaceted nature(s) of naturalness through transdisciplinary perspectives, including analytical chemistry, the history of science, cultural studies, and the philosophy of chemistry. We discuss how the naturalness of industrially manufactured products is constructed, contested, and utilised in different domains by examining historical developments, consumer expectations, and technological advancements. Examining various case studies, the authors show how processes of naturalisation are connected to normalisation, optimisation, and imitation and how the understanding of naturalness affects human physiology and social interaction.

Naturalness is a highly discussed and controversial term. Not only are there several definitions of naturalness, but what is perceived as natural can vary among social groups and individuals. Even though the understanding of the term is not as straightforward as one might assume, it is commonly used. To untangle the various perspectives and understandings of naturalness, this article studies the evolution of the regulations for the labelling of flavourings in food in Germany from 1959 to the early twenty-first century. Analysing three decrees regulating the declaration of natural and non-natural flavours, this article puts forward strategies for reframing non-natural substances and the construction of naturalness.