A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Modern Age (The Cultural Histories Series)

A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Modern Age covers the period from 1914 to the present. The impact of chemistry and the chemical industry on science, war, society, and the economy has made this era the “Chemical Age”. Having prospered in the West, chemical science spread across the globe and slowly became more diversified in terms of its ethnic and gendered mix. After flourishing for sixty years, the chemical industry was impacted by the Oil Crisis of the 1970s and became almost invisible in the West. While the industry has clearly delivered many benefits to society-such as new materials and better drugs-it has been excoriated by critics for its impact on the environment. The six-volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are theory and concepts; practice and experiment; laboratories and technology; culture and science; society and environment; trade and industry; learning and institutions; art and representation. Peter J. T. Morris is Honorary Research Associate at the Science Museum, London, and at University College London, UK A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Modern Age is the sixth volume in the six-volume set, A Cultural History of Chemistry , also available online as part of Bloomsbury Cultural History, a fully-searchable digital library (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com). General Editors: Peter J. T. Morris, University College London, UK, and Alan Rocke, Case Western Reserve University, USA. A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Modern Age covers the period from 1914 to the present. The impact of chemistry and the chemical industry on science, war, society, and the economy has made this era the “Chemical Age”. Having prospered in the West, chemical science spread across the globe and slowly became more diversified in terms of its ethnic and gendered mix. After flourishing for sixty years, the chemical industry was impacted by the Oil Crisis of the 1970s and became almost invisible in the West. While the industry has clearly delivered many benefits to society-such as new materials and better drugs-it has been excoriated by critics for its impact on the environment. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are theory and concepts; practice and experiment; laboratories and technology; culture and science; society and environment; trade and industry; learning and institutions; art and representation. Peter J. T. Morris is Honorary Research Associate at the Science Museum, London, and at University College London, UK Volume 6 in the Cultural History of Chemistry set.General Editors: Peter J. T. Morris, University College London, UK, and Alan Rocke, Case Western Reserve University, USA. Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 List of Tables 12 Series Preface 14 Introduction Peter J.T. Morris 16 1 Theory and Concepts: Stability and Transformation in Chemical Problems and Explanation 1914 to the Present Mary Jo Nye 44 2 Practice and Experiment: From Laboratory Research to Teaching and Policy-making José Ramón Bertomeu-Sánchez and Antonio García-Belmar 66 3 Laboratories and Technology: An Era of Transformations Peter J.T. Morris 88 4 Culture and Science: Materials and Methods in Society Carsten Reinhardt 114 5 Society and Environment: The Advance of Women and the International Regulation of Pollution Peter Reed 138 6 Trade and Industry: The Growth, Diversification, and Dissolution of a Global Industry Peter J.T. Morris and Anthony S. Travis 164 7 Learning and Institutions: Global Developments since 1914 Jeffrey Allan Johnson, Yasu Furukawa, and Lijing Jiang 188 8 Art and Representation: From the “Mad Scientist” to Poison Gas and Chemical Pollution Joachim Schummer 218 Notes 239 Bibliography 240 List of contributors 271 Index 272 "A Cultural History of Chemistry in Antiquity covers the period from 3000 BCE to 600 CE, ranging across the civilizations of the Mediterranean and Near East. Over this long period, chemical artisans, recipes, and ideas were exchanged between Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. The flowering of alchemy in the Middle and Early Modern Ages had its roots in the chemical arts of antiquity. This study presents the first synthesis of this epoch, examining the centrality of intense exchange and interconnectivity to the discovery and development of sources, techniques, materials, and instruments"-- The volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume and theory and concepts ; practice and experiment ; laboratories and technology ; culture and science ; society and enviroment ; trade and industry ; learning and institutions ; art and representation