Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures

The Encyclopaedia fills a gap in both the history of science and in cultural stud­ ies. Reference works on other cultures tend either to omit science completely or pay little attention to it, and those on the history of science almost always start with the Greeks, with perhaps a mention of the Islamic world as a trans­ lator of Greek scientific works. The purpose of the Encyclopaedia is to bring together knowledge of many disparate fields in one place and to legitimize the study of other cultures' science. Our aim is not to claim the superiority of other cultures, but to engage in a mutual exchange of ideas. The Western aca­ demic divisions of science, technology, and medicine have been united in the Encyclopaedia because in ancient cultures these disciplines were connected. This work contributes to redressing the balance in the number of reference works devoted to the study of Western science, and encourages awareness of cultural diversity. The Encyclopaedia is the first compilation of this sort, and it is testimony both to the earlier Eurocentric view of academia as well as to the widened vision of today. There is nothing that crosses disciplinary and geographic boundaries, dealing with both scientific and philosophical issues, to the extent that this work does. xi PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Many years ago I taught African history at a secondary school in Central Africa. Front Matter....Pages i-xxvii A....Pages 1-146 B....Pages 147-163 C....Pages 164-246 D....Pages 247-252 E....Pages 253-330 F....Pages 331-341 G....Pages 342-391 H....Pages 392-400 I....Pages 401-458 J....Pages 459-474 K....Pages 475-507 L....Pages 508-521 M....Pages 522-754 N....Pages 755-787 O....Pages 788-805 P....Pages 806-829 Q....Pages 830-842 R....Pages 843-873 S....Pages 874-929 T....Pages 930-992 U....Pages 993-994 V....Pages 995-1001 W....Pages 1002-1040 X....Pages 1041-1042 Y....Pages 1043-1049 Z....Pages 1050-1061 Back Matter....Pages 1063-1117 This reference contains 6000 entries dealing with the history of the scientific, technological and medical accomplishments of cultures outside of the USA and Europe. It aims to bring together knowledge of many disparate fields in one place and to legitimize the study of other cultures' science.