The Public Image of Chemistry (389 Pages)

Popular associations with chemistry range from poisons, hazards, chemical warfare and environmental pollution to alchemical pseudoscience, sorcery and mad scientists, which gravely affect the public image of science in general. While chemists have merely complained about their public image, social and cultural studies of science have largely avoided anything related to chemistry. This book provides, for the first time, an in-depth understanding of the cultural and historical contexts in which the public image of chemistry has emerged. It argues that this image has been shaped through recurring and unlucky interactions between chemists in popularizing their discipline and nonchemists in expressing their expectations and fears of science. Written by leading scholars from the humanities, social sciences and chemistry in North America, Europe and Australia, this volume explores a blind spot in the science society relationship and calls for a constructive dialog between scientists and their public. CONTENTS 6 Introduction Joachim Schummer, Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent & Brigitte Van Tiggelen 8 Part 1: Popular Images in Fiction and Movies 6 1. The Alchemist in Fiction: The Master Narrative Roslynn Haynes 14 1. Introduction 14 2. The Popular Appeal of Alchemy 15 3. The Public Image of Alchemists 18 4. Prototypes of the Alchemist in Literature 19 4.1 Faust 20 4.2 Frankenstein 21 5. The Endurance of the Alchemist Stereotype 26 6. Terror and Desire 40 7. Conclusion 41 References 42 2. Historical Roots of the‘Mad Scientist’: Chemists in Nineteenth-century Literature Joachim Schummer 44 1. Introduction 44 2. Preliminary Notes about the Medieval Alchemist in the Literature 48 3. Renewing the Discourse about the True Alchemy in Christian Romanticism 50 4. Reinventing the Medieval Alchemists in a Discourse about Chemistry 53 5. Chemists against God, I: Materialism and Nihilism 62 6. Chemists against God, II: Hubris and the ‘Mad Scientist’ 69 7. Conclusion 82 References 84 3. Chemists and their Craft in Fiction Film Peter Weingart 88 1. Introduction. 88 2. Popular Myths of Scientific Knowledge 91 3. Chemists and Chemistry in Fiction Films – Patterns and Stereotypes 94 3.1 Note on methodology 94 3.2 Popular disciplines 95 3.3 Settings of research 95 3.4 How knowledge is gained 96 3.5 Dangerous discovery/invention 97 3.6 Chemistry and ethical values 98 3.7 Depictions of scientists’ characters 98 3.8 Scientific misconduct by discipline 99 3.9 Utopias and dystopias of science – objects of fictional science 99 3.10 Authenticity 100 3.11 Preoccupation with the past – alchemy 101 4. Conclusions 102 References 103 4. Chemistry and Power in Recent American Fiction Philip Ball 104 1. Introduction 104 2. Levi’s Legacy 107 3. Home Truths about Chemistry 109 4. Corporate Gain, Public Loss? 117 5. Portentous Polymers 123 References 128 Part 2: Self-Images in Chemistry Popularizations 6 5. Popularizing Chemistry: Hands-on and Hands-off David Knight 130 1. Introduction* 130 2. Who are the Public? 131 3. What Used to Happen? 132 4. Hands-off to Hands-on? 134 5. Publications 135 6. Professions, Specialization, and Popularizing 136 7. The Unpopularity of Chemistry 138 8. Conquering or Worshipping Nature? 139 References 141 6. Liebig or How to Popularize Chemistry Marika Blondel-Mégrelis 144 1. Introduction 144 2. A Break in Liebig’s Trajectory 145 3. 1837: The Crucial Year 147 4. 1840: The Turning Point 149 5. The Instruments of Popularization 151 6. Conclusion 155 References 156 7. From Chemistry for the People to the Wonders of Technology: The Popularization of Chemistry in the Netherlands during the Nineteenth Century Ernst Homburg 158 1. Introduction1 158 2. Wonders of Nature 161 3. Science Popularization in the Eighteenth Century 162 4. Half a Century Too Late? 164 5. Chemistry for Women, Children, and the Common People 165 6. Evening Schools and Sunday Schools 168 7. Affordable and Illustrated Books for all Classes 170 8. 1845-1865: Period of Flowering and Transition 175 9. Mulder and Gunning 180 10. Wonders of Technology 184 11. Conclusion and Outlook 185 References 187 8. Abraham Cressy Morrison in the Agora: Bringing Chemistry to the Public Andrew Ede 194 1. Introduction 194 2. The American Context and the Origin of the Text 196 3. Morrison and the ‘Agora’ of Popular Writing 198 4. Leon Söderston, the Illustrator 202 5. The Use of Metonyms 203 6. The Evolving Image of the Scientist in the White Lab Coat as Scientific Icon 204 7. The Artistic Style of the Illustrations 207 8. Key Images of Chemistry and Chemists 208 9. Conclusion 215 References 217 9. The Visual Image of Chemistry: Perspectives from the History of Art and Science Joachim Schummer & Tami I. Spector 220 1. Introduction 220 2. The Chemical Portrait: Its Origin and Meaning 222 2.1 Uroscopy becomes an emblem of medicine 222 2.2 Uroscopy becomes a symbol of quackery and fraud 225 2.3 From quack medicine to alchemy 226 2.4 Satire continues 228 2.5 Portraits of nineteenth-century chemists and their twentiethcentury transformation 229 3. Chemical Plants: The Panoramic View 233 3.1 Industrial landscape: historical traditions 234 3.2 Chemical plants as architectural photographs 236 3.3 Chemical plants as sublime landscape 239 3.4 Chemical plants as kitsch 241 4. Abstraction 243 4.1 Chemical plants: close-up view 243 4.2 Glassware: the chemical still life 246 5. Conclusion 250 References 251 Images 255 Part 3: Mediated Images 7 10. Taking Science to the Marketplace: Examples of Science Service’s Presentation of Chemistry during the 1930s Marcel C. LaFollette 266 1. Introduction 266 2. Origins: A New Institution for a Changing Market 269 3. Staffing, Credentials, and a Fight for Control 274 4. Constructing the Daily News about Chemistry 278 5. Chemistry on the Airwaves 284 6. Chemistry in Department Store Windows 292 7. Conclusion 299 Acknowledgments 301 References 301 11. The Image of Chemistry Presented by the Science Museum, London in the Twentieth Century: An International Perspective Peter J. T. Morris 304 1. Introduction 304 2. History of Chemistry at the Science Museum 306 3. Gallery Development at the Science Museum 310 4. The Image of Chemistry Presented by Science Museum Galleries 314 4.1 The Western Galleries, 1890-1916 315 4.2 Chemistry in the East Block, 1925 317 4.3 The 1977 Redisplay 319 4.4 ‘Chemistry of Everyday Life’, 1999 322 5. Chemistry in the Deutsches Museum 324 6. Conclusions 328 Acknowledgements 331 References 332 12. On the Self-Image of Chemists, 1950-2000 Pierre Laszlo 336 1. Introduction 336 2. Academic and Industrial Chemistry 339 3. The 1950s: Rise of the Research University and Chemistry 340 4. The 1960s: The NMR Revolution 344 5. The 1960s: Chromatographic Takeover and Other Laboratory Changes 350 6. The 1970s: Acquiring Environmental Consciousness 354 7. The 1980s: Mystique of Growth 357 8. The 1990s: Attempts at Rebranding 359 9. Conclusions 364 Acknowledgements 366 References 366 Biographical Notes on the Contributors 376 Acknowledgments 380 Index of Names 382 Part 2: Self-Images in Chemistry Popularizations......Page 6 Introduction Joachim Schummer, Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent & Brigitte Van Tiggelen......Page 8 1. Introduction......Page 14 2. The Popular Appeal of Alchemy......Page 15 3. The Public Image of Alchemists......Page 18 4. Prototypes of the Alchemist in Literature......Page 19 4.1 Faust......Page 20 4.2 Frankenstein......Page 21 5. The Endurance of the Alchemist Stereotype......Page 26 6. Terror and Desire......Page 40 7. Conclusion......Page 41 References......Page 42 1. Introduction......Page 44 2. Preliminary Notes about the Medieval Alchemist in the Literature......Page 48 3. Renewing the Discourse about the True Alchemy in Christian Romanticism......Page 50 4. Reinventing the Medieval Alchemists in a Discourse about Chemistry......Page 53 5. Chemists against God, I: Materialism and Nihilism......Page 62 6. Chemists against God, II: Hubris and the ‘Mad Scientist’......Page 69 7. Conclusion......Page 82 References......Page 84 1. Introduction.......Page 88 2. Popular Myths of Scientific Knowledge......Page 91 3.1 Note on methodology......Page 94 3.3 Settings of research......Page 95 3.4 How knowledge is gained......Page 96 3.5 Dangerous discovery/invention......Page 97 3.7 Depictions of scientists’ characters......Page 98 3.9 Utopias and dystopias of science – objects of fictional science......Page 99 3.10 Authenticity......Page 100 3.11 Preoccupation with the past – alchemy......Page 101 4. Conclusions......Page 102 References......Page 103 1. Introduction......Page 104 2. Levi’s Legacy......Page 107 3. Home Truths about Chemistry......Page 109 4. Corporate Gain, Public Loss?......Page 117 5. Portentous Polymers......Page 123 References......Page 128 1. Introduction*......Page 130 2. Who are the Public?......Page 131 3. What Used to Happen?......Page 132 4. Hands-off to Hands-on?......Page 134 5. Publications......Page 135 6. Professions, Specialization, and Popularizing......Page 136 7. The Unpopularity of Chemistry......Page 138 8. Conquering or Worshipping Nature?......Page 139 References......Page 141 1. Introduction......Page 144 2. A Break in Liebig’s Trajectory......Page 145 3. 1837: The Crucial Year......Page 147 4. 1840: The Turning Point......Page 149 5. The Instruments of Popularization......Page 151 6. Conclusion......Page 155 References......Page 156 1. Introduction1......Page 158 2. Wonders of Nature......Page 161 3. Science Popularization in the Eighteenth Century......Page 162 4. Half a Century Too Late?......Page 164 5. Chemistry for Women, Children, and the Common People......Page 165 6. Evening Schools and Sunday Schools......Page 168 7. Affordable and Illustrated Books for all Classes......Page 170 8. 1845-1865: Period of Flowering and Transition......Page 175 9. Mulder and Gunning......Page 180 10. Wonders of Technology......Page 184 11. Conclusion and Outlook......Page 185 References......Page 187 1. Introduction......Page 194 2. The American Context and the Origin of the Text......Page 196 3. Morrison and the ‘Agora’ of Popular Writing......Page 198 4. Leon Söderston, the Illustrator......Page 202 5. The Use of Metonyms......Page 203 6. The Evolving Image of the Scientist in the White Lab Coat as Scientific Icon......Page 204 7. The Artistic Style of the Illustrations......Page 207 8. Key Images of Chemistry and Chemists......Page 208 9. Conclusion......Page 215 References......Page 217 1. Introduction......Page 220 2.1 Uroscopy becomes an emblem of medicine......Page 222 2.2 Uroscopy becomes a symbol of quackery and fraud......Page 225 2.3 From quack medicine to alchemy......Page 226 2.4 Satire continues......Page 228 2.5 Portraits of nineteenth-century chemists and their twentiethcentury transformation......Page 229 3. Chemical Plants: The Panoramic View......Page 233 3.1 Industrial landscape: historical traditions......Page 234 3.2 Chemical plants as architectural photographs......Page 236 3.3 Chemical plants as sublime landscape......Page 239 3.4 Chemical plants as kitsch......Page 241 4.1 Chemical plants: close-up view......Page 243 4.2 Glassware: the chemical still life......Page 246 5. Conclusion......Page 250 References......Page 251 Images......Page 255 Part 3: Mediated Images......Page 7 1. Introduction......Page 266 2. Origins: A New Institution for a Changing Market......Page 269 3. Staffing, Credentials, and a Fight for Control......Page 274 4. Constructing the Daily News about Chemistry......Page 278 5. Chemistry on the Airwaves......Page 284 6. Chemistry in Department Store Windows......Page 292 7. Conclusion......Page 299 References......Page 301 1. Introduction......Page 304 2. History of Chemistry at the Science Museum......Page 306 3. Gallery Development at the Science Museum......Page 310 4. The Image of Chemistry Presented by Science Museum Galleries......Page 314 4.1 The Western Galleries, 1890-1916......Page 315 4.2 Chemistry in the East Block, 1925......Page 317 4.3 The 1977 Redisplay......Page 319 4.4 ‘Chemistry of Everyday Life’, 1999......Page 322 5. Chemistry in the Deutsches Museum......Page 324 6. Conclusions......Page 328 Acknowledgements......Page 331 References......Page 332 1. Introduction......Page 336 2. Academic and Industrial Chemistry......Page 339 3. The 1950s: Rise of the Research University and Chemistry......Page 340 4. The 1960s: The NMR Revolution......Page 344 5. The 1960s: Chromatographic Takeover and Other Laboratory Changes......Page 350 6. The 1970s: Acquiring Environmental Consciousness......Page 354 7. The 1980s: Mystique of Growth......Page 357 8. The 1990s: Attempts at Rebranding......Page 359 9. Conclusions......Page 364 References......Page 366 Biographical Notes on the Contributors......Page 376 Acknowledgments......Page 380 Index of Names......Page 382 Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into cells that are found throughout the body. This fundamental property of stem cells suggests that they can potentially be used to replace degenerative cells within the body, and regenerate the functional capacity of organ systems that have deteriorated because of disease or aging. This authoritative textbook provides an overview of the latest advances in the field of stem cell biology, spanning topics that include nuclear reprogramming, somatic cell cloning, and determinants of cell fate; embryonic stem cells for hematopoietic and pancreatic repair; adult stem cells for cardiovascular, neural, renal, and hepatic repair; and manufacturing of stem cells for clinical use