Chemistry laboratories,and how they might be studied |
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Institution: | 1. Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan;2. Department of Physics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong;3. Center for Nonlinear Studies, The Beijing–Hong Kong–Singapore Joint Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong |
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Abstract: | Chemistry laboratories, as buildings, have been surprisingly little studied by historians of science; interest has been focused on them more as sites of specific scientific activity, with particular emphasis on the personalities who worked within them. This has overshadowed aspects of laboratories such as their specification, design, construction, fitting-out, adaptation, replacement, status as civic and academic structures, and so on. Systematic study of them would be aided by an agreed taxonomy of laboratory types, according to their purpose, and a scheme is proposed here. Practically no pre-1800 chemical laboratories survive, and there are very few dating from earlier than 1900, at least in their original state. Encouragingly, there have been several recent archaeological excavations which have turned up interesting evidence of early examples from various cultures. Little interest has been shown in the preservation of laboratories as significant architectural or historical structures, certainly when compared with other building types. The paper closes by considering those English laboratories which enjoy some level of legal protection but questioning the criteria adopted in deciding the programme of preservation. |
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Keywords: | Chemical laboratory Research Production Testing Teaching Building-type |
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