Five Scientists at Johns Hopkins in the Modern Evolution of Neuroscience

Neuroscience’s evolution at Johns Hopkins, from neurophysiology to the new field of neurobiology, though unplanned, was rapid and important. Beginning in 1933 when Philip Bard became professor of physiology at Johns Hopkins, members of his department concentrated initially on neuroanatomical control of placing reactions and sexual activity. Vernon Mountcastle, extending available techniques, discovered vertical somato-sensory columns in the 1950's. Stephen Kuffler, who arrived at Hopkins in 1947, was a pioneer in single unit microelectrode recording techniques. He soon attracted scientists from all over the world to his laboratory. Among them, Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel discovered vertical neuronal columns in the visual cortex. During several decades at Johns Hopkins, these five scientists set extremely high scientific standards and established a climate of inquiry in which ideas were shared and young scientists encouraged. They contributed significantly to the emerging discipline of neuroscience.     

Varieties of publication patterns in neuroscience at the cognitive turn

The quantification of publication activity and impact has become a key element in the evaluation of scientific excellence. However, it is unclear to what extent this grasps the diversity of research communication that accompanies the transition of scientific fields. This contribution investigates number, categorization, and impact of publications (i.e., publication patterns) of six scientists active at the cognitive turn, which promoted the information processing perspective on neuronal processes in different communities: Horace Barlow, Theodore Bullock, Ralph Gerard, Donald MacKay, Warren McCulloch, and Werner Reichardt. The large variety of publication patterns revealed indicates the limits of standardized evaluation procedures based on publication activity.     

Nobel laureates at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn: phenomenology and paths to discovery in neuroscience

The practice of science usually involves more than a solitary genius in a solitary room, coping with the problem of her/his life. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, scientific research, especially in the field of the Natural Sciences, has grown into a more and more complex practice, which often entangles very special needs, in terms of research objects, techniques, sources, and perspectives. A few special places, such as the Stazione Zoologica di Napoli, have represented in this period the focal points of an ever growing international scientific network, promoting independent research, exchange and diffusion of novel practices and techniques and unrestricted confrontation. The so-called "Naples experience" has been cited by a large number of renowned scientists of the last two centuries as a key moment in their scientific life. Here we have tried to test it against the experience of three great scientists par excellence, i.e. three Nobel laureates (T. H. Morgan, Otto Warburg, J. D. Watson). The different experiences they have had at Naples represent, in our view, three different moments of the professional life of almost every scientist. Therefore, we have chosen to present them as a phenomenology. The final section is dedicated to a survey of the Zoological Station's contribution to neurosciences, especially to the Naples experience of the Nobel Prize winner Sir Bernard Katz and his assistant Ricardo Miledi, between 1965 and 1970. Their work on the squid at Naples allowed probing and quantitative refinement of results already obtained on different animals and contributed to reinforce the long lasting neurophysiological tradition of the institute.     

近代东亚工业技术的演化:以丰田织布机为例

丰田织布机的创造和传播是近代东亚工业技术演化的一个实例。丰田佐吉凭借"逆着潮流游泳"的熊彼特式企业家精神,成功开发了丰田织布机这一技术产品,带动了日本工业化的发展。1920年代,通过拆解仿制,中国的大隆机器厂等企业也成功制造出丰田织布机。抗战胜利后,中国机器制造公司通过丰田的技术转让,获取了丰田式自动织机的制造能力。发明创新、逆向工程与技术转让构成了近代东亚工业技术演进的三条路径,后发国家需要凭借企业家的精神动力克服技术演化中的难关,尤其需以"非理性"的动机超越市场需求中理性决策对技术发展的抑制。对后进国的技术演化而言,意识形态起着关键作用。     

Minerva Scientifica: the owl that flies at dawn - women scientists,women composers

ABSTRACT

Under the leadership of soprano Frances M Lynch, Minerva Scientifica deploys sung theatrical performances to encourage, celebrate and demonstrate the achievements of women in science and music. Based on collaborative discussions between practising female scientists and contemporary classical composers, the events staged by Minerva Scientifica are receiving high acclaim not only as educational and musical experiences for general audiences, but also for enhancing scientists’ appreciation of their own work. Adopting a historical approach, this article first explores the relationships between three pairs – women and science, music and science, women and music – before giving a more detailed account of the project’s evolution since 2011.     

近现代贵州古琴艺术的历史沿革及发展

古琴作为中华民族最早的弹弦乐器之一,在西南少数民族主要聚居地之一的贵州如何传承与发展,成为值得思考的问题。文章旨在介绍古琴艺术在贵州近百年的发展状况,为这门古老的艺术今后在贵州的发展提供一些参考,同时为相关的文献研究提供重要例证。     

Historiography and historians of neuroscience: towards diversity in the ISHN

This article introduces and critiques the historiographical tradition of the history of the neurosciences as it has been established in the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences (ISHN). The founding members of the ISHN were practitioner-historians, practitioners of the neurosciences with an interest in the great moments, ideas and controversies in the history of their field. The historiographical precedent set by these clinician-historians emphasized those aspects of history most interesting to them. Academic historians bring a different approach to the history of neurosciences, particularly an interest in studying the intellectual and cultural contexts of both the inherited and the forgotten ideas about the nervous system. Their approach to history has not been well presented in the ISHN, in part because the current historiographical tradition does not address their interests. This article highlights the methodological and epistemological differences between academic and practitioner-historians and discusses the difficulties that other historical societies have faced in trying to bring them together. The article then suggests ideas for symposia that might facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue and a revised historiographical tradition that speaks to the needs of both academic and historians and practitioner historians.     

New perspectives on forced migration in the history of twentieth-century neuroscience

ABSTRACT

This special issue of the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, comprised of six articles and one commentary, reflects on the multifold dimensions of intellectual migration in the neurosciences and illustrates them by relevant case studies, biographies, and surveys from twentieth-century history of science and medicine perspectives. The special issue as a whole strives to emphasize the impact of forced migration in the neurosciences and psychiatry from an interdisciplinary perspective by, first, describing the general research topic, second, by showing how new models can be applied to the historiography and social studies of twentieth-century neuroscience, and, third, by providing a deeper understanding of the impact of European émigré researchers on emerging allied fields, such as neurogenetics, biological psychiatry, psychosomatics, and public mental health, etc. as resulting from this process at large.     

Women in neuroscience (WIN): the first twenty years

Women in Neuroscience (WIN) is an international organization whose major goal is to promote the professional advancement of women neuroscientists. To this end, WIN facilitates contacts and communication among women working in neuroscience, and organizes appropriate activities at the annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting. WIN was created in 1980, when despite major changes and advances in 'equal opportunities', women were still not achieving a proportionate level of success in the subdiscipline of neurosciences. In 1980, women made up 40 to 50% of entering classes in medical schools or graduate programs, but often comprised only 5 to 15% of leadership in respective organizations. Although there had been women elected to serve as SfN presidents, council, and committee members, women were under-represented in other positions of the Society, such as symposium and session chairs. There was an even lesser degree of representation in leadership positions at universities and medical schools in terms of full professorships, chairs, and program directors, as well as on editorial boards, advisory boards, and councils. Over the years, WIN has worked with success toward increasing the participation of women in neuroscience.     

金沙土遗址盐害分布与演化特征

金沙土遗址表面存在泛盐、粉化、空鼓等盐害。对这些盐害的分布特征与演化过程的研究是科学保护金沙土遗址的第一步，也是进一步探讨盐害致病机理的前提条件。本工作收集整理了2010～2020年金沙土遗址病害调查资料，通过现场调查和图像处理技术对盐害的类型、分布特征与演化过程进行定性和定量分析；采用X射线衍射、离子色谱和扫描电镜等测定了不同高度土样的成分、盐分含量以及微观结构。结果显示金沙土遗址主要的盐害类型为表面泛盐、粉化、空鼓、片状剥蚀和掏蚀；主要分布区域是西北向走廊和古河道附近，机挖坑侧壁最为严重；在探方侧壁上盐害由上到下依次由表面泛盐过渡到单独粉化，再到空鼓和片状剥蚀，最底层为掏蚀。金沙土遗址盐害的发育过程可以概括为四个阶段，每个阶段主要发育的盐害类型不同，依次为表面泛盐、粉化、片状剥蚀和掏蚀。越到后期，各类盐害分布范围越大，发展速度越快，对土遗址破坏性越大。离子浓度沿高度的分布与毛细上升作用有关，也与病害的劣化程度和发育进程有关。硫酸钙类是导致土遗址泛盐、粉化和脱落的主要盐分之一。     

The “tribal spirit” in modern Britain: evolution,nationality, and race in the anthropology of Sir Arthur Keith

ABSTRACT

This article re-examines the anthropological scholarship of Sir Arthur Keith (1866–1955), who served as the president of the Royal Anthropological Institute (1914–1917), the Royal Anatomical Society (1918), and the British Association of the Advancement of Science (1927), who wrote prolifically on anatomy, evolution, and the idea of race. While most commonly associated with the Piltdown man hoax, Keith's contributions to the discipline were far greater and more complex. This essay specifically considers how Keith sought to problematize the concept of the nation, considering the nation-state as an evolutionary unit. The first half of this essay examines Keith's theories on the mechanism of evolution (hormonal instincts) and how this informed his ideas of races and nations as evolutionary units. The second half of the essay considers how Keith deployed his ideas about evolutionary instincts, with the goal of advising Britons about how an evolutionary perspective would help understand, if not resolve, modern political challenges, both international and domestic, that faced the British Empire around the time of the First World War.     

Cities in the modern world

SUMMARY: The archaeology of modern cities has grown enormously over the past half-century, driven in large part by developer-funded urban renewal. This activity has utilized a diverse array of methodological approaches, research paradigms and scales of analysis — a diversity increasingly reflected in the pages of Post-Medieval Archaeology. In this paper, we review the development of urban archaeology, with a particular focus on material remains from the past two or three centuries. We emphasize the role played by commercial archaeology and the growing importance of community engagement, along with changing theoretical models and the emergence of new analytical technologies.