Women's translations of scientific texts in the 18th century: a case study of Marie-Anne Lavoisier

In the 18th century, many outstanding translations of scientific texts were done by women. These women were important mediators of science. However, I would like to raise the issue that the 'selection,' which is the process by which intellectual women chose to conduct translation works, and those 'selections' made by male translators, would not be made at the same level. For example, émilie du Chatelet (1706-1749), the only French translator of Newton's "Principia," admitted her role as participating in important work, but, still, she was not perfectly satisfied with the position. For du Chatelet, the role as a translator was only an option under the current conditions that a female was denied the right to be a creator by society. In the case of Marie-Anne Lavoisier (1743-1794), like du Chatelet, we find an acute feeling in her mind that translation was not the work of creators. Because of her respect toward creative geniuses and her knowledge about the practical situation and concrete results of scientific studies, the translation works done by Marie-Anne Lavoisier were excellent. At the same time, the source of this excellence appears paradoxical at a glance: this excellence of translation was related closely with her low self-estimation in the field of science. Hence, we should not forget the gender problem that is behind such translations of scientific works done by women in that era. Such a possibility was a ray of light that was grasped by females, the sign of a gender that was eliminated from the center of scientific study due to social systems and norms and one of the few valuable opportunities to let people know of her own existence in the field of science.     

清中前期的东堂藏书

本文以惠泽霖《北堂图书馆西文善本目录》著录的题识信息为基础,结合部分罗马耶稣会档案馆旧藏档案、埃武拉公共图书馆档案和来华传教士信件等资料,通过对乾隆朝以前北京东堂的创设和变迁情况的梳理,可知东堂藏书空间的变化。将惠泽霖著录、高华士整理部分藏书题识,与现存藏书比对与复校,对题识内容进行了分类、翻译和分析,展现出清中前期东堂藏书收集、管理与利用的历史,以及东堂藏书的专题特色与流动脉络。     

Molecular and osteometric sexing of cattle metacarpals: a case study from 15th century AD Beja,Portugal

In the course of a zooarchaeological survey of Holocene sites in southern Portugal, a substantial size increase of cattle bones was noted following the Christian reconquista of the 11th–13th centuries AD. A size increase in the course of time within a lineage of domestic livestock is usually considered to represent animal improvement. However several other factors including sex may influence the average size of a sample of mammal bones – cattle exhibit considerable sexual size dimorphism, with bulls being larger than cows. A histogram of the distal widths of a large (n = 44) sample of cattle metacarpals from 15th century Beja (Alentejo, Portugal), revealed a bimodal distribution. It was assumed that the large measurements belonged to males and the small to females. In order to rule out the possibility of a post-Moslem change in the sex ratio of cattle, a sub-sample of 21 cattle metacarpals from Beja was selected and we used genetic markers to identify the sex of the animals to which these metacarpals belonged. The ancient DNA sex of all specimens agreed with the previously assumed sex as determined osteometrically. We conclude that the two nearly separated peaks for the metacarpal distal width measurements do indeed indicate sex. A similar bimodal distribution was obtained from another large but earlier sample of cattle metacarpals from Moslem Alcáçova de Santarém (9th–12th century AD). Although these have not been molecularly sexed and since osteometric sexing has now been validated, we conclude that both small (female) and large (male) peaks are smaller than the 15th century ones and that there was an overall size increase or improvement of cattle in this region. Why the Christians improved cattle is unclear, but a selection for larger beeves for meat is one possibility as is the selection of more robust cattle for power. The spread of the quadrangular or chariot plough in Iberia is known to have occurred at this time. We then use the genetically sexed metacarpals to determine which measurements provide reasonable distinction between the sexes. Both the distal width (BFd; as already noted by Svensson et al., 2008; in Swedish medieval cattle) and the width of the lateral condyle (WCL) offer the best distinction. We also used them as a reference ‘collection’ to sex the medieval and post-medieval cattle metacarpals from Launceston Castle in England. This re-visit of the Launceston data corroborates other evidence indicating increased specialisation (milk and veal) in post-medieval cattle husbandry in England.     

Further developments in molecular sex assignment: a blind test of 18th and 19th century human skeletons

The identification of sex in human remains recovered from archaeological locations is important in order to understand the social and biological structure of past societies, and to reconstruct past population demographic events. Sex determination is usually based on morphological traits of the skeletons, with the drawback that most methods do not apply to juveniles and require well preserved remains. In cases where morphological methods cannot be used, or are ambiguous, methods of molecular sexing systems are an alternative. In this methodological study we tested and validated the accuracy and usefulness of a molecular sexing method based on the amelogenin gene using pyrosequencing. We did this in a double blind study of documented 18th and 19th century human remains.     

Pietism and medicine in the first half of the 18th century

In the beginning of the 18th century Halle Pietists tried to establish a specific approach to sickness and healing. They constructed close links between physical illness on the one hand and the religious concept of individual piety, penance and rebirth on the other. This new' pietist medicine largely depended on Georg Ernst Stahl's medical theory, which was not pietist in itself, but was adopted and simplified by pietist physicians. Although conclusive and rhetorically present in programmatic texts, pietist medicine turned out to be less influential on medical practice than expected.     

十六至十八世纪的澳门与东西宗教文化交流

从１６世纪至１８世纪,澳门因其特殊的地理位置和社会背景成了东西文化、宗教交流的基地,对于推动国际间的交流与融合有着特别重要的地位。     

朝鲜燕行使者与18世纪北京的琉璃厂

在中韩文化交流史上,18世纪是个重要的转折时期。一方面,从这一时期开始,朝鲜人逐渐调整心态,对盛清时代的来临,作了全新的认识。而在另一方面,随着东亚形势的变化,以及朝鲜燕行使者孜孜不倦的公关活动,中国官方对燕行使团成员的限制逐渐放宽。在这一世纪,燕行使团渐渐摆脱了朝鲜馆内序班(中国胥吏)的控制,直接与琉璃厂的书商等展开频繁的交流。由于琉璃厂是当时北京雅俗文化的中心,这不仅极大地丰富了书籍采买的来源,而且,通过持续不断的观察,以及与不同阶层的接触和交流,也使得朝鲜人对于中国社会的了解更为全面。     

从两幅地图看18世纪初期清人对黑龙江流域的认识

本文主要从考察、分析《黑龙江流域图》和康熙《皇舆全览图》两幅地图入手,力求将18世纪初期黑龙江流域的自然、人文面貌尽量还原,并从中透视清人对这个新设政区的认识状况.