Lab Tales

Science, medicine, and technology have become increasingly important to the average individual in modern society. The importance of these three fields is in many ways one of the defining characteristics of modernity. Understanding their history is essential for educated individuals. Science,medicine, and technology are not static endeavors but processes, bodies of knowledge, tools, and techniques that are constantly growing and changing. The entries in this encyclopedia explore the changing character of science, medicine, and technology in the United States; the key individuals,institutions, and organizations responsible for major developments; and the concepts, practices, and processes underlying these changes. Especially since the early decades of the twentieth century, American science, medicine, and technology have played dominant roles internationally.Entries explore distinctive characteristics of American institutions and culture that help explain this development. At the same time, the encyclopedia situates specific events, theories, practices, and institutions in their proper historical context and explores their impact on American society andculture. Entries are written by the experts in the field. Students not only from the humanities and social sciences but also from the sciences and the medical sciences should be attracted to the broad-ranging and in-depth analysis in the encyclopedia.

This Encyclopedia examines all aspects of the history of science in the United States, with a special emphasis placed on the historiography of science in America. It can be used by students, general readers, scientists, or anyone interested in the facts relating to the development of science in the United States. Special emphasis is placed in the history of medicine and technology and on the relationship between science and technology and science and medicine.

This encyclopedia is an overview of the history of science in America from colonial times to the present. Organized alphabetically within scientific discipline, the set is divided into fourteen sections that include overview essays tracing the historical development of the specific discipline in a cultural and social context; A-to-Z entries on people, institutions, events, developments, and significant concepts; documents highlighting the development of the discipline; and a chronology detailing the historic milestones. Extensive cross-references, a topic finder, bibliographic citations, and biographical and subject indexes in each volume round out this work.

The first A-Z resource on the history of science from 1900 to 1950 examining the dynamic between science and the social, political, and cultural forces of the era. Though many books have highlighted the great scientific discoveries of the early 1900s, few have tackled the wider context in which these milestones were achieved. Science in the Early Twentieth Century covers everything from quantum physics to penicillin and more, including all the major scientific developments of the period, detailing not only the scientists and their work, but also the social and political forces that dominated the scientific agenda. Over 200 A-Z entries chronicle the landmark scientific discoveries and personalities of the period, including such scientific giants as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. Placing science firmly within its cultural context, this thoroughly researched, accessible resource takes a uniquely interdisciplinary approach, making it an invaluable text for scientists, educators, students, and the general reader. Over 200 A-Z entries on the key scientific discoveries, thinkers, practices, and political and cultural influences of the period Over 80 photographs of important scientists and events, including Marie Curie at work in the laboratory where she isolated pure Radium, Clarence Darrow at the Scopes evolution trial in July 1925, and the wrecked framework of the Museum of Science and Industry in Hiroshima shortly after the dropping of the first atomic bomb

This is a comprehensive reference work which surveys all aspects of the history of medicine, both clinical and social, and reflects the complementary approaches to the discipline. The editors have assembled an international team of scholars to provide detailed and informative factual surveys with contemporary interpretations and historiographical debate. Special Features * Comprehensive: 72 substantial and original essays from internationally respected scholars * Unique: no other publication provides so much information in two volumes * Broad-ranging: includes coverage of non-Western as well as Western medicine * Up-to-date: incorporates the very latest in historical research and interpretation * User-friendly: clearly laid out and readable, with a full index of Topics and People * Indispensable: essential information for study and research, including bibliographic notes and cross-referencing between articles.