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Australian Science in the Making

Australian Science in the Making

Australian Science in the Making

Roderick Weir Home, University of Melbourne
December 1990
Available
Paperback
9780521396400
£36.99
GBP
Paperback

    In this 1989 volume the Australian Academy of Science celebrates and assesses two centuries of Australian science. Authors with different fields of interest present a group of general surveys and case studies on the development of scientific understanding and research. Topics cover major historical phases in the development of Australian science, ranging from traditional Aboriginal conceptions of the workings of nature to the directions and priorities of the present day. Among issues the book addresses are the place of science in a colonial society, the relationship between science in isolated Australia and elsewhere, particularly Britain, the impact of war on the Australian scientific community and the shaping of contemporary scientific institutions, including their relationship to the industrial sector. The book is noteworthy for its broad coverage and confirms the place of science in Australia's cultural and institutional history. Australian Science in the Making is a central point of reference on the development and nature of Australian science and a starting point for future study and understanding.

    Reviews & endorsements

    'The book itself is a handsome and high quality production, combining some of the bulk and sheen of the coffee table volume with the compendious footnotes of the doctoral dissertation … a book to savour.' Australian Book Review

    'The (text) concentrates a usable reference to the memorable moments and characters involved in the colourful history of Australia's participation in the scientific world.' The Canberra Times

    See more reviews

    Product details

    December 1990
    Paperback
    9780521396400
    444 pages
    246 × 189 × 23 mm
    0.79kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Introduction R. W. Home
    • Part I. Early Days:
    • 1. Aboriginal conceptions of the workings of nature L. R. Hiatt and Rhys Jones
    • 2. Philosophical travellers at the ends of the earth: Baudin, Peron and the Tasmanians M. J. Hughes
    • 3. Cultural transmission: science and society to 1850 S. Jack
    • Part II. Science in a Colonial Society:
    • 4. The long arm of London: Sir Roderick Murchison and imperial science in Australia R. A. Stafford
    • 5. Support for the scientific enterprise, 1850–1900 I. Inkster and J. Todd
    • 6. Baron von Mueller: protege turned patron A. M. Lucas
    • 7. Gorilla warfare in Melbourne: Halford, Huxley and 'Man's place in nature' B. W. Butcher
    • 8. 'Sweetness and light': industrial research in the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, 1855–1900 G. Bindon and D. P. Miller
    • Part III. Passage to Modernity:
    • 9. Cancer, physics and society: interactions between the wars H. Hamersley
    • 10. Science on service, 1939–45 R. W. Home
    • 11. Plant introduction in Australia R. L. Burt and W. T. Williams
    • 12. Research in the medical sciences: the road to national independence F. C. Courtice
    • 13. Early years of Australian radio astronomy W. T. Sullivan, III
    • 14. Australian astronomy since the Second World War S. C. B. Gascoigne
    • 15. The shaping of contemporary scientific institutions R. Johnston and J. Buckley
    • Index.
      Contributors
    • R. W. Home, L. R. Hiatt, Rhys Jones, M. J. Hughes, S. Jack, R. A. Stafford, I. Inkster, J. Todd, A. M. Lucas, B. W. Butcher, G. Bindon, D. P. Miller, H. Hamersley, R. L. Burt, W. T. Williams, F. C. Courtice, W. T. Sullivan, III, S. C. B. Gascoigne, R. Johnston, J. Buckley

    • Editor
    • Roderick Weir Home , University of Melbourne