[This document can be acquired from a sub-directory coombspapers via anonymous FTP and/or COOMBSQUEST gopher on the node COOMBS.ANU.EDU.AU] The document's ftp filename and the full directory path are given in the coombspapers top level INDEX file] [This version: 20 October 1993] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************************** H H A SSSSS NN N H H A A S N N N ---- HHHHHHH A A SSSSS N N N ---- H H AAAAAAA S N N N H H A A SSSSS N NN HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE NEWSLETTER No.30 MARCH 1993 ********************************************************************** This newsletter is published by the AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE ARCHIVES PROJECT three times a year in March, July and November. HASN has been published in hardcopy since 1983. From November 1993 it will be simultaneously published in both electronic and hardcopy forms. Back issues will be converted as resources allow. For information on obtaining the hardcopy version (it has pictures!) contact Tim Sherratt at the address below. Contributions of short articles, reports and notices are welcomed. Items for inclusion in this newsletter should be sent to the editor: Tim Sherratt Australian Science Archives Project, Canberra Office GPO Box 783 CANBERRA ACT 2601. Phone: (06) 257 7985 Fax: (06) 257 7986 E-mail: sherratt@coombs.anu.edu.au --------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS: ********* 1. NEWS 1.1 AUSTRALIA'S SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE 1.2 OBSERVATORY IDENTIFIED! 1.3 H.M. MORAN PRIZE FOR ESSAY ON JANE, LADY FRANKLIN 1.4 FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED 1.5 AAHPSSS CONFERENCE 1.6 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BIKE TRAIL MAP 1.7 WOMBATS, WHEAT AND WINE: THE IMPACT OF AUSTRALIA'S COLONIAL SCIENTISTS 1.8 _VOICES_ - AUTUMN EDITION ON SCIENCE 2. REPORTS 2.1 HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY IN AUSTRALIA 2.2 HISTORY OF GEOLOGY 2.3 THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION - GEOPHYSICAL OBSERVATORIES 3. STATE ROUND UP 3.1 COLONIAL SCIENCE CLUB 3.2 HISTORY OF SCIENCE, IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY GROUP (SA) 3.3 DYASON SOCIETY 4. FEATURES 4.1 TEN YEARS OF _HASN_, 1983-1993 5. PUBLICATIONS 5.1 AT LAST! A TRIBUTE TO CROSBIE MORRISON 5.2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 6. MELTDOWN 6.1 THE HEART OF CANBERRA 6.2 THE MAWSON LEGACY 6.3 MORE ON THE PLASTIC BANKNOTE STORY 6.4 A MACHO MAKEOVER 6.5 A COMPETITION!!!!!! 7. DATES --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. NEWS: ******** 1.1 AUSTRALIA'S SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE Visitors entering the Australian Academy of Science's 'Dome' recently were confronted by a life-sized photograph of a youthful Macfarlane Burnet. There stood 'Big Mac', warily eyeing a monkey that was probably used in polio research in the early 1930s. 'Do you know who I am?' he asked of all who entered. Why? This was 'Australia's Scientific Heritage' an exhibition presented by the Australian Science Archives Project. The exhibition, designed and researched by Anne-Marie Conde, Lisa O'Sullivan and Tim Sherratt, was on display in the Dome throughout the week of the Australian Science Festival, from 27 March - 2 April. Moving past Burnet, visitors could sample some of the rich and complex history of science in Australia through a wide variety of photographs, illustrations, documents and text. They could listen to a radio broadcast made by Crosbie Morrison in the early 1950s; flick through folders of items copied from the archival collections of Edwin Hills, Crosbie Morrison, Ian Wark, Jean Macnamara and Ernest Titterton; read about the exploits of zoologist Jock Marshall and 'Jockforce', operating in New Guinea during World War 2; or examine early photographs of the Royal Melbourne Zoo. Besides giving a taste of Australia's scientific past, the exhibition aimed to highlight the importance of the archival record that enables us to explore this history. It used the archival collections of a number of individual scientists and scientific institutions to illustrate general points about our scientific heritage, as well as to explore the specific themes 'Scientists in war' and 'Scientists and the environment'. The exhibition was officially opened on 28 March, a night that also saw the launch of the Canberra Office of the ASAP, and the release of the latest edition of Voices (see p. 3). David Craig, President of the Australian Academy of Science, welcomed the new ASAP office, stressing the importance of the archival record that ASAP was set up to preserve. The Project's Canberra Office, staffed by Tim Sherratt, has been established in the Academy's Basser Library - visitors are most welcome! The development of this display material was made possible by a grant from the Science and Technology Awareness Program, administered by the Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce. It was designed not just for the Australian Science Festival, but for use in all sorts of locations and events - conferences, meetings, libraries, exhibitions etc. The material is highly portable and can be arranged in a variety of configurations, making it an extremely valuable and flexible resource. ASAP will be presenting sections of the display whenever it has the opportunity, and is keen to make the material available to anybody who might have a blank wall or two to spare (just provide a few velcro-receptive display boards and it's yours!). Contact Tim Sherratt on (06) 257 7985 for further details. For all non-Canberra residents who missed out on seeing the exhibition, don't worry! ASAP has available special-limited-number-collector's-edition exhibition catalogues. These 40-page catalogues include all the text of the exhibition together with a selection of the photographs and illustrations. Besides being a record of the exhibition, they provide a useful introduction to the history of Australian science. And they are available at the never-to-be-repeated-bargain-price of $5.00 (yes, just $5.00), including postage! Just send your cheques made out to 'Australian Science Archives Project' to the ASAP Canberra Office, GPO Box 783, Canberra ACT 2601. ********** 1.2 OBSERVATORY IDENTIFIED! Many thanks to Dr N.R. Lomb, the Curator of Astronomy at the Sydney Observatory, who provided information about the photograph published on the cover of HASN No. 29. He wrote: 'I can help with the cover photo as the history of Australian astronomy is very much my area of interest. It shows, according to my information, Gardonal Observatory in Mosman. This belonged to W.J. Macdonnell, a well known amateur astronomer of the time. The people are, left to right: W.J. Macdonnell, G.D. Hirst, Mrs Macdonnell with parrots and N.J. Basnett. We have a copy of that photo together with a couple of others taken inside the dome. Macdonnell had a 4 3/4 inch refractor. According to Wayne Orchiston (_J. Brit. Astron. Assoc._, vol. 98, no. 2, 1988), Macdonnell carried out observations of Jupiter's satellites and lunar occultations. He died on 22 September 1910. I do not know what happened to the observatory subsequently.' ********** 1.3 H.M. MORAN PRIZE FOR ESSAY ON JANE, LADY FRANKLIN An essay by a third-year University of Sydney student, Rebecca Bartel-Werchon, has been awarded the $1,000 H.M. Moran history prize. To the surprise of judges, the prize-winning essay was not submitted by an honours-year history student but by a science student undertaking studies in history and philosophy of science. The essay, which Rebecca plans to publish, not only describes the role of women in early Australian scientific culture but, using manuscript sources, illuminates the role of Jane, Lady Franklin, a hitherto neglected figure active behind the scenes in scientific organisation, publishing and research. Dr Michael Shortland, head of the Unit for the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney, is delighted. 'This is not only an honour for Rebecca but also for the Unit', he said. Rebecca's essay grew out of an archive-based course on science in nineteenth-century Australia devised and taught by Associate Professor Alan Chalmers, also of the Unit for the HPS. He suspects that Rebecca's entry was hard-pressed by two other entries by third-year History and Philosophy of Science students that grew out of the same course. Peter Jennings made original use of archival material in the Mitchell Library on the surgeon Joseph Arnold and Roger Currie wrote on Sir Thomas Mitchell and the Wellington Caves. ********** 1.4 FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED Congratulations to Ann Moyal who has been awarded two fellowships for 1993 to complete major projects in the history of Australian science. The first is a Harold White Fellowship from the National Library of Australia for a study of a 'Cultural history of science and technology in Australia'. The second is the C.H. Currey Memorial Fellowship of the State Library of New South Wales for a volume of the scientific letters of the nineteenth century geologist, Rev William Branwhite Clarke, with a critically interpretative biographical introduction. ********** 1.5 AAHPSSS The Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science (AAHPSSS) will be held this year at La Trobe University at the invitation of the Victorian Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science from 10-13 July. Of particular interest to readers of HASN is the proposed session on 'The Challenges of Contemporary Science and Medicine (Oral History Records of Australian Science)' that is being organized by Homer Le Grand (HPS Department, University of Melbourne). Further details of the conference can be obtained from Professor Brian Ellis, Department of Philosophy, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Fax: 479 1700, E-mail: PHIAMM@Lure.Latrobe.edu.au. ********** 1.6 BIKE TRAIL As part of its contribution to the Australian Science Festival, the Australian Academy of Science has produced a _Science and Technology Bike Trail_ map of Canberra. The trail takes you on a tour of sites of scientific interest, both natural and man-made. It includes detailed notes, both for navigation and information! I must admit that I didn't know that the AAS's copper dome (also known as the Becker Building) was one of the largest in the world - larger than St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London! Obviously a must for any visitor to, or resident of, Canberra with an interest in Australian science, the maps can be purchased from the Australian Academy of Science, GPO Box 783, Canberra ACT 2601, Phone: (06) 247 5385. ********** 1.7 WOMBATS, WHEAT AND WINE: THE IMPACT OF AUSTRALIA'S COLONIAL SCIENTISTS For many people today the stereotype of a scientist is of someone in a white coat in a laboratory. By contrast, Australia's colonial scientists were much concerned with natural history -- they observed plants and animals, collected mineral specimens and sent material back to Europe for identification and classification. The work of these scientists will be the subject of a course presented by Pauline Payne as part of the University of Adelaide's Continuing Education programme. This course will examine the work of early collectors and patrons of science -- naval officers, governors and clergymen together with educated women such as Georgiana Molloy and Lady Jane Franklin. Collecting could establish one's reputation but might also be fraught with danger. Increasingly attention was given to ways of developing Australia's resources. Scientists used their expertise and energy to assist mining, farming and viticulture. Experimental plots for crop plants were established in fledgling botanic gardens -- in Australia virtually all our crop plants are introduced. The 1850s and 1860s saw the emergence of museums, hospitals, observatories and universities. The course will consider the development of 'North Terrace institutions' in Adelaide and the training of early scientific workers: some self-trained, some with qualifications from England and continental Europe, some whose qualifications were distinctly questionable! It will look at the emergence of paid scientific workers and some famous controversies. Finally, the course will examine some practical research to deal with problems encountered by farmers and vignerons -- experiments with new wheat varieties, the battle against phylloxera, the stump jump plough and Ridley stripper. Wombats, wheat and wine -- a far cry from those white coats and laboratories! The course will be held between 20 April and 11 May, on Tuesday nights from 7.00-8.30pm. For further information, contact: The Office of Continuing Education, University of Adelaide, GPO Box 498, Adelaide 5001. Ph: (08) 228 4777. ********** 1.8 _VOICES_ The Autumn 1993 issue of _Voices_ (vol. III, no. 1) features a range of articles devoted to science. In the first of these articles, Gavan McCarthy writes about 'Life in Science', exploring the importance of preserving personal as well as scientific records of scientists. In the second article, '"A physicist would be best out of it": George Briggs and the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission', Tim Sherratt examines the controversy surrounding George Briggs and his involvement in the political and social issues arising from the development of atomic energy. Ruth Lane then looks at the achievements and the lives of Winifred Curtis and Valerie May as examples of Australian women working in science and, in 'The Creative Spirit: Skill, Technology and Invention in Nineteenth Century Australia', Ann Moyal examines the advancement of science and technology in Australia last century. The final article in the issue is 'A Heritage of Botanical Art' by Alex George and Catherine Jordan. This gives an important overview of the collections of botanical works of art held in the Pictorial Collection of the National Library. The Autumn issue of _Voices_ also features a Pictorial Folio entitled 'Studies of Birds', showing some of the early work of the Australian artist William Cooper, completed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1992 William Cooper was awarded the Gold Medal for Distinction in Natural History Art from the prestigious Academy of Natural Sciences in the United States. _Voices_ also publishes poetry, prose and an extensive selection of book reviews. For further information, please contact Sales and Distribution at the National Library of Australia on (06) 262 1374. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. REPORTS: *********** 2.1 HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY IN AUSTRALIA The Royal Australian Chemical Institute celebrated its 75th anniversary during 1992. From the 6 - 11 December last year the Institute held its 9th National Convention at Monash University. As part of this major event (held approximately every four years) the RACI History and Archives Committee held a one-day seminar on the broad topic, 'History of Chemistry in Australia'. The thirteen papers presented covered a wide range of topics, from 'Chemistry on the early goldfields' to the RACI's role in promoting chemistry in the Asia-Pacific region. Several papers dealt with the major contributions of Australian chemists to coordination chemistry, whilst three speakers considered the origins and development of individual chemical industries within Australia. Papers on early Australian chemical analytic instruments, a scientific biography, a century's development in testing wheat grain processing quality, the role of New Zealand chemists in Australia's Second World War munitions industry, and the Australian Science Archives Project's advice to 'archiving chemists' made up the remainder of an interesting programme. A few copies of the book of abstracts are still available for purchase at $5.00 and may be ordered from the seminar organizer: John Spink, 871 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, Victoria 3054. In connection with the 9th National Convention, a display of rare chemistry books was set up in the Hargrave Library at Monash. In addition to a selection of 18th and 19th century books by famous chemists such as Lavoisier, Berthelot, Priestley, Bunsen, Black, Faraday, Boerhaave, Dalton and Mendeleef, the display included some late 19th century and early 20th century books by famous Australians such as H.G. Smith, Liversidge, Rivett and Wark. A biographical sketch of each author and some comments on the books were also displayed. --John Spink List of speakers: J.R. Clarke (Deakin University), 'Small scale chemistry on the early goldfields'; R.W. Home (University of Melbourne), 'C.E. Eddy and the origins of chemical analysis by x-ray emission spectrography'; N. Williams, H.C. Bolton & J. Holland (Monash University & University of Sydney), 'The Grimwade Balance: an early Australian instrument'; A. Baker (UTS, Sydney), 'F.P.J. Dwyer's early papers: the training of a coordination chemist'; S. Livingston (UNSW), 'The contributions of Mellor, Dwyer and Nyholm to coordination chemistry'; I.D. Rae & C.L.H. Stonyer, 'New Zealand chemists in Australia's munitions industry in World War 2'; T.H. Spurling, B.N. Noller & P.J. Marriott (CSIRO, Clayton), 'The RACI's role in promoting chemistry in the Asia-Pacific region'; G.J. McCarthy (Australian Science Archives Project), 'New tools for archiving chemists'; C. Wrigley (CSIRO, North Ryde), 'Testing wheat grain for processing quality: a century of change'; J.A. Spink (CSIRO, Clayton), 'S.H. Bastow - from colloid chemist to science administrator'; S.E. Errington, V. Fuchs & G.E. Rock (Curtin University), 'The rise and fall of Plaimar Ltd'; K. Neill, 'Making the future: a history of the ICI Australia Research Group'; P.H.A. Strasser, 'Surfactants in Australia: a personal history'. ********** 2.2 HISTORY OF GEOLOGY David Branagan reports that at the Kyoto meeting of the IGC he was elected President of the International Commission for the History of Geology (INHIGEO) for the period 1992-1996. A meeting of the INHIGEO is being organised for the 2-9 July 1994, to be held at the University of Sydney. It's theme will be 'History of the Earth Sciences in the Pacific Region'. ********** 2.3 THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION The Fall 1992 edition of _History of Science in America - News and Views_ includes a report on the meeting 'The Earth, the Heavens, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington: Historical Perspectives after Ninety Years', held from 15-17 June 1992. The following extract may be of interest: 'The day ended with an examination of two cosmophysical observatories established by the DTM (Department of Terrestrial Magnetism) in Watheroo, Australia and Huancayo, Peru. A video of the Watheroo Observatory, 1918-1958, was followed by an account by W.D. Parkinson (University of Tasmania) of the scientific program of the observatory and its significance. Alberto Giesecke (CERESIS, Peru) discussed the Huancayo Observatory and geophysics in Peru.' --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. STATE ROUND-UP: ****************** 3.1 COLONIAL SCIENCE CLUB The 1993 programme of the Colonial Science Club opened on 22 February with an excellent paper by David Oldroyd (Science and Technology Studies, UNSW). As well as outlining the professional career of geographer/geologist Griffith Taylor, the paper traced the genesis and development of his theories on race, environment and settlement, and his policy prescriptions for immigration and settlement in Australia. The next meeting will be a seminar on the theme 'Technical Education and Industry between the Wars'. This will be held at History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney, on Saturday 24 April from 1.00pm-5.00pm. After an opening overview by Harry Booth, four speakers will address the topic: * Joan Cobb, 'The structure of technical education in NSW before World War II'; * Norm Neill, 'The relationship between industry and technical education'; * John Laurent, '"Industry Policy" and the Australian motor industry, 1920-1942'; * David Miller, 'Hybrid or mutant? The emergence of the chemical engineer in Australia'. Later in the year, Professor Henry Cowan will address the group on 'The growth of Australian building technology from its primitive beginnings in the late 18th century'. This will be an evening meeting on Tuesday 20 July, at Sydney University Staff Club at 6.00pm. For September we are hoping to arrange an astronomical outing, organized around a visit to John Tebbutt's observatory at Windsor. Watch for further details. For more information on any of these activities contact: Jan Todd on (02) 524 7600. ********** 3.2 HISTORY OF SCIENCE, IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY GROUP (SA) South Australia's History of Science, Ideas and Technology (HSIT) Group started activities so early that we think ours must get the prize for the first meeting in Australia this year! We began with a meeting on 20 January to take advantage of a fleeting visit to Adelaide by Rod Home. Yes, we are an enthusiastic bunch in Adelaide and the meeting was well attended! Rod Home's paper was 'Learning from Buildings: Laboratory design and the nature of physics'. The paper considered the changes that took place in the last decades of the nineteenth century as physics came to be seen as a laboratory-based discipline and a science of precision measurement. It came to be accepted that students should carry out laboratory-based exercises and that the professor should carry out research. The result was a spate of construction of new physics laboratories in universities all over the world. Rod showed plans of physics laboratories in the universities of Melbourne and Sydney to illustrate his talk. On 5 March our group held a joint meeting with the South Australian Historical Society. Emeritus Professor G.J. Fraenkel presented a paper entitled 'Hugh Cairns, South Australian Rhodes Scholar, and Lawrence of Arabia - Protection of Motor Cyclists'. Professor Fraenkel revealed that Cairns was a carpenter's son from the town of Riverton. By a succession of scholarships he entered the Medical School in Adelaide and Balliol College, Oxford, as well as serving twice in the first world war. He became the first Nuffield Professor at Oxford. Thomas Edward (he liked to be known as T.E.) Lawrence was the second of five sons of a de-facto union of a member of the gentry and his nurse-maid. After studying modern history at Jesus and Magdalen College, he was involved in Military Intelligence in Arabia by 1914, joined the Army, the Royal Air Force, the Tank Corps and the RAF again. The common ground between the two was motor cycles! A Saturday seminar is planned for Saturday 17 April from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. David Branagan (Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Sydney), will give a paper on 'Geological links between Australia and Japan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries'. We understand that David Branagan will be examining some of the overseas contacts of the Rev Julian Tenison Woods and T.W. Edgeworth David, in particular their contacts with Japan. Pauline Payne will follow this with a paper on the international contacts of Dr Richard Schomburgk, second Director of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens from 1865-1891. The seminar will be held in the rooms of the Royal Society of South Australia (entrance from the lane behind the State Library, off Kintore Avenue). Details of the seminar can be obtained from Pauline Payne (08 269 6879) or Gael Phillips (297 9297 ah). Subscriptions ($15, or $7.50 for those who are retired, studying full-time, or not in paid work) can be sent to Dr Pauline Payne, c/o History Department, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000. Cheques should be made payable to 'The History of Science, Ideas and Technology Group (S.A.)'. HSIT is a special interest group of the Royal Society of S.A., the organizing committee is: Pauline Payne, Gael Phillips, Lee Torop, Barry Cooper, David Corbett and Engelhard Weigl. ********** 3.3 DYASON SOCIETY On 17 March the Dyason Society held a joint meeting with the Health and Medicine Museums group at the Museum of Victoria, hosted by the Curator of the History Group, Elizabeth Willis. There was an illustrated lecture on the Charles Bothers Collection from Mont Park Hospital, 'Behind closed Doors: Care of Psychiatric Patients, 1848-1950'. As for the rest of the year! - send all your suggestions for meetings and activities to Gavan McCarthy, HPS Department, University of Melbourne. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. FEATURES: ************ 4.1 TEN YEARS OF _HASN_, 1983-1993 'Ten years? It can't be!', was my response when Tim Sherratt invited me to reflect on changes that had occurred in the study of the history of Australian science since I brought out the first issue of the _History of Australian Science Newsletter_. Presumably, though, my reaction merely epitomizes the contraction of the sense of time that is often said to accompany advancing years, since the evidence from the calendar is irrefutable; the first issue of the _Newsletter_ appeared in May 1983. The _Newsletter_ was launched, in fact, on the proceeds of a highly successful two-day workshop on the history of science in Australia, held at the Australian Academy of Science in August 1982 as a first step towards a proposed bicentennial publication on the subject. The first issue included a report on the workshop as well as a summary of the decisions that had subsequently been endorsed by the Academy in relation to the bicentennial volume -- decisions that effectively shaped the work that Cambridge University Press was to publish in 1988 as _Australian Science in the Making_. I'm sure that none of us who were involved in making those decisions had any inkling of the vast wave of enthusiasm for national histories of every kind that was to be aroused by the Bicentennial. This led to a great upsurge of activity in relation to the history of the nation's science, along with everything else -- something that is clearly reflected, for example, in both the number and the weight of the items recorded in Laurie Carlson's annual bibliographies published in _Historical Records of Australian Science_. It also shows up in the mailing list for this Newsletter which has steadily risen from 300-odd in the early days to over 1100 now. Before the 1980s there was only a very small number of people -- of whom Ann Moyal was of course by far the best known -- devoting themselves seriously to research and writing in this area. Some time during that decade, however, the subject achieved critical mass. This shows itself not only in increased amounts of research and publishing, but also in the subject's more secure standing in our universities. It is now much more widely accepted than it used to be that the history of science in this country is an integral part of the nation's wider history. Several universities, including my own, now offer undergraduate courses on the history of Australian science; in significant numbers members of university history departments now take an interest in this field, whereas previously almost none did; and substantial numbers of Honours and higher-degree theses are now being written on history-of-Australian-science topics. Again, activities such as the Australian Science Archives Project have been able to survive and flourish, and to attract steadily increasing support from major national institutions such as the National Library of Australia, Australian Archives, the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Where should we go from here? There is, of course, an effectively infinite number of tasks to be done, as there is of questions relating to the history of science in this country that are open to historical investigation. The question is, which ones seem to be the most fruitful and interesting to take up, and how should we go about it? Each of us will have our own list. For what it is worth, here is mine. First, there is the question of sources. Both because we owe it to future generations of Australians, and for our own benefit today, it is I think vital that historically significant scientific artefacts and collections of scientific records be properly curated or archived, as the case may be, before some accident befall them. Prompted in part by the work of the Australian Science Archives Project, a number of the nation's major archival repositories, including Australian Archives itself, have become increasingly sensitive to the importance of scientific records and have begun to tackle the special problems that are sometimes associated with archiving them. Such trends should be encouraged! Meanwhile, the Australian Science Archives Project itself has seen to the preservation of a variety of important collections. Though the Project gives excellent value for money, it has always lived on a financial tightrope. Somehow it needs to find greater security of funding. Australia's museums have also traditionally been starved for funds. Despite this, they are among our most important repositories of historical material relating to science. Happily, a number of museums have benefited from the Bicentennial, while others have done so since. Especially in science-related museums, there is a constant tension between the museums' twin roles as expositor of basic scientific principles and historical resource. I myself should like to see both the historical scientific collections and current collecting policies used more creatively than they sometimes are, to support both scholarly historical research and displays that investigate the evolution of science within Australian society. So far as topics for research are concerned, I shall comment briefly and in very general terms only, since it is hard to think of any subject that would not benefit from further work. (Some, though, are more wide open than others, for example the whole period since the Second World War that has seen such a vast expansion of Australian scientific activity but where only a few special topics have been written about historically in any depth.) It is the general form of the questions to be asked that interests me here. It is a commonplace that science is an international activity, to which Australia contributes a respectable share. So, too, I would maintain, is the history of science. Let us not look on what we are doing in purely parochial terms, as contributions merely to a local understanding of local developments. By all means let us study Australian topics for their own sake, and in their own terms. We do not need to apologize for that. But let us also look outwards to a greater extent than we have done in the past. In writing on the history of Australian science, let us see what we are doing as part of a wider, international enterprise, and shape our discussions accordingly. The way in which science has evolved in Australia can illuminate the way in which it has evolved more generally. We need to make it clearer that it does. --Rod Home, University of Melbourne --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. PUBLICATIONS: **************** 5.1 AT LAST! A TRIBUTE TO CROSBIE MORRISON GRAHAM PIZZEY, _CROSBIE MORRISON: VOICE OF NATURE_, VICTORIA PRESS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE, 1992, RRP $25. Graham Pizzey and the Museum of Victoria are to be congratulated on the publication of _Crosbie Morrison: Voice of Nature_. The biography, appearing nearly thirty-five years after the naturalist's premature death in 1958, is an important contribution to understanding Victoria's culture and attitudes to nature, especially in the post-World War II era. For the generations born since Morrison's death, especially those who regard themselves as 'environmentalists', many of whom have not heard of Morrison, the impact of his life's work has great relevance. For those over fifty, the group primarily addressed by Pizzey (see p. 122), Morrison's life and times are remembered warmly. His 'Wild Life' radio broadcasts, his magazine (also called _Wild Life_), public lectures and his numerous newspaper columns made him a household name from the late 1930s onwards. His mastery of the media of the time - including photography and film - brought a message of nature conservation into more homes than any single presenter since. Five years after his radio broadcasts began, Morrison was commanding 78% of listeners for his 6.00 - 6.15 pm slot on a Sunday evening (p.158). Morrison's early death shocked the people of Melbourne - and also those further afield in other states of Australia, and in New Zealand and South Africa - where Morrison's 'Wild Life' broadcasts were played. There have been a number of efforts made to commemorate his name, some more successful than others. The most appropriate commemoration proposed was to be a hall or wing for the new Museum of Victoria (for which we are still waiting). The wing was to house natural history societies like the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria and the Royal Australian Ornithologists Union, strongly supported by Morrison himself. Such societies voluntarily contribute much to the documentation of Australian flora and fauna. The hall was to have encouraged their continued close working relations with the Museum, and given them office space with security of tenure. According to the Minutes of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria (28 April 1959), 20,000 pounds was sought from public contributions to build the new hall. Morrison's popularity was such that this enormous figure was probably realistic at the time. However, the delay in the building of the Museum itself meant that the project has yet to come to fruition. On a smaller, and more successful scale, the Museum has organised an annual Crosbie Morrison Public Lecture, generally on a Natural History subject. On 22 October 1992, the speaker was Graham Pizzey, who gave an overview of Morrison's life. The occasion also marked the launch, by Jim Morrison (Crosbie's son), of Pizzey's biography. It was a well attended function, indicating that there is still tremendous support and admiration for Morrison's achievements. The biography is attractively presented, with sixteen pages of well-chosen black and white illustrations. The book's weakest chapter is, unfortunately, its first. Only one and a half of its twenty one pages are written by Pizzey. The rest is the transcript of an address entitled 'Education for Conservation' given by Morrison in 1950. The attempt by Pizzey to graft a conservation message onto biography is the least successful aspect of his work. His constant reiteration of the message that Morrison's words are 'still as true today as when they were written' (for example, p 191) introduce a moralistic tone which Morrison's own light touch generally avoids. The biography generally sets out to provide a tribute to Morrison and his achievements, but the conservation 'message' leaves the reader confused about whether Morrison 'achieved' as much as Pizzey claims. Morrison's achievements were, indeed, spectacular. Pizzey drew heavily on the oral testimony of Lucy and Jim Morrison (Crosbie Morrison's widow and son), but perhaps did not actively seek sufficient balancing points of view from those outside the family and from contextualising documentary sources. These could have imbued the 'tribute to Morrison' with greater depth and more force. Historians of science will find the greatest interest in the chapters about Wild Life the magazine and the broadcast (Chapters 7 and 8) and Morrison's work for the Museum (Chapter 11) and the National Parks movement (Chapter 12). The earlier chapters, which apart from Chapter 1, are arranged chronologically from the beginning of Morrison's life in 1900, seem at times to be driven simply by the availability of sources that are sometimes of questionable relevance. (For example, a very general personal reference is quoted on pp 59-60 and lengthy chunks from Argus style manuals are included on p.62.) In much of the book extended quotes, from Morrison himself and others, overburden the biographer's own style and story. However, for those of us writing in the field, Pizzey has provided a generous taste of primary source material, material that will soon be available more widely through the _Guide to the Records of Philip Crosbie Morrison_ to be published through the Australian Science Archives Project. --Libby Robin, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne. ********** 5.2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS RONALD STRAHAN, _BEAUTY AND THE BEASTS: A FASCINATING HISTORY OF TARONGA AND WESTERN PLAINS ZOOS AND THEIR ANTECEDENTS_, ZOOLOGICAL PARKS BOARD OF NEW SOUTH WALES, 1991, 160PP., ILLUSTRATED. Australian zoos have scientific, cultural, and historic value. Zoo conferences discuss and document the aims and activities of their institutions, and their predominantly warm-blooded vertebrate zoo inhabitants (yes I know that there are exceptions such as the butterflies in Melbourne's zoo) provide grand photo-opportunities to illustrate newspaper and magazine articles. However, very few books have been published on the history of Australian zoos. As part of the 'Zoobilee' commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Taronga Zoo in 1916, the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales commissioned Ronald Strahan, a former Director of the Taronga and also the Western Plains Zoos, and author of a history of the Australian Museum, to write a concise history of the Board's zoos and their antecedents. Strahan charts the development of zoological interest in NSW from mid-nineteenth century discussions in Sydney which did not succeed in establishing a Zoological Society there. As in Melbourne, the menagerie of an acclimatisation society which was initially (from 1861) housed in the botanic gardens, provided the nucleus of the faunal collection of the zoological gardens which were established once land was acquired by the new New South Wales Zoological Society in Billygoat Swamp, Moore Park, in 1880. As in Melbourne a Le Souef was involved. Albert Sherbourne Le Souef, the youngest son of A.A.C. Le Souef, director of the Melbourne Zoo, became Secretary and Supervisor (effectively Director) of Moore Park early this century. He oversaw the transfer of the menagerie to Taronga Park and the birth in 1913 of the Royal Zoological Society's scientific journal _The Australian Zoologist_. _Beauty and the Beasts_ discusses the Taronga Zoo's role in research, education and conservation. It follows the changing nature of animal exhibits through thematic and ecological arrangements. The work of AZDANZ, the Association of Zoo Directors of Australia and New Zealand, and the Association of Zoo Friends are discussed. In 1976 the Western Plains Zoo was established at Dubbo as an open range zoo primarily for large herd animals. Its origins, aims and successes are described. Strahan has provided an interesting and engaging story of zoological developments in NSW. The book is available from Taronga Zoo, PO Box 20, Mosman, NSW, 2088. --Linden Gillbank, HPS Department, University of Melbourne ********** _THE IMPACT OF THE PAST UPON THE PRESENT, PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE SECOND NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE, HELD IN PERTH, JULY 1-5 1991_, EDS PETER WINTERTON AND DES GURRY, $24.00 (PLUS $3.00 POSTAGE AND PACKING). Subjects include: medical ethics; dental history; trends in the history of medicine; medical history in the age of discovery; studies of epidemics and infectious diseases; mortality on the convict voyages; Agent Orange; history of child health care; medical culture in different societies; Western Australian medical history; Aboriginal medical history; women in medicine. To order send cheque made payable to the 'Australian Society for the History of Medicine' to Dr P. Winterton, PO Box 130, Northbridge, WA 6865. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. MELTDOWN: ************ Greetings from Canberra! As reported elsewhere in the newsletter I have indeed taken up residence in the Basser Library at the Australian Academy of Science. I'm here under one of the little white pimples on the surface of the Dome (have a look next time), churning out the first Canberra edition of HASN, despite the fact that our only laser printer resides in Melbourne (has anyone got a 800km long printer cable?). Naturally, all HASN related correspondence should henceforth be directed to the ASAP Canberra Office (the address is on page 11). 6.1 THE HEART OF CANBERRA Anybody out there with interests in the history of science, anatomy and horse-racing? Have I got a thesis topic for you! -- 'The mystical power of PharLap's heart'. Being new to the Academy of Science, I was rather puzzled when a person came into the Dome looking for the aforementioned pound (pounds?) of flesh. More experienced Dome residents assured me that this was a common occurrence, and so it turned out to be! During the week of our exhibition at least ten people came in search of the sacred object. The story goes like this... Once upon a time PharLap's heart was on display at the Institute of Anatomy in Canberra. The Institute, located opposite the Dome, has since closed, and the building is now occupied by the National Film and Sound Archive. The heart itself was shipped off to the National Museum of Australia, where it remains, though not currently on public display. The facts seem straightforward, but the mysteries remain - What is the strange power exerted by this dead horse's ticker that draws people back to Canberra on this quasi-religious pilgrimage? And why do so many people insist that the heart was on display in the Dome? I shall await enlightenment from those of you more attuned to the subtle cultural resonances of equine anatomy. 6.2 THE MAWSON LEGACY That renowned geologist, Antarctic explorer and $100 note adornee, Douglas Mawson, has not had an easy time of late. First of all two English adventurers, Lord Whatsiname and Dr Whosibobs (ok so I lost the newspaper clipping), surpassed the 2030km record set by Mawson and his companions when they trudged across the ice, without dogs, towards the South Magnetic Pole on the 1907-1909 Shackleton Expedition. Then the Australian Magazine carried a full-colour story headed 'Mawson's Last Mystery', which described controversy over the ownership of the Mawson Collection, currently held by the University of Adelaide. Mawson's grandchildren were seeking to finalize the transfer of the collection -- including journals, correspondence, photographs and artefacts -- to the University, when they struck a snag. Apparently under the terms of an agreement made between Mawson and the NSW Premier in 1920, ownership of material relating to the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition may lie with NSW. The State Library of NSW, which has staked the claim, and the trustees of the collection hope that an amicable agreement can be reached. So do we all! As if this was not enough, the Canberra Times (22 February 1993) published a report from a yachtsman who had visited the hut established by Mawson in 1911 on the AAE. The building was in serious danger of being destroyed by the region's high winds, and immediate action was required if it was to be preserved. In addition, 'historic artefacts' such as 'clothing, 80-year-old hand-stitched trekking shoes, and a kerosene cooker' were strewn about the site. 'They are museum pieces and they are just sitting there', the yachtsman, Don McIntyre said, 'They should come back as soon as possible'. One final blow is perhaps yet to come. Apparently Mawson is to go the way of William Farrer, Caroline Chisholm and Joseph Banks -- the $100 note is to be redesigned. 6.3 MORE ON THE PLASTIC BANKNOTE STORY While once again on the topic of banknotes, I would like to thank Sefton Hamann, one of the scientists who worked on the Plastic Banknote Project, for sending me a historical note concerning the origins of the project. He points out that it was not the CSIRO team that first had the idea of making plastic notes with optically variable features. Although Alan Walsh had earlier raised the idea of using diffraction gratings, it was not until 1971, when the radio-astronomer Taffy Bowen came across some diffracting foil wrapping paper in a London Army and Navy Store, that the use of optically variable devices came to be seriously examined. The idea was taken up by M.F.W. Brown of the Reserve Bank's Note Printing Branch who pasted together the first prototype plastic banknote in 1972. Up until then the CSIRO team had been concentrating on developing paper-like materials, without diffraction gratings. 6.4 A MACHO MAKEOVER While it never really lived up to its name while on home territory, the Great Melbourne Telescope has certainly made its mark here in Canberra. The telescope was set up at Mount Stromlo in the 1940s and was recently refitted to play a central role in what the ANU Reporter described as 'one of Australia's most significant and ambitious astronomical projects ever'. This is the MACHO project (Massive Astronomical Compact Halo Object for those who were wondering - sorry you asked aren't you?) a joint undertaking between ANU's Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US, and the University of California at Berkeley, to search for evidence of 'dark matter' in the universe. ANU Professor Alex Rodgers was quoted as saying of the telescope, originally built in 1868: 'Its performance is now equivalent to any similar sized modern telescope, and it has the most powerful detector system for imaging stars in the world'. Obviously a late bloomer! Thanks to Emeritus Professor Ben Gascoigne I recently had a peek at the telescope in its refurbished splendour. HASN readers will no doubt be pleased to learn that its history has not been obliterated, for there, beautifully polished on the base, is the original foundry plate. 6.5 A COMPETITION!!!!!! Time for a competition! Being unable to afford rental prices in inner Canberra I have found myself living in Queanbeyan, where, much to my surprise, I discovered a rather impressive memorial to William Farrer, wheat breeder extraordinaire. The memorial carries the following quote from Farrer himself: 'I want to think, when the end comes, that my life has not been wasted'. Obviously he realized that one day his memorial would spawn a competition of gargantuan proportions. OK all you history of Australian science addicts, what I want are more scientific memorials - the stranger the better. A few come to mind already -- isn't there a Mueller statue in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens? There used to be a bust of Oliphant along North Terrace in Adelaide didn't there? Hmmm. Get out there with your notebooks and cameras and send in your entries. The Great Scientific Memorial Search is now on!! In general I don't think explorers count, so that rules out several thousand roadside cairns (most of which are Major Mitchell's), but feel free to argue a case to the contrary. Technological memorials are acceptable (I seem to remember one dedicated to the Massey-Ferguson Tractor in one of the towns along the Murray). Pieces of scientific apparatus turned into sculptures don't count (there are lots at ANU), but if you find any, you should send the details to Gavan McCarthy for inclusion in his forthcoming coffee-table book on the subject. The competition will be judged on a totally subjective basis, and the prize will go to the most unusual, extravagant, unexpected, or just downright bizarre memorial. The prize?? Ah..well.. you'll just have to wait for the next newsletter for details (I'm on the lookout for a William Farrer tea-towel). --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. DATES: ********* See also STATE NEWS for further details of meetings... 17 APRIL 1993: SA HISTORY OF SCIENCE, IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY GROUP. Seminar with David Branagan and Pauline Payne. To be held from 2.00pm to 5.00pm in the rooms of the Royal Society of South Australia. Contact: Pauline Payne, (08) 269 6879, or Gael Phillips (08) 297 9297 (ah). ********** 24 APRIL 1993: COLONIAL SCIENCE CLUB. Seminar on `Technical Education and Industry Between the Wars' with Joan Cobb, Norm Neill, John Laurent and David Miller. To be held at History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney, from 1.00pm to 5.00pm. Contact: Jan Todd (02) 524 7600. ********** 26 JUNE - 1 JULY 1993: SEX/GENDER IN TECHNO-SCIENCE WORLDS A seminar organised by Anni Dugdale and Helen Verran (History & Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne) and Joan Fujimura (Sociology, Harvard University). This seminar seeks to consolidate and extend work on the historical, philosophical and social analysis of the intersections between gender, science and technology. It is particularly concerned with how techno-science cultures, as producers of knowledge, practice and power, are shaped by, and constitutive of, historically located regimes of gender. The seminar is interdisciplinary and will explore this question from many perspectives. Topics to be discussed include: cross-cultural perspectives on gender and science; feminism and environment; women working in science; gender bias in the history of science; gender, politics and the shaping of science; gender divisions at the bench. To be held at the University of Melbourne from 26 June - 1 July 1993. For further details phone the History & Philosophy of Science Department on (03) 344 6556. ********** 10 - 13 JULY 1993: AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL STUDIES OF SCIENCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. To be held at La Trobe University. Contact: Brian Ellis, Department of Philosophy, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083. ********** 20 JULY 1993: COLONIAL SCIENCE CLUB. Henry Cowan to speak on `The growth of Australian building technology from its primitive beginnings in the late 18th century'. To be held at Sydney University Staff Club at 6.00pm. Contact: Jan Todd (02) 524 7600. ********** 22-29 AUGUST 1993: XIXTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE. TO BE HELD AT ZARAGOSA, SPAIN. As usual, the Congress will consist of Symposia which will address themes of special interest, Scientific Sections devoted to the various branches and periods of the history of science and technology as well as Poster Sessions. Official languages of the Congress will be English, French and Spanish. ********** 2-9 JULY 1994: INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE HISTORY OF GEOLOGY Meeting at the University of Sydney on the theme `History of the Earth Sciences in the Pacific Region'. ********** NOVEMBER 1994: RECOVERING SCIENCE II The mission continues...' In Canberra. Put it in your diaries now! ********** 2-9 JULY 1995: 'MUTINY AND MEDICINE' - AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH. To be held on Norfolk Island by the Australian Society for the History of Medicine. For information contact: The Secretariat (Att: Dr John Thearle), 'Mutiny and Medicine' - Conference '95, Australian Society for the History of Medicine, Department of Child Health, Mater Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, QLD 4101. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************************** * * * A SSSSS A PPPP * * A A S A A P P Melbourne Office: 03 344 6557 * * A A SSSSS A A PPPP * * AAAAAAA S AAAAAAA P Canberra Office: 06 257 7985 * * A A SSSSS A A P * * ----------------------->RECOVERING AUSTRALIA'S SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE * * * **********************************************************************----------------------------------------------------------------------------- end of file