Nervous Conditions

Elizabeth Green Musselman

Description

Nervous Conditions explores the role of the body in the development of modern science, challenging the myth that modern science is built on a bedrock of objectivity and confident empiricism. In this fascinating look into the private world of British natural philosophers—including John Dalton, Lord Kelvin, Charles Babbage, John Herschel, and many others—Elizabeth Green Musselman shows how the internal workings of their bodies played an important part in the sciences' movement to the center of modern life, and how a scientific community and a nation struggled their way into existence.

Many of these natural philosophers endured serious nervous difficulties, particularly vision problems. They turned these weaknesses into strengths, however, by claiming that their well-disciplined mental skills enabled them to transcend their bodily frailties. Their adeptness at transcendence, they asserted, explained why men of science belonged at the heart of modern life, and qualified them to address such problems as unifying the British provinces into one nation, managing the industrial workplace, and accommodating religious plurality.

Sujets

• Reino Unido
• Philosophy of science
• United Kingdom
• History of science
• History of Europe
• Great Britain
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791482063
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

ELIZABETH GREEN MUSSELMAN

Nervous Conditions

Science and the Body Politic

in Early Industrial Britain

Nervous Conditions

SUNYseries, Studies in theLongNineteenthCentury

Pamela K. Gilbert, editor

SUNYseries in Science, Technology, and Society

Sal Restivo and Jennifer Croissant, editors

N ERVO U S CO N D I T I O N S

Science and the Body Politic in Early Industrial Britain

ELIZABETH GREEN MUSSELMAN

S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K P R E S S

Published by StateUniversity ofNewYorkPress Albany

© 2006 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210–2384

Production, Laurie Searl Marketing, Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Green Musselman, Elizabeth, 1971- Nervous conditions : science and the body politic in early industrial Britain / Elizabeth Green Musselman. p. cm. — (SUNY series in science, technology, and society) (SUNY series, Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn0-7914-6679-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Scientists—Mental health—Great Britain—History—19th century. 2. Nervous system—Philosophy—History—19th century. 3. Science—Philosophy—History—19th century. I. Title. II. Series. rc464.a1g742006 616.8'001'9—dc22 2005014025

isbn-13 978-0-7914-6679-7 (hardcover : alk. paper)

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for

Jack and Liam

Written after Recovery from a Dangerous Illness

Lo! o’er the earth the kindling spirits pour The flames of life that bounteous Nature gives; The limpid dew becomes the rosy flower, The insensate dust awakes, and moves, and lives.

All speaks of change, the renovated forms Of long-forgotten things rise again; The light of suns, the breath of angry storms, The everlasting motions of the main.

These are but engines of the Eternal will, The One Intelligence, whose potent sway Has ever acted, and is acting still, Whilst stars, and worlds, and systems all obey.

Without whose power, the whole of mortal things Were dull, inert, an unharmonious band, Silent as are the harp’s untuned strings Without the touches of the poet’s hand.

A sacred spark created by his breath, The immortal mind of man his image bears; A spirit living ’midst the forms of death, Oppress’d but not subdued by mortal cares. . . .

—Humphry Davy, quoted in John Davy,Sir Humphry DavyMemoirs of the Life of

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The Social Hierarchy of Subjectivity

Index

Notes

Mental Governance and Hemiopsy

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Part I Embodied Epistemology

Contents

Provincialism and Color Blindness

Part II The Nervous Conditions

Rational Faith and Hallucination

The Nervous Man of Science

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Bibliography

Conclusion

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Preface

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Preface

Anyone who has transformed a doctoral dissertation into a book has incurred a long thank-you list. It is only appropriate to thank first those who served as midwives to the birthing process. For generously sharing their time, expertise, and encouragement with me, I thank my doctoral committee at Indiana Uni- versity: Richard Sorrenson, Jim Capshew, Jeanne Peterson, and Nico Bertoloni-Meli. I have also enjoyed generous support at my professional home-away-from-home, the Department of History and Philosophy of Sci- ence at Cambridge University. In particular, I thank Simon Schaffer, Anne Se- cord, Jim Secord, Paul White, and Martin Kusch. Long conversations with each of them have improved my thinking immeasurably. While a Mellon postdoctoral fellow in Oklahoma’s Department of the History of Science, I benefited from a stimulating intellectual environment and the wonderfully rich history of science collections there. Karen and Larry Estes, Keri and Chris McReynolds, Gregg Mitman, Katherine Pandora, Syl- via Patterson, Kim Perez, and Kathleen Wellman made my stay in Norman en- joyable and productive. Since then, I have had the fortune to teach at Southwestern University, where the support is even bigger than Texas. For putting such a bright face on my first years of full-time academic work and for encouraging me to keep working on this book, I am especially grateful to Eileen Cleere, Ed Kain, Sahar Shafqat, Kim Smith, Julie Thompson, and my unequaled department col- leagues—Daniel Castro, Steve Davidson, Jan Dawson, Lisa Moses Leff, and Thom McClendon. I owe a great debt to many other history of science colleagues whose in- sights, support, and kind (but incisive) criticism have made them true friends. Kathy Olesko nurtured my first interests in the history of science during my undergraduate years at Georgetown University. For their help with this project, I especially thank Will Ashworth, Brad Hume, Bruce Hunt, Iwan Rhys

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