An Unpublished Letter of Lavoisier

Elizabeth Gaskell and mesmerism: an unpublished letter.

The work of Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) is not often seen as a source for the student of medical history. However, the picture of her as a undemanding writer dealing primarily with domestic life found in Lord David Cecil's Early Victorian novelists' has now largely been replaced by an approach that recognizes her engagement with the wider social issues of mid-nineteenth century England. Criti...

The Legacy of Lavoisier

Leibniz's Observations on Hydrology: An Unpublished Letter on the Great Lombardy Flood of 1705.

Although the historical reputation of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) largely rests on his philosophical and mathematical work, it is widely known that he made important contributions to many of the emerging but still inchoate branches of natural science of his day. Among the many scientific papers Leibniz published during his lifetime are ones on the nascent science we now know as hydrol...

An amnesty for unpublished trials.

This month over 100 medical journals around the world are inviting readers to send information on unpublished trials. This amnesty should have important benefits for patients. Why? Reports of properly conducted randomised controlled trials are the foundation of eVective health care, but many are not submitted for publication. 2 This reduces the power of systematic reviews to detect moderate but...

Lavoisier and the Caloric Theory

PROFESSIONAL historians of science generally recognize the importance of Lavoisier's theory of heat. However, it commonly receives scant attention in the historical treatment of his chemical theories except perhaps as an example illustrating his conservatism and giving the impression that the caloric theory, although perhaps important in the development of ideas on the nature of heat, is indepe...