Mechanisms in sociology-a critical intervention.

The notion of the mechanism is one of the most popular and widely used concepts in science and sociology is no exception. This paper problematizes the widespread and often uncritical use of the term "mechanism" in contemporary sociology. Drawing on the mechanistic worldview associated with leading figures of the scientific revolution, the paper emphasizes the impact of mechanistic thinking on the societal rationalization process identified by Max Weber and the Frankfurt School. The analysis suggests that mechanisms, when applied to sociological theories, may uncritically reproduce a cultural fetish of the rational society with potentially dehumanizing consequences. The author advocates for a critical reflection on the cultural and historical context of mechanisms, urging sociologists to view them not merely as analytical tools but as active contributors to the creation and shaping of social worlds erected on a belief in instrumental reason.

Before Mnemosyne: Wilhelmine Cultural History Exhibitions and the Genesis of Warburg's Picture Atlas.

Aby Warburg's Bilderatlas Mnemosyne, left unfinished in 1929, has attracted significant interest in recent decades. This essay offers a new interpretation of Warburg's "picture atlas," not in relation to modernist collage and photomontage, but as an heir to scientific pedagogical exhibitions of the late Wilhelmine period. It deals in particular with two "public enlightenment" shows curated by the Leipzig medical historian Karl Sudhoff, whose work Warburg admired and employed: the first on with the history of hygiene in Dresden in 1911, the second in Leipzig, three years later, on the development of scientific images. Like Warburg, Sudhoff appreciated artworks and artifacts as sources for the history of science and medicine. His exhibitions consisted of assemblages of photographic reproductions-some of which were provided by Warburg himself-and uncannily anticipate Mnemosyne in both form and content. By examining the exchange of materials and display methods between the two scholars, the article explores how their respective visual projects reflected deeper disagreements over the public role of science, the epistemic power of images, and the persistence of the irrational in the human psyche.

[On the 120th anniversary of A. A. Otelin - scientist, morphologist, pedagogue and organizer].

The article presents scientific biography of A. A. Otelin - outstanding morphologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, representative of scientific school of Academician V. P. Vorobyov. The contribution of A. A. Otelin into becoming of morphological chairs in medical institutes of Kharkov, Lvov, Vinnitsa, Kishinev, Kursk and Kemerovo and in formation of scientific morphological schools in the regions of the RSFSR and the Republics of the USSR is demonstrated. The particular attention is paid to results of scientific studies of A. A. Otelin in the 1970s carried out jointly with scientists of the Institute of Brain of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences and the I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences concerning investigation of morphology of sensitive receptors - Vater-Pacini corpuscules.

Ferryman between two cultures: The calling of a historian of science.

In well-established disciplines like history it is not common to find professionals who admit that they are driven by a "calling" or who say they have a "mission" to fulfill. In emerging disciplines, however, the situation is different: in order to gain recognition these new disciplines need highly driven practitioners, who's calling enables them to overcome opposition or neglect from the side of the established disciplines. A clear example of such a practitioner with a mission in an emerging field of knowledge is the Dutch historian of science Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis (1892-1965). His career as a mathematics teacher, historical scholar, and public intellectual was marked by the desire to re-integrate science and mathematics in culture in general. Dijksterhuis regarded the history of science as a major instrument to bring about this ideal. His magnum opus, The Mechanization of the World Picture (first published in 1950 in Dutch; translated into English in 1961), was the culmination of a lifetime of writing in the service of a cultural vision that can still inspire our own generation.

Editorial: Re-enchanting the vocation of science.

This editorial introduces the collection, "Specialists with Spirit: Re-Enchanting the Vocation of Science," co-edited by Dorien Daling and Hanneke Hoekstra. The collection offers a tribute to the eminent historian of science, Klaas van Berkel, commemorating his retirement from the University of Groningen. The papers compel us to consider the ongoing tensions between knowledge production and the social, political, and economic constraints faced by scholars, a theme that Max Weber famously addressed in his 1917 lecture, Wissenschaft als Beruf, which the collection's contributors revisit as they consider a range of historical and contemporary questions concerning science and its study by historians.

Specialists with spirit: Re-enchanting the vocation of science.

This article is both a comment on the collection of papers, "Specialists with Spirit: Re-Enchanting the Vocation of Science," offered as a tribute to Klaas van Berkel, and an attempt to add historical depth to present-day sensibilities about the academic discipline called the history of science: Is it a special sort of inquiry? Is science as its subject matter a special sort of culture? Max Weber's 1917 Science as a Vocation lecture, and its continuing appropriations, is a focal point for addressing these questions.

Re-evaluating John Snow's 1856 south London study.

John Snow, the London doctor who studied cholera in the 1840s and 1850s, argued in Snow (1856) that water exerted an "overwhelming influence" on mortality in a region of south London during the 1854 outbreak. In a paper re-assessing Snow's analysis, Koch and Denike (2006) claim that "Snow made not merely minor arithmetic errors but more importantly critical, conceptual mistakes that adversely affected his results." The claim of errors and mistakes is incorrect and due to a misreading or misunderstanding of Snow's data and analysis. Koch and Denike apply an inappropriate statistical test to Snow's original data (and do so incorrectly). More importantly, due to the misreading of the historical record they alter the underlying primary-source data, rendering their results invalid. Analysis of the data following Snow's approach but with modern statistical tools strongly supports Snow's claim for the primacy of water in accounting for variation in cholera mortality.

Who are the "Heroes of CRISPR"? Public science communication on Wikipedia and the challenge of micro-notability.

Wikipedia's influence in shaping public perceptions of science underscores the significance of scientists being recognized on the platform, as it can impact their careers. Although Wikipedia offers guidelines for determining when a scientist qualifies for their own article, it currently lacks guidance regarding whether a scientist should be acknowledged in articles related to the innovation processes to which they have contributed. To explore how Wikipedia addresses this issue of scientific "micro-notability," we introduce a digital method called Name Edit Analysis, enabling us to quantitatively and qualitatively trace mentions of scientists within Wikipedia's articles. We study two CRISPR-related Wikipedia articles and find dynamic negotiations of micro-notability as well as a surprising tension between Wikipedia's principle of safeguarding against self-promotion and the scholarly norm of "due credit." To reconcile this tension, we propose that Wikipedians and scientists collaborate to establish specific micro-notability guidelines that acknowledge scientific contributions while preventing excessive self-promotion.

The shingled girl: Catherine Janet Hill and her contributions to embryology.

Catherine J. Hill is best remembered for her dedication to cataloguing the comprehensive embryological collection of her father J. P. Hill. Yet, her own research, during the interwar years, is little known. She made a significant contribution to interpreting the autonomic innervation of the gut, work that was presented to The Royal Society and earned her a PhD. Working in her father's laboratory, she then set about solving the sequence of secretions from the tubal epithelium and uterine glands that contributed the two layers of egg albumen and three shell layers of the monotreme egg. She was also the first to understand twinning in the marmoset and how two embryos came to share a single extraembryonic coelom, work that often is credited to J. P. Hill. Here. I explain how that happened and explore the context in which she and other female scientists worked at the time.

Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers and the ascidian hypothesis.

In 1830, Cuvier and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire confronted each other in a famous debate on the unity of the animal kingdom, which permeated the zoology of the 19th century. From that time, a growing number of naturalists attempted to understand the large-scale relationships among animals. And among all the questions, that of the origin of vertebrates was one of the most controversial. Analytical methods based on comparative anatomy, embryology and paleontology were developed to identify convincing homologies that would reveal a logical sequence of events for the evolution of an invertebrate into the first vertebrate. Within this context, several theories have clashed on the question of the identity of the ancestor of vertebrates. Among the proposals, a group of rather discrete organisms, the ascidians, played a central role. Because he had discovered an ascidian with a particularly atypical larval development, the Molgula, Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers, a rigorous and meticulous naturalist, became involved in the ascidian hypothesis. While the visionary mind of Lacaze-Duthiers led him to establish a particularly innovative methodology and the first marine biology station in Europe, at Roscoff, the tailless tadpole of the Molgula prevented him from recognizing the ancestor of vertebrates. This old 19th century story echoes the ever-present questions driving the field of Eco-Evo-Devo.

Hot Wind, Cold Sun: Kuhn, Vygotsky, Halliday and Metaphors in Science and Science Education.

How and why do crises happen in the history of science? What can they tell us about how crises happen in child psychological development and child behavior? And-as a bonus question-can crises in child development tell us anything about crises in science history? We compare and contrast two superficially similar answers. Then we look at three models for the formation of general, abstract concepts in children developed in integrative psychological and behavioral science by the Soviet pioneer L.S. Vygotsky. Using later, but similarly integrative, linguistic work by M.A.K. Halliday on generality, abstraction and metaphor in child language, we consider a real test case. An outstanding anomaly in solar physics is that the solar wind is actually far hotter than the surface of the sun itself, and a recent paper argues that the energy comes from the damping of waves in the plasma. We analyze the language of a ten-year-old Chinese boy trying to make sense of this phenomenon, and we find that lexicogrammatical metaphors play a very important role in posing the problem to the child, but a process of limiting and deflating metaphors is key to his understanding. This process of limitation and deflation, which corresponds to a crisis, shows us that the analogy between concept development in children in science and the same process in children is no mere metaphor.

Historiographies of science and labor: From past perspectives to future possibilities.

This article offers suggestions for what a labor history of science might look like and what it might accomplish. It does so by first reviewing how historians of science have analyzed the history of both "science as labor" and "science and labor" since the 1930s. It then moves on to discuss recent historiographical developments in both the history of science and labor history that together provide an analytical frame for further research. The article ends by projecting into the future, considering how a labor history of science might help us grapple with connecting our understanding of the past with the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Science and/as work: An introduction to this special issue.

This brief essay introduces a special issue dedicated to exploring two themes: "science and work" and "science as work." Following a brief overview of these two themes, it briefly describes the other contributions to the special issue.

A community-driven approach to enhancing the quality and interpretability of microscopy images.

Scientific publications in the life sciences regularly include image data to display and communicate revelations about cellular structure and function. In 2016, a set of guiding principles known as the 'FAIR Data Principles' were put forward to ensure that research data are findable, accessible, interoperable and reproducible. However, challenges still persist regarding the quality, accessibility and interpretability of image data, and how to effectively communicate microscopy data in figures. This Perspective article details a community-driven initiative that aims to promote the accurate and understandable depiction of light microscopy data in publications. The initiative underscores the crucial role of global and diverse scientific communities in advancing the standards in the field of biological images. Additionally, the perspective delves into the historical context of scientific images, in the hope that this look into our past can help ongoing community efforts move forward.

Los cuidados enfermeros de San Juan de Dios según el Modelo de las necesidades humanas de Henderson / Cuidados de enfermagem de São João de Deus segundo o modelo de necessidades humanas de Henderson / Nursing care of Saint John of God according to Henderson's model of human needs

Consulting manuals of the History of Nursing, it can be appreciated how it is from Nightingale when considering the birth of modern or professional Nursing. However, this belief could be a black legend, because before the 19th century there was already awareness of Nursing as a profession, being this initiated by Juan de Dios, the one from Granada, in the Spanish 16th century. For this reason, in this article we have set the objective of describing the care of Juan de Dios following the model of human needs described by Henderson, together with care in agony and post-mortem. To do this, we use the historiographical methodology following the current of the history of mentalities, so that we can go from the past to the present, and vice versa. In the documentary analysis we have been able to observe how what we find today systematized in a theoretical way was already carried out at the beginning of the nursing reform of the Spanish 16th century, being a valid model for current Nursing, since it is found in its being, knowing , and doing, the concepts of the current nursing metaparadigm, although not explicitly, since its intention, more than theoretical, was care, although behind it there was a corpus of doctrine independent of other socio-health disciplines.(AU)

Consultando manuales de Historia de la Enfermería, se puede apreciar cómo es a partir de Nightingale cuando se considera el nacimiento de la Enfermería moderna o profesional. Sin embargo, esta creencia podría ser leyenda negra, pues antes del S. XIX ya existía conciencia de Enfermería como profesión, siendo esta iniciada por Juan de Dios, el de Granada, en el S. XVI español. Por ello, en el presente artículo hemos marcado como objetivo el describir los cuidados de Juan de Dios siguiendo el modelo de necesidades humanas descritas por Henderson, junto con los cuidados en la agonía y post-mortem. Para ello, utilizamos la metodología historiográfica siguiendo la corriente de la historia de las mentalidades, de manera que podamos ir del pasado al presente, y viceversa. En el análisis documental hemos podido observar cómo lo que hoy encontramos sistematizado de manera teórica, ya se realizaba en el inicio de la reforma enfermera del S. XVI español, siendo un modelo válido para la Enfermería actual, pues se encuentra en su ser, saber, y hacer, los conceptos del metaparadigma enfermero actuales aunque no de manera explícita, puesto que su intención, más que teórica, era asistencial, aunque detrás de ella hubo un corpus doctrinal independiente a otras disciplinassocio-sanitarias.(AU)

Ao consultar os manuais da História da Enfermagem, podese apreciar como é a partir de Nightingale quando se considera o nascimento da Enfermagem moderna ou profissional. No entanto, esta crença pode ser uma lenda negra, pois antes do século XIX já existia a consciência da Enfermagem como profissão, sendo esta iniciada por Juan de Dios, o de Granada, no século XVI espanhol. Por isso, neste artigo estabelecemos o objetivo de descrever o cuidado de Juan de Dios seguindo o modelo de necessidades humanas descrito por Henderson, juntamente com o cuidado em agonia e post-mortem. Para isso, utilizamos a metodologia historiográfica seguindo a corrente da história das mentalidades, para que possamos ir do passado ao presente e vice-versa. Na análise documental pudemos observar como o que encontramos hoje sistematizado de forma teórica já foi realizado no início da reforma da enfermagem espanhola do século XVI, sendo um modelo válido para a Enfermagem atual, uma vez que se encontra em seu ser, saber e fazer, os conceitos do atual metaparadigma da enfermagem, ainda que não explicitamente, pois sua intenção, mais do que teórica, era o cuidado, embora por trás dele houvesse um corpus de doutrina independente de outras disciplinas sócio-sanitárias.(AU)

A Tale of Enduring Myths: Buffon's Theory of Animal Degeneration and the Regeneration of Domesticated Animals in Mid-19th Century Brazil.

The long 19th century was a period of many developments and technical innovations in agriculture and animal biology, during which actors sought to incorporate new practices in light of new information. By the middle of the century, however, while heredity steadily became the dominant concept in animal husbandry, some policies related to livestock improvement in Brazil seemed to have been tailored following a climate-deterministic concept established in the mid-18th century by the French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, the Comte de Buffon. His theory of animal degeneration posited, among other things, the necessity of recurrent crossbreeding to preserve animal species living in nonnative environments from climate-induced degeneration. Although largely discredited by the early 19th century, the teachings of the French naturalist seem to have found supporters in a Brazilian program to modernize national agriculture through the application of the natural sciences. Herein I examine the revival of Buffon's theories in that government-sponsored program to improve animal husbandry and breeding techniques, including actual applications of this theory in the real world. Ultimately, I argue that Buffon's theory of degeneration was used to tailor public policies and funding for the improvement of domesticated animals in Brazil between 1856 and 1860.

[Lyudmila Antoninovna Shangina as the scientist and pedagogue].

The article is devoted to scientific biography of the prominent neuroanatomist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor L. A. Shangina, representative of the scientific school of Tonkov-Bushmakin. Her input into becoming of the chairs of normal anatomy of medical institutes in Irkutsk, Moscow, Kursk, Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and Smolensk and in organization of scientific community of neuromorphologists in the USSR in the middle and second half of the twentieth century is demonstrated. The special attention is paid to the results of scientific studies of L. A. Shangina and her post-graduate students of topography of nerves innervating human heart, of topography of accessory nerve (XI pair of cranial nerves), of structure of receptors of autonomic nervous system in walls of alimentary tract and urinary system.

Razor sharp: The role of Occam's razor in science.

Occam's razor-the principle of simplicity-has recently been attacked as a cultural bias without rational foundation. Increasingly, belief in pseudoscience and mysticism is growing. I argue that inclusion of Occam's razor is an essential factor that distinguishes science from superstition and pseudoscience. I also describe how the razor is embedded in Bayesian inference and argue that science is primarily the means to discover the simplest descriptions of our world.

Impact and repercussions of the Ostwald-de Izaguirre theory for adsorption from liquid mixtures: A 100-year perspective.

The theory developed in 1922 by Wolfgang Ostwald and Ramón de Izaguirre for adsorption from solution is revisited one hundred years later, with a main focus on its impact and repercussions. A concise historical account is initiated with an examination of the circumstances under which that work was generated. After providing some biographic data about the authors' backgrounds at the time they developed it, a concise description of the so-called Ostwald-de Izaguirre theory is presented. This is followed by an assessment of its impact as a whole in the first decades after it was produced. Starting from about 1960, interest was focused on two separate outcomes from the theory: (i) the first classification of adsorption isotherms ever proposed, and (ii) an equation (Ostwald-de Izaguirre equation) that describes adsorption by solids of binary mixtures of miscible liquids and allows separating the contributions from both components of the solution. Although still in occasional use today, the isotherm classification made by Ostwald and de Izaguirre is of almost exclusively historical interest, having been displaced by Giles' classification. Unlike this, the Ostwald-de Izaguirre equation is still used and, since it derives from a simple mass balance, there is general agreement that no assumptions were made that limit its use. Thus, it seems that there is nothing to prevent the applicability of this equation in the future.

Women in science: myth, harsh reality, or advantage.

To initiate discussion on women in science, we begin with Gerald Edelman's definition: "Science is imagination in the service of the verifiable truth," which underscores "verifiability," truth reached by evidence, as the pathway science charts to Truth. "Verifiability" is named after the Roman Goddess Veritas, the daughter of Cronos and the mother of Virtus, suggesting that mythology viewed science as embodied by a female, embedded in its historical time, and aimed to breed values. We contemplate three perspectives on the topic and discuss their potential risks. The Veracity (Veritas) Perspective holds that science is impartial to the gender, race, political camp, or religious affiliation of its practitioner and from this perspective "women in sciences" is an oxymoron; science is, essentially, genderless. We argue that this perspective is misleading. Becoming a scientist requires education, resources, encouragement, training, role models, time, and funding, and the lack of such provisions banned women from the gates of Truth. The Harsh Reality perspective brings data presenting a grim picture. From 1902 to 2022 only 3.6% of Nobel Prizes in sciences were awarded to women and percentages of women in top academic positions are a third or lower across the US and Europe despite earning about 50% of PhDs in sciences. We contemplate internal and external reasons for this reality. Finally, the Potential Advantage position asks whether women may have unique sensitivities in the road to cumulative knowledge. We base our discussion on 20th century philosophical models that call to move from the metaphysical and abstract to the daily and contextual in the acquisition of knowledge and on research describing the distinct neural pathways to motherhood and fatherhood. We conclude by highlighting our unique historical time and the emergence of novel topics in neuroscience through the work of female and male scientists; interaction synchrony, inter-brain communication, and social and affiliative neuroscience.