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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Oldenburg, Henry, --approximately 1615-1677; Oldenburg, Henry, --approximately 1615-1677;

Abstract

Two things essential for the development of experimental science are the cooperation of many workers and the keeping of careful records of their work. A major problem for the experimental scientists of the seventeenth century was the lack of both cooperative effort and systematic records. The scientific work early in this century was scattered, intermittent, and recorded, if at all, haphazardly. The purpose of this paper is to show how Henry Oldenburg, during his first five years as secretary to the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, developed patterns of communication which brought the experimental philosophers together to share ideas, pool resources, and maintain accurate records. As secretary, Oldenburg was responsible for making reports of the experiments, observations, and discussions at the Society's weekly meetings. These reports, carefully entered in its books, became the basis for a careful method of registering the time, the man, and the matter for everything brought to the attention of the Society. Such registration helped persuade scientists to share their findings. Oldenburg was also responsible for the correspondence. No experimenter himself, he found he could use this correspondence to further experimental science. Through his letters, Oldenburg assumed an increasingly active role in filling the demand for scientific news from many countries. in seeking out new correspondents, in encouraging scientists to continue their work. and in acting as an intermediary between men with opposing views. Never content with the number of people reached and the amount of information relayed by letter, Oldenburg devised a plan for regular printing of scientific news. In March of 1665, he published the first issue of Philosophical Transactions, the first journal devoted exclusively to science. This publication made the work of many men in varied fields of science readily available to the public at regular intervals . In the journal as well as ln the correspondence, Oldenburg conscientously [sic] strove for accuracy and fairness. His scrupulous care to give credit where it was due and to focus on factual matter rather than personalities when disagreements arose earned him the confidence of his contemporaries. with each year, increasing numbers of seventeenth-century scientists entrusted their work to Oldenburg. His contribution to the growth of science in this century was a major one: the establishment of accurate records, open communication, regular publication, and ethical treatment of information.

Year of Submission

1969

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of English Language and Literature

First Advisor

Francis E. Smith

Second Advisor

Norman C. Stageberg

Third Advisor

Clifford G. McCollum

Comments

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Date Original

1969

Object Description

1 PDF file (84 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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