Abstracts of the History of Science Society 2004 Austin Meeting 18 ...
Abstracts of the History of Science Society 2004 Austin Meeting 18 ...
Abstracts of the History of Science Society 2004 Austin Meeting 18 ...
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tions it raised were not resolved ei<strong>the</strong>r by Galileo or by <strong>the</strong> court, and that <strong>the</strong>y remain relevant to modern debates about <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong><br />
both copyright and patents to protect intellectual property claims in scientific findings.<br />
Christina Brandt, Max Planck Institute for <strong>the</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Science</strong> (brandt@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de)<br />
Friday, 19-Nov-04, 9:00 - 11:45 AM - Big Bend D & E<br />
Between Fact and Fiction: Bioscientific Research and Early Debates About Cloning and Genetic Engineering in Germany<br />
This paper analyzes scientific and cultural layers in <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> cloning. It addresses <strong>the</strong> relationship between bioscientific research,<br />
popular representations and public debates that flourished around <strong>the</strong> figure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “clone”. The focus will be on <strong>the</strong> life sciences in<br />
Germany from <strong>the</strong> late 1960s to <strong>the</strong> early 1980s. This period can be characterized by two major scientific events: First, John Gurdon´s<br />
(Oxford) success in cloning frogs in <strong>the</strong> early 1960s gave rise to fantastical representations around <strong>the</strong> figure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “clone”. Second,<br />
<strong>the</strong>se popular debates about cloning experienced both <strong>the</strong>ir highpoint and a temporary halt in <strong>the</strong> early 1980s when Karl Illmensee<br />
(Geneva) announced that he was able to clone mice but shortly afterwards his claims were disproved. In <strong>the</strong> first part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> paper, I<br />
will follow scientific developments in German developmental biology by focussing on research at <strong>the</strong> Friedrich Miescher Laboratorium<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Max Planck <strong>Society</strong> in Tuebingen. The second part will examine <strong>the</strong> public debates about cloning and genetic engineering in<br />
Germany with attention given to <strong>the</strong> demarcation between scientific facts and popular fiction. By comparing <strong>the</strong>se German developments<br />
to those in <strong>the</strong> United States and Great Britain, <strong>the</strong> paper will try to specify at which level national peculiarities played a part in<br />
an internationally organized scientific landscape building up in <strong>the</strong> second half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 20th century.<br />
Sabine Brauckmann, KLI (sabine.brauckmann@kli.ac.at)<br />
Friday, 19-Nov-04, 1:30 - 3:10 PM - Texas Ballroom VI<br />
‘’Cells Migrate and Shape’’: A Historical Sketch <strong>of</strong> Developmental Fate Maps<br />
My talk presents a historical chapter <strong>of</strong> developmental physiology by focusing on Walter Vogt (<strong>18</strong>88-1941) and Sven Hörstadius (<strong>18</strong>98-<br />
1996), two experimental biologists, and on two conceptions, namely <strong>the</strong> gastrea <strong>the</strong>ory and <strong>the</strong> gradient notion. Fur<strong>the</strong>r, I want to show<br />
(1) how developmental physiology depicted <strong>the</strong> migration and shaping <strong>of</strong> cells during gastrulation in fate maps and (2)how <strong>the</strong> gradient<br />
concept as formulated by Boveri was finally confirmed. The crucial issue comparative anatomy and embryology tried to solve around<br />
<strong>18</strong>80 was how <strong>the</strong> mesoderm forms and whe<strong>the</strong>r it proceeds by invagination or delamination. However, it was difficult to reconstruct<br />
<strong>the</strong>se morphogenetic movements by observing whole or sectioned embryos alone. Besides an experimental turn, technical improvements<br />
like micrometer, vital staining methods, and apochromatic objectives helped to label <strong>the</strong> cells <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> three germ layers and to follow<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir fate at successive intervals during gastrulation. By <strong>the</strong>se new methods, <strong>the</strong> classical disciplines slowly overcame <strong>the</strong>ir descriptive<br />
state and moved towards <strong>the</strong> more dynamical representation <strong>of</strong> developmental mechanics. In <strong>the</strong> 1920s Vogt perfected <strong>the</strong> staining<br />
method and constructed more or less idealized fate maps <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> toad Bombinator. For him, <strong>the</strong> results corroborated Haeckel’s gastrea<br />
<strong>the</strong>ory. Vogt’s research revolutionized comparative embryology and formed <strong>the</strong> basis for interpreting developmental physiology. A few<br />
years later Hörstadius embarked on an experimental program with sea urchins hoping to solve <strong>the</strong> question <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> temporal determination<br />
<strong>of</strong> invagination. His main objective was to improve on <strong>the</strong> data <strong>of</strong> Morgan and Driesch who had estimated <strong>the</strong> invaginating material<br />
by counting nuclei. With his technique <strong>of</strong> fine glass needles and Vogt’s staining method, Hörstadius could now trace <strong>the</strong> fate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
various cell groups into <strong>the</strong> later larva at <strong>the</strong>ir exact temporal determination. His data corrected <strong>the</strong> old invagination explanation <strong>of</strong> gastrulation<br />
and secured <strong>the</strong> gradient concept. Besides <strong>the</strong> narrative <strong>of</strong> developmental fate mapping, my main objective is to demonstrate<br />
<strong>the</strong> conceptual difference in <strong>the</strong>ir research programs. For, Vogt’s work was firmly rooted in homology studies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 19th century whereas<br />
Hörstadius concentrated on embryonic cells and intercellular communication.<br />
Richard Burkhardt, University <strong>of</strong> Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (burkhard@uiuc.edu)<br />
Saturday, 20-Nov-04, 3:30 - 5:30 PM - Texas Ballroom VI<br />
Ordering and Coordinating Naturalists’ Practices in Restoration France<br />
The distinction between <strong>the</strong> naturalist voyager and <strong>the</strong> cabinet naturalist predates but does not map seamlessly onto <strong>the</strong> later contrast<br />
between <strong>the</strong> field naturalist and <strong>the</strong> lab or museum worker. One reason for this is that <strong>the</strong> primary task <strong>of</strong> naturalist voyagers, at least<br />
as conceived by those who most <strong>of</strong>ten sponsored <strong>the</strong>ir travels, was to collect specimens for study and display back in museums, not to<br />
pursue field studies as such. In <strong>the</strong> years immediately after <strong>the</strong> Napoleonic Wars, <strong>the</strong> National Museum <strong>of</strong> Natural <strong>History</strong> in Paris made<br />
special efforts to encourage <strong>the</strong> collecting efforts <strong>of</strong> travelers, colonial <strong>of</strong>ficials, sea captains, and, most notably, a select number <strong>of</strong> individuals<br />
whom <strong>the</strong> Museum paid to be naturalist voyagers. The present paper looks at <strong>the</strong> naturalist voyagers on <strong>the</strong> Museum’s payroll<br />
from <strong>18</strong>15 to <strong>18</strong>30, examining in particular <strong>the</strong> ways in which <strong>the</strong>ir own interests and <strong>the</strong>ir actual practices in <strong>the</strong> field corresponded to<br />
or diverged from <strong>the</strong> aims <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> institution that sponsored <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
D. Graham Burnett, Princeton University (dburnett@princeton.edu)<br />
Saturday, 20-Nov-04, 9:00 - 11:45 AM - Texas Ballroom III<br />
Whales and <strong>the</strong> Cold War: The First International Symposium on Cetacean Research<br />
From <strong>the</strong> 15th to <strong>the</strong> <strong>18</strong>th <strong>of</strong> August, 1963, more than fifty scientists from around <strong>the</strong> world ga<strong>the</strong>red in <strong>the</strong> “John Glenn Suite” <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>