English alchemy and medicine in the seventeenth-century, Prof. Jennifer Rampling, University of Princeton

• Grant number: 16/11477-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: August 06, 2016
• End date: August 20, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Science
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Alfonso-Goldfarb
• Grantee: Ana Maria Alfonso-Goldfarb
• Visiting researcher: Jennifer M. Rampling
• Visiting researcher institution: Princeton University, United States
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/14040-9 - Revealing natural processes through the laboratory (Phase II): the search for material principles in the three kingdoms until the specialization of science in the 1800s, AP.TEM

Abstract

English Alchemy and Medicine in the Seventeenth-Century Prof. Jennifer Rampling, Program in History of Science, Princeton University Prof. Rampling's visit is included in the exchange program established for our Thematic Project "Revealing natural processes through the laboratory (phase 2): the search for the principles of matter in the three kingdoms until the specialization of science in the 1800s" (grant #2011/14040-9 São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP). Collaboration with Prof. Rampling began many years ago to become particularly more intensive starting 2013, when she participated in a scientific meeting held at CESIMA, co-organized by CLE/UNICAMP and the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC), namely, the main international association of historians of chemistry. One of the results of this initiative was the publication of a special issue of journal Ambix (vol. 62, no. 4, December 2015) which had some of CESIMA investigators as guest editors and authors. Prof. Rampling's is expected to visit CESIMA from August 7th to 27th, 2016, to contribute to the aforementioned Thematic Project as well as several others we are currently carrying out. Prof. Rampling is widely acknowledged for her work in the history of chemistry in the 16th-17th and extending into the 18th century, which resulted in a considerable number of publications. For this reason she was appointed editor of journal Ambix, which position she presently holds. While Prof. Rampling is currently finishing the preparation of some books on her subject of expertise, a rare occasion appeared for us to discuss together several research topics we share in common. Therefore, work meetings and seminars were planned which will deal with the following, among other subjects: the meaning of alchemical images and how they were approached in the past; alchemical/chemical recipes and treatises, English attempts at interpreting them and medical use; and relationships among alchemical/chemical studies, patronage and material culture. In addition to the just mentioned activities at CESIMA and a lecture at Institute of Chemistry University of São Paulo (IQ-USP), prof. Rampling will be one of the 5th Allen Debus Biennial honor lecturers. (AU)