Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
American government, so is the picture of Einstein a direct visual met-
onym that when viewed brings to mind the life of Einstein, especially at
the time of the image. Put the same picture of Einstein on a T-shirt and it
continues to convey the first aspect of the metonym, but it also suggests
that the wearer admires Einstein and has a high regard for a certain
approach to science and rationalism. The T-shirt image is an exoteric
metonym: a public or outward declaration of the worldview of the wearer
encapsulated in a picture.
The direct metonyms in
Man in a Chemical World
are relatively
mundane; the Söderston images attempt to encapsulate the thematic ma-
terial of the text. For example, in chapter eight 'Serving Industry', Söder-
ston illustrates the pouring of molten metal (most likely steel) in an in-
dustrial plant. While the illustration can evoke the concept of all heavy
industry, it does not carry the same complex package of meaning as other
images.
The exoteric use of the images, on the other hand, created in the mind
of the viewer a link between the image and a larger concept. In particu-
lar, Söderston's illustrations become a statement about the place of the
scientist in society. Morrison was not looking to promote chemistry as
the domain of geniuses, but as a field and industry essential to the pros-
perity of America. Thus, the textual and visual images of the chemist had
to be work-oriented without making the chemist appear as a technician.
This was a difficult set of requirements, but the image of the man in the
white lab coat fit those requirements. It suggested both hands-on work
and a higher calling, since the lab coat was transformed into a uniform
with strong religious overtones in Söderston's illustrations.
6.
The Evolving Image of the Scientist in the White Lab Coat as
Scientific Icon
There is some debate about when scientists were first shown in lab coats.
Their appearance in
Man in a Chemical World
does not represent a new
image, but rather an important interpretation of the image that contribut-
ed to the creation of a powerful visual metonym in the public sphere. The
use of the lab-coated scientist as a metonym does not have a single
source of origin. In part, it evolved from images of chemists and other
