Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Although the illustration was based on classical motifs, Söderston con-
nected it to the origin of the topic by making the Atlas figure a native
American, with tawny skin, loin cloth, and head band, linking it to the
aboriginal aspect of the 1935 ACS poster (Figure 1).
The image of science that comes from this is of science as the servant
of humanity. Athena and Atlas are powerful exoteric metonyms, evoking
the entire history of western philosophy and science. Particularly with
the inclusion of the native figure, this linked the glory of Athens with the
modern power of the American state. Although this was the most directly
classical reference, it set the tone for the visual images of the topic. Sci-
ence as the servant of humanity was the connection between man and
Nature as 'the great chemist'. In this schema, scientists interceded on be-
half of humanity and were called to the noble enterprise of science. Mor-
rison says of this relationship:
Although Nature, the great chemist, has provided man with the proto-
types and methods by which he has attempted, with considerable suc-
cess, to conquer his environment, her motives and objectives have sel-
dom been man's […] It is beyond us to fathom the great plan of Creation
in which we play at most a very minor role, but obviously the value of
natural products to us is wholly fortuitous. [Morrison 1937, p. 13]
Morrison's tone is pious, but this only serves to reinforce the message of
the connection between science and the divine. Even more important
than reverence for Creation is the idea that the power over nature is
granted to those who are capable of using the tools that Nature (or God)
has provided for us.
The overt religious symbolism in many of the images reinforces the
idea that scientists are a new order of priests. In the chapter 'Feeding
Millions' (Figure 4a), the chemist is clad in a lab coat that is distin-
guishable from priestly raiment only because of the pens in the breast
pocket. The lab coat is transformed into a white robe that falls from
the shoulder almost to the ground. The mystical aspects of the image
are further heightened by having the figure float, spirit-like, above the
fields. The chemist makes the land fertile with material falling from
one hand while reaping the products of the land with the other. The
scientist's head is in the industrial world of trains and factories, but his
feet connect him to the earth. The spiritual symbolism can be projected
