Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
chemical industry. Its galleries have thus concentrated on the products of
the industry, including scents in the pre-World War II period, rather than
the use of chemistry as a service science.
While these institutional contexts are important, I would argue that
the chemistry galleries at the Science Museum, and probably elsewhere,
have hitherto been shaped not so much by curators (although they decide
the exact form of the displays), the overseers of the museum (the Direc-
tor, Advisory Council, Board of Trustees) or less still, by visitors, but by
an external constituency that curators have sought to please. The compo-
sition of this group remained fairly constant during the twentieth century.
They comprised leading academic chemists, if not usually Nobel Laure-
ates like Nernst and Ostwald, chemical educationalists, and state-em-
ployed chemists. Chemical industrialists have generally not had much
influence on the pure chemistry galleries and popularizers of science
have had even less impact. As they have grown in number and profes-
sional status, historians of chemistry have become members of constitu-
ency but generally have had less influence than chemists. This is partly
because the curators have become historians of chemistry themselves and
partly because the history of instruments has been very much a minority
interest in the history of chemistry. To some extent the historians have
hitherto had a veto rather than a direct influence. Up to now a new gal-
lery had to be acceptable to them,
i.e.
avoid any major errors or excessive
Whiggism, rather than positively appeal to them or incorporate the latest
historiography.
The galleries at the Science Museum, and as far as I can tell at the
Deutsches Museum, have portrayed chemistry as a science which has a
long history, with particular reference to the breadth and variety of chem-
istry. This image has been presented in a carefully crafted and exquisitely
balanced - almost low-key - manner emphasizing skilful practice rather
than controversy. The image of chemistry presented in this way has been
positive - largely chemistry as useful - without making any extravagant
claims for chemistry or chemists. On the other hand, criticism has also
been muted, indeed almost invisible. In keeping with the neutral stance
of the civil service, emotion and all matters touching on politics or relig-
ion have hitherto been strenuously avoided.
