Description
Book SynopsisThis is the first academic biography of the scientist and politician Jacob Moleschott (1822-1893). Based on a vast range of primary sources in German, Italian, Dutch, French, and Latin, it not only sheds new light on the history of materialism in the natural sciences, but also shows the deep entanglement of science, politics, and popularization in 19th-century Europe. Applying new methods from cultural history and the history of science, Laura Meneghello focuses on processes of knowledge circulation, transnational mobility, and the role of translation in 19th-century science.
Trade Review"Meneghello provides an important contribution to the understanding of the interaction of biology and politics in the nineteenth century." -- Florence Vienne, Metascience, 28 (2019)
"The author [succeeds] in drawing a rich and comprehensive picture of Moleschott as a member of the scientific landscape of his time between national coverage and international recognition." -- Carolin Kosuch, Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken, 98 (2018/19), translated from German
"A worthy successor to Frederick Gregorys landmark study of 1977 and a fine exemplar of the insight afforded by scientific biography." -- Gabriel Finkelstein, ISIS, 109/4 (2018)
With her biography of Moleschott, Meneghello has closed a desideratum that reveals exciting transnational perspectives on the role that popular science played in the process of European nation-building." -- Claus Spenninger, Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte 41/3 (2018), translated from German
