Chemists and Chemistry in Nature and Society, 17701878

In the 18th century chemistry established itself as both an autonomous and a public science, moving from mining and medicine into agriculture and geology, indeed into the entire material and cultural fabric of society. This chemical revolution had its epicentre in France, but quickly spread. The present volume looks at theoretical and practical aspects of that revolution in France and The Netherlands, then turns to Britain, where Thomas Beddoes mixed French chemistry, medicine, and democratic politics. With the 19th century, Humphrey Davy, emerging from Beddoess Pneumatic Institution (from which he rapidly distanced himself), took public chemistry dramatically to London. The following articles show how his friend Coleridge incorporated the science into a romantic philosophy of nature, and Faraday extended Davys work in electrochemistry, matter theory, and a theology of nature; even Hegels philosophy of geology based itself on chemistry. The final section explores debates about chemical affinity, qualities and arrangement. Au 18 s., la chimie stablissait en tant que science autonome et publique, passant de lindustrie minire et de la mdecine lagriculture et la gologie; en vrit, lensemble de la structure matrielle et culturelle de la socit. Cette rvolution chimique, dont lpicentre tait en France, finit par staler rapidement de toute part. Le prsent volume examine les aspects thoriques et pratiques de cette rvolution en France et aux Pays-Bas, puis se tourne vers la Grande-Bretagne, o Thomas Beddoes mlangeait la chimie franaise la mdecine et la politique dmocratique. A lore du 19 s., Humphry Davy, mergeant de lInstitut Pneumatique de Beddoes (dont il se distancera rapidement), amena le chimie publique Londres de faon thtrale. Les articles suivants montrent commont son ami, Coleridge, incorpora la science une philosophie romantique de la nature, et com