Journal Description
Histories
Histories
is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on inquiry of change and continuity of human societies (on various scales and with different approaches, including environmental, social and technological studies), published quarterly online by MDPI.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within ESCI (Web of Science), EBSCO, and other databases.
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 47.1 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 6.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2024).
- Recognition of Reviewers: APC discount vouchers, optional signed peer review, and reviewer names published annually in the journal.
Latest Articles
Utopia and Religion in Europe in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Histories 2024, 4(3), 405-417; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030020 - 19 Sep 2024
Abstract
When European writers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries wrote about utopia or their vision of the best possible way to live, they usually included reflections on religion. Religion as it was known in their day was not perfect and had been criticized
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When European writers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries wrote about utopia or their vision of the best possible way to live, they usually included reflections on religion. Religion as it was known in their day was not perfect and had been criticized for causing numerous abuses. If a perfect or near-perfect society were to be imagined, it would have to include a perfect or near-perfect understanding of religion. This could range from atheism to a minimal religion which avoided all the institutional factors, to one in which detailed regulations governed all facets of religion and life. This article reviews and interprets the treatment of religion in a wide range of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century utopias. It concludes that some utopian writers set high goals for change, some settled for lesser reforms, and some left religion as it was while changing other parts of life.
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(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)
Open AccessArticle
Working for Health in the Anthropocene: The Environmental Imagination in the Establishment of Occupational Therapy, 1890–1920
by
Mark Hudson
Histories 2024, 4(3), 394-404; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030019 - 5 Sep 2024
Abstract
By the end of the nineteenth century, the view of labour as control of the environment for human benefit was being re-evaluated. In the United States, the conservation movement of the Progressive era (1890–1920) brought new attention to the problem of the ‘wise
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By the end of the nineteenth century, the view of labour as control of the environment for human benefit was being re-evaluated. In the United States, the conservation movement of the Progressive era (1890–1920) brought new attention to the problem of the ‘wise use’ of resources. Progressive social movements also developed a concern with holistic health and social conditions in rapidly industrialising cities. This paper argues that the formation of the new allied health science of occupational therapy in the early 20th century can be understood as a response to the health and conservation implications of changing relations between labour and resources. An analysis of published sources on the aims of occupational therapy in the Progressive era concluded that the early stage of the profession was structured by dominant Western narratives about humans and nature. Those narratives included the trope of redemption or transformation through labour and the importance of conservation as a response to the squandering of resources, both natural and human. I argue that the early development of occupational therapy was significantly influenced by environmentalist discourse as a therapeutic response to industrialisation and emerging Anthropocene awareness.
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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle
The Hospital as a Beacon of Science? Parisian Academic Medicine around 1800
by
Frank W. Stahnisch
Histories 2024, 4(3), 369-393; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030018 - 4 Sep 2024
Abstract
Owing to medical historian Erwin H. Ackerknecht’s (1906–1988) pioneering study “Medicine at the Paris Hospital, 1794–1848” (1967), the year 1794 is seen as the decisive separation date on which the development and reorganization of the Parisian clinical school—as a broad movement
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Owing to medical historian Erwin H. Ackerknecht’s (1906–1988) pioneering study “Medicine at the Paris Hospital, 1794–1848” (1967), the year 1794 is seen as the decisive separation date on which the development and reorganization of the Parisian clinical school—as a broad movement and a system of medical education and clinical practice—distanced it from the traditions of the 18th century. This precise dating is based on the “Rapport et projet de décret sur l’établissement d’une École centrale de Santé à Paris” (1794) by the French clinician and naturalist Antoine-François Fourcroy (1755–1809), which appeared five years after the French Revolution. Fourcroy was asked by the Conseil d’État to submit a detailed report in which he was obliged to comment on the existing health situation and the state of medical care and research. His report thereby ventured so far as to request the continued dissolution of all medical faculties in France, as these institutions were seen as counter-revolutionary hotbeds in the wider educational landscape of the Grande Nation. Fourcroy’s recommendations were implemented a short time later; he had recommended that medical training should be established again in the traditional locations of Paris, Montpellier, and Strasbourg in France yet in the different settings of so-called health schools, Écoles de Santé. In this article, I look at the corresponding training and care structures after the French Revolution, as well as some of the specific reasons which led to the complete suspension of teaching in academic medicine at the time. In the more recent research literature, Ackerknecht’s view has undergone some modifications, whereby the fixation on the date 1794 has been challenged since the French traditions of the royalistic period have hardly been considered. Furthermore, it has been argued that the reorganization of medicine during the time of the Empire remained largely based on knowledge structures derived from the previous 18th century. In order to keep the complex scientific, institutional, and socio-economic conditions of the context of Parisian Academic Medicine aligned, I first explore some developments up to the time of the French Revolution (1789), before assessing the implications of the reform of knowledge structures and curricular programs instigated since the 1790s, as these remain relevant to medical history in the 19th century.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle
Navigating Maritime Heritage: An Immersive Virtual Tour of the USS Drum Submarine Museum
by
Junshan Liu, Danielle S. Willkens and Jeffery Scott Kim
Histories 2024, 4(3), 346-368; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030017 - 1 Sep 2024
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) technology has revolutionized the preservation and interpretation of heritage sites. This study focuses on developing an immersive 360-degree virtual tour (VT) for the USS Drum Submarine Museum in Mobile, Alabama, USA, incorporating oral histories to enhance the accessibility and visitor
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Virtual Reality (VR) technology has revolutionized the preservation and interpretation of heritage sites. This study focuses on developing an immersive 360-degree virtual tour (VT) for the USS Drum Submarine Museum in Mobile, Alabama, USA, incorporating oral histories to enhance the accessibility and visitor experiences. The project addresses the need for innovative methods to present maritime history effectively. Using Matterport technology, detailed 3D imagery of the USS Drum was captured and processed, integrating multimedia elements and oral histories from a veteran USS Drum crew member to provide a richer historical narrative. A user experience study gathered feedback from virtual visitors, who offered quantitative and qualitative responses. The research findings indicate that the VT significantly enhances visitor engagement and historical understanding, with high satisfaction rates for visual quality and oral histories, though some users experienced technical challenges and difficulties. This study demonstrates the potential of combining immersive VTs with oral histories to create engaging educational experiences, preserving the USS Drum’s legacy and making it accessible to a broader audience, including those unable to visit in person. Furthermore, this project sets a precedent for museums to leverage digital tools in preserving and promoting maritime heritage and oral histories.
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(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)
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A Brief History of Social Housing in Spain: Residential Architecture and Housing Policies in the 19th and 20th Centuries
by
David Hernández Falagán and Maribel Rosselló Nicolau
Histories 2024, 4(3), 326-345; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030016 - 16 Aug 2024
Abstract
The history of social housing in Spain over the last two centuries has been influenced by factors of political and economic instability that have affected the entire country. This research examines these factors through the analysis of official legislative documentation and other bibliographic
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The history of social housing in Spain over the last two centuries has been influenced by factors of political and economic instability that have affected the entire country. This research examines these factors through the analysis of official legislative documentation and other bibliographic sources. This article covers different study periods, defined by significant historical circumstances, during which housing policies responded to the sociopolitical context of each moment. This study pays special attention to the management instruments that were implemented, as well as the nature of residential architectures and urban solutions that emerged as a consequence. The result is a social housing landscape that presents significant shortcomings and deficiencies, prefiguring a situation of vulnerability in the face of the economic crisis of the early 21st century.
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(This article belongs to the Section Environmental History)
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Open AccessArticle
The “Galenic Question”: A Solution Based on Historical Sources and a Mathematical Analysis of Texts
by
Fernando La Greca, Liberato De Caro and Emilio Matricciani
Histories 2024, 4(3), 308-325; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030015 - 6 Aug 2024
Abstract
How many different writers authored the huge number of texts attributed to Galen of Pergamum (129~216 Anno Domini (AD)), medical doctor and philosopher, a giant in the history of medicine? The quest to find out which texts were his and which ones were
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How many different writers authored the huge number of texts attributed to Galen of Pergamum (129~216 Anno Domini (AD)), medical doctor and philosopher, a giant in the history of medicine? The quest to find out which texts were his and which ones were written by others is known as the “Galenic Question”. We propose a “solution” to it through a multidisciplinary approach based (a) on historical research and (b) on a mathematical analysis of the Greek texts. The historical approach considers historical independent sources and anachronisms. The mathematical approach is based on a mathematical theory concerning deep language variables, rarely consciously controlled by any author, and is therefore capable of giving indications on the similarity of texts, with little or no bias. The multidisciplinary approach has convinced us that at least three authors wrote the texts attributed to Galen. The first two were very likely real historical persons: (a) a certain Galen living between the end of the I century Before Christ (BC) and the second half of the I century AD, and (b) the historical Galen of Pergamum (II–III centuries AD). We believe the third (c) to be represented by several unknown authors hiding under the name Galen, but likely living after Galen of Pergamum’s death.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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The Social Mobility and “Hidalguía” of the Villafañe y Guzmán Family Reflect the Intricacies of Social and Colonial Dynamics over Five Centuries
by
Jorge Hugo Villafañe
Histories 2024, 4(3), 293-307; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030014 - 18 Jul 2024
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between social mobility and hidalguía (noble status) in Castile and America over five centuries, focusing on a specific family of peninsular hidalgo individuals, the Villafañe y Guzmán family, who exerted significant influence in the provinces of La Rioja
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This study examines the relationship between social mobility and hidalguía (noble status) in Castile and America over five centuries, focusing on a specific family of peninsular hidalgo individuals, the Villafañe y Guzmán family, who exerted significant influence in the provinces of La Rioja and Córdoba (Argentina) through their kinship ties. The distribution of resources, power, and opportunities has been instrumental in determining the social status and opportunities available to individuals and groups. The study confirms that the limited social mobility in colonial society and the advantages of accessing certain activities may explain the enduring nature of socioeconomic inequality in Latin America.
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(This article belongs to the Section Political, Institutional, and Economy History)
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Stationary Steam Engines in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
by
R. Damian Nance
Histories 2024, 4(3), 256-292; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4030013 - 9 Jul 2024
Abstract
In Puerto Rico and each of the U.S. Virgin Islands, stationary steam engines survive on their original foundations and stand in testament to the long history of sugar production in the American territories of the Caribbean. In total, six beam engines, seven horizontal
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In Puerto Rico and each of the U.S. Virgin Islands, stationary steam engines survive on their original foundations and stand in testament to the long history of sugar production in the American territories of the Caribbean. In total, six beam engines, seven horizontal engines, one vertical engine, and a compound engine exist on the islands in various states of preservation, many amid the ruins of the plantations (haciendas) whose output they made possible. The whereabouts of an eighth horizontal engine recorded in 1976 remains unknown. Most were imported from Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century, but at least one is of American build. These machines not only provide unique examples of the adaption of steam technology to the needs of nineteenth-century sugar production but are also lasting symbols of an industry that once dominated the economy of these islands and remain deeply entwined in their history.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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Detecting Pivotal Moments Using Changepoint Analysis of Noble Marriages during the Time of the Republic of Venice
by
Juan J. Merelo-Guervós
Histories 2024, 4(2), 234-255; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4020012 - 3 Jun 2024
Abstract
The Republic of Venice was one of the longest-lived states in modern history, and its stability and survival have been studied through many different angles. One of the main research angles is to try and find pivotal moments in its history that explain
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The Republic of Venice was one of the longest-lived states in modern history, and its stability and survival have been studied through many different angles. One of the main research angles is to try and find pivotal moments in its history that explain its eventual demise. In this paper, through the rigorous statistical analysis of a dataset of marriages by nobles in the Republic, we attempt to define a methodology for the detection of these events through mono and multivariate changepoint analysis, validating the proposed methodology through cross-validation of different procedures, as well as matching the results to historical events. Our analysis shows that these changepoints occur with statistical significance and that they match political and historical events. These results can be built upon for a better understanding of the historical causes of the success and failure of the Republic of Venice and, by extension, other states.
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(This article belongs to the Section Political, Institutional, and Economy History)
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Cultural Contacts among Pre-Roman Peoples in Iron Age Italy: The Case of Venetic Inscriptions
by
Stefano Vicari and Francesco Perono Cacciafoco
Histories 2024, 4(2), 220-233; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4020011 - 2 Apr 2024
Abstract
The spread of the alphabet in Italy occurred between the 7th and the 6th centuries BC, resulting in the appearance of texts written in so many different languages and in such limited territorial space that one can hardly observe another similar event (Venetic,
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The spread of the alphabet in Italy occurred between the 7th and the 6th centuries BC, resulting in the appearance of texts written in so many different languages and in such limited territorial space that one can hardly observe another similar event (Venetic, Raetic, Etruscan, Picenian, Faliscan, Latin, Umbrian, Oscan, Greek, etc.). In this paper, we analyzed inscriptions produced by the Veneti, the ancient inhabitants of a region located between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps, which has provided mainly short sepulchral and votive texts. After a careful analysis, some so far poorly understood texts revealed the development of symbols to represent numbers and the measurement of time. These features are connected with the experience of the Etruscans and show characteristics shared with neighboring Celtic populations. The inscriptions also highlight a focus on the supernatural and the underworld. Cultural influences from the east, especially from Egypt, which represent a prominent moment in the evolution of Greece in the 7th century BC, have left traces in figurative culture and, quite unexpectedly, even in language. Rigorous transliterations and original interpretations of the analyzed inscriptions support the proposed results.
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(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)
Open AccessArticle
Curatorial Dissonance and Conflictual Aesthetics: Holocaust Memory and Public Humanities in Greek Historiography
by
Anastasia Christou
Histories 2024, 4(2), 204-219; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4020010 - 26 Mar 2024
Cited by 1
Abstract
Despite the increasingly diverse societal landscape in Greece for more than three decades within a context of migration, understandings of its fragile histories are still limited in shaping a sense of belonging that is open to ‘otherness’. While Greek communities have utilised history
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Despite the increasingly diverse societal landscape in Greece for more than three decades within a context of migration, understandings of its fragile histories are still limited in shaping a sense of belonging that is open to ‘otherness’. While Greek communities have utilised history as a pathway to maintain identity, other parallel histories and understandings do not resonate with ‘Greekness’ for most, such as the case of Greek Jewry. Critical historical perspectives can benefit from tracing ‘re-membering’ as a feminist practice in the reassessment of societal values of inclusivity. Histories of violence and injustice can also include elements of ‘difficult histories’ and must be embraced to seek acknowledgement of these in promoting social change and cultural analysis for public humanities informing curation and curricula. Between eduscapes, art heritage spaces, an entry into contested and conflictual histories can expand a sense of belonging and the way we imagine our own connected histories with communities, place and nation. Greek Jews do not constitute a strong part of historical memory for Greeks in their past and present; in contrast to what is perceived as ‘official’ history, theirs is quite marginal. As a result, contemporary Greeks, from everyday life to academia, do not have a holistic understanding in relation to the identities of Jews in Greece, their culture or the Holocaust. Given the emergence of a new wave of artistic activism in recent years in response to the ever-increasing dominance of authoritarian neoliberalism, along with activist practices in the art field as undercurrents of resistance, in this intervention I bring together bodies of works to create a dialogic reflection with historical, artistic and feminist sources. In turn, the discussion then explores the spatiotemporal contestations of the historical geographies of Holocaust monuments in Greece. While interrogating historical amnesia, I endeavour to provide a space to engage with ‘difficult histories’ in their aesthetic context as a heritage of healing and social justice.
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(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)
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Fantastic Flails and Where to Find Them: The Body of Evidence for the Existence of Flails in the Early and High Medieval Eras in Western, Central, and Southern Europe
by
Alistair F. Holdsworth
Histories 2024, 4(1), 144-203; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010009 - 7 Mar 2024
Abstract
Flails are one of the most contentious and misunderstood classes of medieval weaponry, despite their prevalence in popular media: some researchers question their existence entirely and the bulk of historians are skeptical of widespread temporal and geographical prevalence, while others, and a significant
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Flails are one of the most contentious and misunderstood classes of medieval weaponry, despite their prevalence in popular media: some researchers question their existence entirely and the bulk of historians are skeptical of widespread temporal and geographical prevalence, while others, and a significant volume of period evidence, would argue the contrary. While the expansive use of flails in Eastern Europe and Byzantium is familiar, many Central, Western, and Southern European sources are less well known or largely forgotten, especially those stemming from the later-early and early high medieval eras (up to 1250). In this work, I collate and discuss the bulk of the available literary references and artistic depictions of flails and their use alongside some of the archaeological finds from Western, Central, and Southern Europe, with an emphasis on the 12th and 13th centuries. The significance of this volume of evidence is examined, and an assessment of flails as a part of medieval culture and warfare is considered. Collectively, this would suggest that knowledge of flails as instruments of war and associated cultural connotations, if not their actual prevalence and use in warfare, was far more widespread across Europe this time period than has been previously estimated.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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From Meditation to Techno-Mindfulness: On the Medicalization of Contemplative Practices and Future Prospects
by
Federico Divino
Histories 2024, 4(1), 125-143; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010008 - 29 Feb 2024
Abstract
This article explores the historical transformation of mindfulness, through a process of transculturation and commodification, into a biopolitical tool and analyzes possible future scenarios in which this tool will acquire even greater biopolitical strength through the integration of technological devices and artificial intelligence
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This article explores the historical transformation of mindfulness, through a process of transculturation and commodification, into a biopolitical tool and analyzes possible future scenarios in which this tool will acquire even greater biopolitical strength through the integration of technological devices and artificial intelligence applications, particularly focusing on the growing divide between mindfulness-based therapies and traditional meditation. While both methodologies share the common objective of providing health and psychophysical benefits, they differ fundamentally in their theoretical frameworks, with mindfulness being egolatric and performance oriented while traditional meditation emphasizes transcending psychophysical identity. The development of mindfulness has been influenced by the sociocultural context of neoliberal and capitalist societies, resulting in a model that fosters self-regulation and emphasizes social control. The article also examines the potential biopolitical risks arising from the integration of AI-powered tools into mindfulness-based therapies. The increasing use of digital devices and applications for monitoring physical and mental health may contribute to a society characterized by constant self-surveillance and self-monitoring, reinforcing biopolitical control of the body. Consequently, this raises critical questions regarding the limits of surveillance and the potential exploitation of vulnerabilities through the incorporation of AI-powered tools.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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Urbanization, Bourgeois Culture, and the Institutionalization of the Frankfurt Neurological Institute by Ludwig Edinger (1855–1918)
by
Frank W. Stahnisch
Histories 2024, 4(1), 107-124; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010007 - 7 Feb 2024
Cited by 1
Abstract
Ludwig Edinger (1855–1918) is often perceived as a functional neuroanatomist who primarily followed traditional lines of microscopic research. That he was a rather fascinating innovator in the history of neurology at the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century has, however, gone
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Ludwig Edinger (1855–1918) is often perceived as a functional neuroanatomist who primarily followed traditional lines of microscopic research. That he was a rather fascinating innovator in the history of neurology at the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century has, however, gone quite unnoticed. Edinger’s career and his pronounced hopes for future investigative progress in neurological work mark an important shift, one away from traditional research styles connected to department-based approaches towards a multi-perspective and quite advanced form of interdisciplinary scientific work. Being conceptually influenced by the Austrian neuroanatomist Heinrich Obersteiner (1847–1922) and his foundation of the Neurological Institute in Vienna in 1882, Edinger established a multi-faceted brain research program. It was linked to an institutional setting of laboratory analysis and clinical research that paved the way for a new type of interdisciplinarity. After completion of his medical training, which brought him in working relationships with illustrious clinicians such as Friedrich von Recklinghausen (1810–1879) and Adolf Kussmaul (1822–1902), Edinger settled in 1883 as one of the first clinically working neurologists in the German city of Frankfurt/Main. Here, he began to collaborate with the neuropathologist Carl Weigert (1845–1904), who worked at the independent research institute of the Senckenbergische Anatomie. Since 1902, Edinger came to organize the anatomical collections and equipment for a new brain research laboratory in the recently constructed Senckenbergische Pathologie. It was later renamed the “Neurological Institute”, and became an early interdisciplinary working place for the study of the human nervous system in its comparative, morphological, experimental, and clinical dimensions. Even after Edinger’s death and under the austere circumstances of the Weimar Period, altogether three serviceable divisions continued with fruitful research activities in close alignment: the unit of comparative neurology, the unit of neuropsychology and neuropathology (headed by holist neurologist Kurt Goldstein, 1865–1965), and an associated unit of paleoneurology (chaired by Ludwig Edinger’s daughter Tilly, 1897–1967, who later became a pioneering neuropaleontologist at Harvard University). It was especially the close vicinity of the clinic that attracted Edinger’s attention and led him to conceive a successful model of neurological research, joining together different scientific perspectives in a unique and visibly modern form.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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Disinformation by Proponents of Perkins’ Patent “Metallick Tractors” (1798–1806) to Sway Public Opinion in Britain in Favor of a Fraudulent Therapy
by
Douglas J. Lanska
Histories 2024, 4(1), 66-106; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010006 - 30 Jan 2024
Abstract
In 1796, American physician Elisha Perkins patented “metallick Tractors” for the treatment of various ailments, particularly those associated with pain. They were subsequently rapidly and widely disseminated in the United States and Great Britain based on testimonials and deceptive marketing tactics. Dissemination was
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In 1796, American physician Elisha Perkins patented “metallick Tractors” for the treatment of various ailments, particularly those associated with pain. They were subsequently rapidly and widely disseminated in the United States and Great Britain based on testimonials and deceptive marketing tactics. Dissemination was facilitated by endorsements from prominent physicians, politicians, and clergymen; quasi-theoretical, handwaving explanations of efficacy based on Galvani’s then-current experiments; and the procedure’s apparent safety and simplicity. However, blinded placebo-controlled trials in Great Britain using sham devices demonstrated that the therapy was ineffective. In response, in the period from 1798 to 1806, Perkinists unleashed a barrage of disinformation (ad hominem attacks, misleading arguments, unethical propaganda tactics, and poetic and graphic satire) to sway public opinion in favor of the fraudulent therapy and against its critics. The disinformation slowed the abandonment of “tractoration”, but higher-level scientific argumentation ultimately prevailed. The Perkinist disinformation campaign had antecedents with the Mesmerist disinformation campaign in the mid-1780s. Similar propaganda tactics are still widely employed to encourage the purchase and use of disproven or fraudulent therapies, as evidenced by propaganda from adherents of acupuncture in response to negative clinical trials and from supporters of unsafe and ineffective therapies promulgated during COVID-19.
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(This article belongs to the Section History of Knowledge)
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Open AccessEditorial
(New) Histories of Science, in and beyond Modern Europe: Introduction
by
Dania Achermann, Fabian Link, Volker Remmert and Cécile Stephanie Stehrenberger
Histories 2024, 4(1), 62-65; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010005 - 27 Jan 2024
Abstract
Over the past few decades, history of science has changed enormously and developed into a very dynamic and diversified field of historical research [...]
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue (New) Histories of Science, in and beyond Modern Europe)
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Beyond Innovation and Use, or Why We Must Follow Technologies through Time
by
Heike Weber
Histories 2024, 4(1), 51-61; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010004 - 25 Jan 2024
Abstract
Synthesizing various studies that follow technology beyond innovation and use, this article aims to continue widening the scope of history of technology toward this perspective. It argues that we must follow technology through time and—in addition to its use—its maintenance and repair, while
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Synthesizing various studies that follow technology beyond innovation and use, this article aims to continue widening the scope of history of technology toward this perspective. It argues that we must follow technology through time and—in addition to its use—its maintenance and repair, while also addressing its so-called afterlife, encompassing topics such as reuse, reconfiguration and/or restoration, decline or deliberate ruination, abandonment, and removal and/or remains. Recent studies of these issues underscore that the temporality of technology does not end with the end of its use, suggesting instead multilayered temporalities. History of technology is thus challenged to rethink some of its established and largely unquestioned approaches, such as the “innovation timeline”, the model of “technology diffusion and substitution”, and “lifecycle” metaphors borrowed from twentieth-century theories of economic growth and innovation.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue (New) Histories of Science, in and beyond Modern Europe)
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Hayek and Menger on Money
by
Christopher Adair-Toteff
Histories 2024, 4(1), 38-50; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010003 - 23 Jan 2024
Abstract
Friedrich von Hayek devoted much of his early scholarly writings to the concept of money. That is not that surprising given that he was a member of the Austrian School of Economics. The founder of the school, Carl Menger, had also devoted much
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Friedrich von Hayek devoted much of his early scholarly writings to the concept of money. That is not that surprising given that he was a member of the Austrian School of Economics. The founder of the school, Carl Menger, had also devoted much of his academic life investigating the nature and function of “Geld” (“money”). What is surprising is that few scholars have investigated Hayek’s and Menger’s writings on money. This essay is intended to help rectify this gap by providing an account of Hayek’s and Menger’s conceptions of money.
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(This article belongs to the Section Political, Institutional, and Economy History)
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The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392
by
Sean O’Reilly
Histories 2024, 4(1), 24-37; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010002 - 16 Jan 2024
Abstract
The fearsome Japanese samurai, a legendary figure whose primary attribute was loyalty or honor, needs no introduction. He is strongly associated with the equally famous katana. The popular image of the samurai probably would appear wearing armor but certainly does not carry a
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The fearsome Japanese samurai, a legendary figure whose primary attribute was loyalty or honor, needs no introduction. He is strongly associated with the equally famous katana. The popular image of the samurai probably would appear wearing armor but certainly does not carry a shield. This figure, many assume, must have dominated medieval Japan. Yet is this samurai image accurate? Can it withstand sustained scrutiny? What was Japanese warfare really like 1000 years ago? In this article, I evaluate the key sources on medieval warfare in Japan, identifying the contributions of each and pointing out some methodological problems they face. The most prominent casualty of this synthetic analysis is the pop culture image of the heroic and honorable sword-wielding samurai.
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(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)
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Visualising the Modern Housewife: US Occupier Women and the Home in the Allied Occupation of Germany, 1945–1949
by
Christine de Matos
Histories 2024, 4(1), 1-23; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories4010001 - 3 Jan 2024
Abstract
Thousands of Allied women arrived in occupied Germany after the Second World War as the wives of military and civilian men working in the occupation apparatus. Yet rarely have these women been seen as active agents of occupier power and knowledge. One way
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Thousands of Allied women arrived in occupied Germany after the Second World War as the wives of military and civilian men working in the occupation apparatus. Yet rarely have these women been seen as active agents of occupier power and knowledge. One way of understanding their role, or how it was imagined, is through images and textual representations. With a focus on the early years of occupation (1945–1949) and visual representations of US wives, this article examines the occupation household that was serviced by occupied domestic workers, in turn drawing comparisons to imperial contexts. Visual cues in selected photographs and caricatures suggest a presumed superior occupier modernity that was both performative and educative, mediated by a class-like asymmetrical relationship. These representations have been divided into three key themes: economic modernity, as through consumerism; domestic modernity in the home; and modern gender and family relations. Here, occupier women’s bodies were contrasted against the occupied to signify the power, prestige and modernity of her nation as an occupying power, in turn revealing both the shape of everyday power relations in the home and the paradoxical aims of the occupation itself.
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(This article belongs to the Section Gendered History)
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