Middle Ages (5th-15th Century)

After my first degree (which was in physics) I studied the history and philosophy of science at M Phil level, in 1990-91 at Clare College Cambridge, and at Ph D level, from 1992 to 1997 at the Queen's University of Belfast. Here is some of the work that I did, and some of my subsequent thoughts. I don't think it's likely that I shall work in the field of history of science again, but at least having these essays on-line makes me feel that the effort was not completely in vain. If any of these is of use to you, please let me know by email or with this form.

The story of one of the world's oldest and most historically important trade routes and its influences on the culture of China, Central Asia and the West

Long before condoms came in rainbow colors and exotic skins, legendary lover Casanova was sewing together strips of fine linen. Centuries before nonoxynol 9, young women in Constantinople shook the gritty sand from sea sponges and dipped them in lemon juice before insertion. Contraception has a long and inventive history. Now there is a museum dedicated to one of humankind's most persistent quests

UNIVERSITAS is the newsletter of the International Centre for the History of Universities and Science (CIS) at the University of Bologna. It is an occasional publication, with at least one issue a year. Its aim is to circulate news of work in progress in the fields of the history of universities and the history of science and technology. UNIVERSITAS, like CIS, is designed to promote the exchange of information between Italian historians and the international community of scholars. It will be sent free of charge to those interested.

The Clendening History of Medicine Library and Museum is the rare books and manuscripts library of the University of Kansas Medical Center. We actively collect rare books as well as current works in the history of medicine, nursing, and the allied professions. The Library also supports the biomedical ethics and medical humanities curriculum by collecting contemporary secondary works in these areas. Under the auspices of its Museum, the Library also owns hundreds of medical artifacts

Select from a list of 441 works of classical literature by 59 different authors, including user-driven commentary and "reader's choice" Web sites. Mainly Greco-Roman works (some Chinese and Persian), all in English translation

Digitisation of both printed books and graphic material is well under way. For technical and economic reasons, documents have been processed primarily in image mode to begin with. Most of the texts selected for digitisation are out-of-copyright material making up an encyclopaedic collection on the human and social sciences which includes original material, peer reviews, reference works and a collection of journals which are either major research references or difficult to find elsewhere.

Resources on the history of science are growing, but few focus specifically on the eighteenth century. Most of the sources below are well organized, though, and will lead you to relevant material quickly