The next on-line seminar of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry will be given by Professor Peter Forshaw (University of Amsterdam) who will present  

A Not-So-Lazy Henry: Heinrich Khunrath in his Laboratory 

This will be live on Thursday, 17 November 2022, beginning at 5.00pm GMT (6.00pm CET, 12 noon ET, 9.00am PST). The format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion of half an hour.  

The Zoom link can be freely accessed by anyone, member of SHAC or not, via the following Eventbrite link: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shac-online-seminar-professor-peter-forshaw-tickets-459919941927

Alternatively, the seminar can be accessed live on YouTube at https://youtu.be/dQcHH1aenwg


Most previous on-line seminars can be found on the SHAC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/SocietyforHistoryofAlchemyandChemistry

 

A Not-So-Lazy Henry: Heinrich Khunrath in his Laboratory 

Peter Forshaw

In 1595 Heinrich Khunrath of Leipzig (1560-1605), ‘Doctor of Both Medicines and Faithful Lover of Theosophy’, published the first edition of his elaborately illustrated Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae (Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom), with an improved and expanded posthumous edition published in 1609. There, and in other works, like On Primaterial Chaos (1597) and On the Fire of the Mages and Sages (1608), he promotes his belief in the necessity of jointly practising a threefold combination of Physico-Chymia, Divine Magic and Christian Cabala. Khunrath’s best-known engraving, the Oratorium-Laboratorium appears in many works as an example of the early modern laboratory space, but Khunrath has often been dismissed as an alchemical mystic, rather than someone with hands-on experience. Here we shall take a closer look at the alchemist in his laboratory, the kinds of alchemy that he practised, his interest in technological design, how he communicated his ideas, and a few examples of how his laboratory work was received. 

Colouring and Making in Alchemy and Chemistry
7th SHAC Postgraduate Workshop

Utrecht University (Wednesday, 26 October 2016)

Keynote Lecturers
Tara Nummedal (Brown University)
Ernst Homburg (Maastricht University)

Hosted by the ARTECHNE research group, the annual postgraduate workshop of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC) will take place at Utrecht University in 2016. Fostering exchange among historians of alchemy and chemistry, the workshop offers postgraduate students and early-career researchers the opportunity to share ideas, explore methodological issues and network in a stimulating atmosphere.

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Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry: Spring Meeting 2016

To be followed by the Morris Award lecture and reception

HIGH PRESSURE IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD

Thursday, 11 February 2016

Location: Dana Research Centre and Library, 165 Queens Gate, London SW7 5HD

(10 minutes’ walk from South Kensington or Gloucester Road underground stations)

NB: the new research centre is part of the Science Museum, but can only be accessed from Queens Gate, not the main museum entrance. It is just beyond the Natural History Museum’s Darwin Centre.

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Hosted by the Maison Française d’Oxford and convened by the SHAC student representatives, the 6th SHAC Postgraduate Workshop will take place on 30 October. The finalized programme is now available in two versions: click for either the elaborate or the plain version, respectively. A poster for the event, including a call for registrations with a deadline of 15 October is also available.

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The SHAC Autumn meeting Chemistry and Its Audiences will be held on Saturday, 14 November 2015, at the Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS.

Papers will be presented on Audiences for Science Communication in the 21^st Century; Humphry Davy’s Audience; Audiences for Chemistry in 18^th Century Paris; Facts or Fantasies in the Lecture Theatre; and Familiar Chemistry and its Family Audiences. There will also be a tour of the Royal Institution led by Frank James and presentation of the SHAC Prize for the best history of chemistry Oxford Part II thesis, 2015 to Ms Mahnoor Naeem, Keble College, for her thesis William Hume-Rothery’s contribution to the science of metallurgy.

The registration fee for the meeting, including a sandwich lunch and refreshments, is £15 for SHAC members and £20 for non-members.

The SHAC AGM will also be held during the meeting and further details of this will be circulated in due course.

A registration form can be downloaded here.

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In view of the summer and holiday season, the deadline for submissions to present a paper at Alchemy and Chemistry in Sickness and in Health: 6th SHAC Postgraduate Workshop has been extended until 30 July.

It is with great pleasure that we are now in a position to announce our keynote speakers:

Prof. Robert J. Flanagan (King’s College Hospital)

Dr Stephen Pumfrey (Lancaster University)

Their unique perspectives on the topic will no doubt greatly enhance this year’s workshop and generate stimulating discussions.

To download an updated version of the call for papers, please click here and do feel free to encourage your colleagues and/or students to submit proposals.