Historical Studies on Scientific Instruments

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24300297
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Tsukahara Togo 神戸大学, 国際文化学研究科, 教授 (80266353)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Miura Nobuo 神戸大学, 国際文化学研究科, 教授 (20219588) ; Ogasawara Hiroki 神戸大学, 国際文化学研究科, 准教授 (20379332) ; Nakajima Hideto 東京工業大学, 社会理工学研究科, 教授 (40217724) ; Oki Sayaka 広島大学, 総合化学研究科, 准教授 (60536879)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 科学史 / 科学機器 / 望遠鏡 / 顕微鏡 / 数学機器 / オランダ史 / 蘭学 / 科学アカデミー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project had dealt with the History of Scientific Instruments.　We have carried out research on telescope and microscope, and also so-called "philosophical instruments", mathematical instruments. A preliminary result of this research project has published in a book, History of Science Instruments: Telescope and Microscope, ed. by Togo Tsukahara. In that, Nobuo Miura discussed about Italian Mathematica Instruments, with special reference to Galileo's geometric military compass; Hideto Nakajima contributed an article on Robert Hook's opitical instruments, and his astronomical research; Togo Tsukahara investigated 17-18th century instrument makers, and discussed Dutch "agency".; Sayaka Oki examined 17th century French geometry and map making by Cassini's. She gave sepcial emphasis on an innovative quadrant which attached telescope. Ryuji Hiraoka especially contributed to us on history of Japanese telescope and glass makers of Nagasaki.

Free Research Field

History of Science