Scientific tourism in Paris and London
Feb 27th, 2006, 04:54 PM
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Scientific tourism in Paris and London
My sister and I were talking about fun places to point out science-related tourist spots, such as Foucault's pendulum in the Pantheon in Paris, showing the rotation of the earth. Does anybody have some spots to point out in London or Paris that would help not only make history come alive, but put a personal or up close connection to scientific discoveries?
Feb 27th, 2006, 09:39 PM
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The area round Paddington station has a number of sites related to the discovery of penicillin.
There's a list of a couple of dozen medical museums in London at www.medicalmuseums.org/museums/map.htm
Practically every cultural or scientific event ever to happen in London is commemorated by blue plaques on house walls. You have to be a bit creative in searching, but most are listed at www.blueplaque.com
There's a list of a couple of dozen medical museums in London at www.medicalmuseums.org/museums/map.htm
Practically every cultural or scientific event ever to happen in London is commemorated by blue plaques on house walls. You have to be a bit creative in searching, but most are listed at www.blueplaque.com
Feb 27th, 2006, 10:06 PM
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I forgot the "Enlightenment" gallery at the British Museum: an extraordinary display of how curious people in the 18th century saw the world. Probably the most illuminating thing in London for anyone interested in how scientific discoverfies come to be made and publicised.
But of course a huge proportion of discoveries made in southern England happened at Oxford or Cambridge.
Cambridge accounted for the overwhelming majority (Newton and all that): Oxford exploits its relative handful (like Harvey and blood circulation) more professionally.
Its Museum of Science probably has the most beautiful scientific artefacts, and the University Museum is almost monomaniacally focused on the history of dinosaur discovery.
The area round Oxford also has a remarkable number of less-often visited sites connected with discovery. An 18th century vicar of Chipping Norton, for example, made the key discoveries related to the development of aspirin. But there's hardly a hamlet for 30 miles in any direction without some 18th or 19th century inhabitant making a key finding while out digging up their roses.
But of course a huge proportion of discoveries made in southern England happened at Oxford or Cambridge.
Cambridge accounted for the overwhelming majority (Newton and all that): Oxford exploits its relative handful (like Harvey and blood circulation) more professionally.
Its Museum of Science probably has the most beautiful scientific artefacts, and the University Museum is almost monomaniacally focused on the history of dinosaur discovery.
The area round Oxford also has a remarkable number of less-often visited sites connected with discovery. An 18th century vicar of Chipping Norton, for example, made the key discoveries related to the development of aspirin. But there's hardly a hamlet for 30 miles in any direction without some 18th or 19th century inhabitant making a key finding while out digging up their roses.
Feb 28th, 2006, 01:26 AM
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It's hard to know where to start in London, there's so many. CotswoldScouser lists some great starting points. Here's a few others:
Obviously the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum are stuffed with things. - they are next door to each other and are both free, so you could make a day of it.
The Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1 has a small Museum dedicated to Michael Faraday, the 'father of electricity' - it includes a reconstruction of his laboratory (he was a member of the Royal Institution).
St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street Paddington (a short walk from the station) has a small museum, the 'Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum" - it was in this laboratory that he discovered Penicillin.
DNA was discovered at Kings College London, http://www.kcl.ac.uk
Charles Darwin and various other scientists are buried in Westminster Abbey.
And don't miss the Royal Observatory at Greenwich - you can't leave London without standing on the Meridian line.
I don't know whether they'd be having any events or exhibitions while you're here, but the Royal Society is the Daddy of Scientific Institutes, founded in 1660, and have included Isaac Newton and Christopher Wren amongst its' Presidents.
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk
Obviously the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum are stuffed with things. - they are next door to each other and are both free, so you could make a day of it.
The Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1 has a small Museum dedicated to Michael Faraday, the 'father of electricity' - it includes a reconstruction of his laboratory (he was a member of the Royal Institution).
St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street Paddington (a short walk from the station) has a small museum, the 'Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum" - it was in this laboratory that he discovered Penicillin.
DNA was discovered at Kings College London, http://www.kcl.ac.uk
Charles Darwin and various other scientists are buried in Westminster Abbey.
And don't miss the Royal Observatory at Greenwich - you can't leave London without standing on the Meridian line.
I don't know whether they'd be having any events or exhibitions while you're here, but the Royal Society is the Daddy of Scientific Institutes, founded in 1660, and have included Isaac Newton and Christopher Wren amongst its' Presidents.
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk
Feb 28th, 2006, 06:07 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions! The museums sound great! I was also looking for sites-in-passing references, such as the Tour St Jacques, where Blaise Pascal did experiments on atmospheric pressure. What is John Snow's pump and pub?
Feb 28th, 2006, 06:32 AM
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Sadly, the Tour St-Jacques is now closed & all covered up. 
There's also the Observatoire in Paris (not sure if anyone mentioned that one) and the Arago markers that marks what was once the meridien line thru Paris.
When I see reference to the Musee des Arts et Metiers I think of the book <u>Foucault's Pendulum</u> by Umberto Eco, one of my favorites!
And somewhere I have an address for Marie Curie.
It's funny that you're talking about this lynny, because one of the guys we met at our GTG in Paris about 2 weeks ago is a math & philosophy teacher & he's thinking about starting up a guide service just for this purpose and was asking us for ideas. I'll forward him this thread.
There's also the Observatoire in Paris (not sure if anyone mentioned that one) and the Arago markers that marks what was once the meridien line thru Paris.
When I see reference to the Musee des Arts et Metiers I think of the book <u>Foucault's Pendulum</u> by Umberto Eco, one of my favorites!
And somewhere I have an address for Marie Curie.
It's funny that you're talking about this lynny, because one of the guys we met at our GTG in Paris about 2 weeks ago is a math & philosophy teacher & he's thinking about starting up a guide service just for this purpose and was asking us for ideas. I'll forward him this thread.
Feb 28th, 2006, 06:42 AM
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Faraday is celebrated in the Elephant and Castle (which really isn’t a good enough reason to go there). The John Snow pub is in Soho.
The Wellcome Institute in Euston Rd have an exhibition of famous scientific manuscripts, and the British Library may have something similar (depending on when you come).
There’s a pub Called the Jeremy Bentham in Malet St and Jeremy himself is in the senate room of London University (he’s stuffed – yes really stuffed).
The air and space museum in Paris (actually a short train trip outside) is great too.
The Wellcome Institute in Euston Rd have an exhibition of famous scientific manuscripts, and the British Library may have something similar (depending on when you come).
There’s a pub Called the Jeremy Bentham in Malet St and Jeremy himself is in the senate room of London University (he’s stuffed – yes really stuffed).
The air and space museum in Paris (actually a short train trip outside) is great too.
Feb 28th, 2006, 06:56 AM
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This is more in the way of industrial than scientific, but the Transport Museum in Covent Garden has hundreds of exhibits on the technology of getting people from one place to another.
Perhaps the most sigificant display is a replica Greathead Shield, the 19th-century innovation that made large-scale and rapid tunneling possible. Its basic concept can be seen in the Tunnel Boring Machines that dug the Channel link.
http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk
The Greenwich Maritime Museum chronicles the steady development of sea transport (and warfare) over the past 400 years or so. The Observatory houses a history of the instruments used to determine longitude, a vital necessity to accurate sea navigation.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk
Bletchley Park (an hour north) is where the boffins made their vital contribution to Allied victory by penetrating the "unbreakable" code used by the Axis. If they hadn't provided the means to blunt the U-boat threat, all of Europe might be speaking Russian today.
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk
Perhaps the most sigificant display is a replica Greathead Shield, the 19th-century innovation that made large-scale and rapid tunneling possible. Its basic concept can be seen in the Tunnel Boring Machines that dug the Channel link.
http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk
The Greenwich Maritime Museum chronicles the steady development of sea transport (and warfare) over the past 400 years or so. The Observatory houses a history of the instruments used to determine longitude, a vital necessity to accurate sea navigation.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk
Bletchley Park (an hour north) is where the boffins made their vital contribution to Allied victory by penetrating the "unbreakable" code used by the Axis. If they hadn't provided the means to blunt the U-boat threat, all of Europe might be speaking Russian today.
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk
Feb 28th, 2006, 07:21 AM
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Yes, Russian. Because if the flow of men and materiel from North America had been stopped by the U-boats (which almost happened a couple of times), D-Day would have been impossible and the Third Reich would have been conquered from east to west.
Feb 28th, 2006, 07:39 AM
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More on John Snow - (including location of pump) http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/snowpub.html
Feb 28th, 2006, 07:46 AM
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Not quite scientific, but important nonetheless, one of the two remaining official meter measurements in Paris can be found on the wall under the arcade at 36 rue de Vaugirard. At the time of the revolution the meter was adopted as a standard measurement and these were installed around Paris to make the populace aware of the new unit of measurement.
Feb 28th, 2006, 08:11 AM
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In London we very much enjoyed a tour of the Darwin Centre, part of the natural history museum. You should probably make a reservation (available on the internet) as they only take about 8 people at a time but you get to see the labs and the cabinets where they have pickled in industrial alcohol one of just about every species of plant and animal known to human kind. You put on a white lab coat and everything and the tour takes about an hour. You even see pickled things that Darwin himself brought back on the Beagle from the Galapagos Islands with labels handwritten by him. Very cool! (website is www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/galleries/darwin-centre)
Feb 28th, 2006, 08:32 AM
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Tim and Liz,
I went there with a friend who is an infectious diseases specialist a couple of years ago. It was his lifetime ambition to go there, so it was pretty exciting.
There is a very small plaque on the traffic bulge the pump sits on. The pub was full of hipsters and therefore not as interesting as we'd hoped. But he was so happy to be there, it didn't matter. Scientists are so cool.
You might be interested in:
johnsnowsociety.org
I also think the ticks and flies and other elegant gold-painted metalwork nasties on the railings at the old institute for tropical diseases building at he University of London near Bloomsbury Square are cool.
Have fun, smarties!
I went there with a friend who is an infectious diseases specialist a couple of years ago. It was his lifetime ambition to go there, so it was pretty exciting.
There is a very small plaque on the traffic bulge the pump sits on. The pub was full of hipsters and therefore not as interesting as we'd hoped. But he was so happy to be there, it didn't matter. Scientists are so cool.
You might be interested in:
johnsnowsociety.org
I also think the ticks and flies and other elegant gold-painted metalwork nasties on the railings at the old institute for tropical diseases building at he University of London near Bloomsbury Square are cool.
Have fun, smarties!
