AD HOC (Association for the Discussion of the History of Chemistry) is a group dedicated to the history of chemistry. While our main focus is historical, we also consider the philosophical, sociological, public and educational dimensions of chemistry.
AD HOC has been meeting in various configurations since the summer of 2004, first at UCL and then also in Cambridge since 2010. Since 2008 our activities have been generously supported by the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC).
This term we will be holding online discussion meetings. Each week we will discuss an article from a recent volume of Ambix, the official journal of SHAC and the premier periodical in the world dedicated to the history of chemistry and alchemy.
We will be meeting fortnightly on Mondays at 5.00–6.30pm. Please contact Hasok Chang (hc372) if you would like to be on the mailing list of the group. Those on the list will receive the links for joining the online meetings, and all updates on future activities.
Michaelmas Term 2020
| 12 October | Discussion of Amy Fisher, 'Robert Hare's Theory of Galvanism: A Study of Heat and Electricity in Early Nineteenth-Century American Chemistry', Ambix 65:2 (2018), 169–189. |
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| 26 October | Discussion of William R. Newman, 'Bad Chemistry: Basilisks and Women in Paracelsus and Pseudo-Paracelsus', Ambix 67:1 (2020), 30–46. |
| 9 November | Discussion of Angela Creager, 'A Chemical Reaction to the Historiography of Biology', Ambix 64:4 (2017), 343–359. |
| 23 November | Discussion of Sharon Ruston, 'Humphry Davy: Analogy, Priority, and the "True Philosopher"', Ambix 66:2–3 (2019), 121–139. |