The Partington Prize 2023 – Open for Submissions

The call for submissions for the 2023 Partington Prize is now open.  It is awarded every three years for an original and unpublished essay on any aspect of the history of alchemy or chemistry. The competition is open to anyone with a scholarly interest in the history of alchemy or chemistry who, by the closing date of 31 December 2022, has not reached thirty-five years of age, or if older is currently enrolled in a degree programme or has been awarded a master’s degree or PhD within the previous three years. 

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SHAC Postgrad Workshop: Chemistry Outside the Laboratory

13 and 14 May, the SHAC Postgrad Workshop will take place.

This two-day virtual workshop follows the (al)chemical sciences beyond their traditional laboratory remit (which has long been a productive object of historical inquiry) and focuses instead on less archetypal locations of chemical substance and practice: mines, libraries, courtrooms, ecosystems, hospitals, domestic spaces, classrooms, and so forth. What happens to our understanding of alchemy, chemistry, and (al)chemical practitioners once we highlight these (secondary) spaces? How might key insights from laboratory studies, such as the attention to apparatus and other chemical materialities, inform historical work on alchemy and chemistry once they exit laboratory walls? How have chemical practitioners adjudicated the boundary between laboratory and not-laboratory at different times and places, with what consequences for the discipline and its participants?

For the programme and to register, please click here.

Apothecaries’ Hall meeting

On Friday 6 May 2022 SHAC will be joining with the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Society of Apothecaries to mark the 350th anniversary of the opening of a laboratory at Apothecaries’ Hall. The meeting will take place in the splendid surroundings of Apothecaries’ Hall, London and speakers include Anna Marie Roos, Patrick Wallis, Peter Elmer and Anna Simmons. There will also be archive talks, tours, and a drinks reception.

For the full programme, including details of the call for posters on laboratories and medicine (deadline 11 March 2022) and booking details please see here.