Seeing the Invisible: The Introduction and Development of Electron Microscopy in Britain, 1935–1945

Ruiz-Castell, Pedro

doi:10.1177/007327531305100205

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 49 publications

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“… 1 In comparison, the early days of electron microscopy, developing at the same time, and with which there are some overlaps, has received much more attention by historians of science (Ruska 1980; Hawkes 1985; Rasmussen 1997; Müller 2009; Ruiz-Castell 2013). …”

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How to Use a Fundamental Discovery in Physics: The Early Days of Electron Diffraction

Navarro

2018

Sci Context

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ArgumentThe discovery of electron diffraction by George Paget Thomson in Aberdeen and Clinton J. Davisson and Lester H. Germer at the Bell Labs has often been portrayed as an example of independent discovery. Neither team was particularly interested in the developments of the nascent quantum theory but they both ended up demonstrating one of the most striking experimental consequences of the new physics. This paper traces the aftermath of this discovery and the way electron diffraction immediately turned from empirical evidence of a highly novel theory into a technique for applied and technological research. Thomson was the first to design an "electron diffraction camera," an instrument that soon found its place in laboratories around the world. I discuss the role played by Davisson and Germer, and by Thomson in the development of electron diffraction as a "research technology," taking into account their specific institutional settings and research cultures. While Davisson and Germer remained in the industry-oriented Bell Labs, Thomson moved to Imperial College in 1930 where collaboration first, and competition later with George I. Finch was also relevant for the consolidation of an instrument that eventually became widely known as the "Finch Camera."

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confidence: 99%

How to Use a Fundamental Discovery in Physics: The Early Days of Electron Diffraction

Navarro

2018

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Irene Manton, Erwin Schrödinger and the Puzzle of Chromosome Structure

Williams

2015

J Hist Biol

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Erwin Schrödinger's 1944 publication What is Life? is a classic of twentieth century science writing. In his book, Schrödinger discussed the chromosome fibre as the seat of heredity and variation thanks to a hypothetical aperiodic structure - a suggestion that famously spurred on a generation of scientists in their pursuit of the gene as a physico-chemical entity. While historical attention has been given to physicists who were inspired by the book, little has been written about its biologist readers. This paper examines the case of the English evolutionary botanist and cytologist Irène Manton, who took an interest in What is Life? for its relevance to her own research in chromosome structure as a clue to plant phylogeny. Drawing on recently discovered correspondence between Manton and Schrödinger, the paper reconstructs Manton 's path to the book (including the role of the chemist-philosopher Michael Polanyi) and her response to it by way of throwing new light on a pivotal moment in the history of the debate on chromosome structure.

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Complementary accounts of the history of electron microscopy

Hawkes

2022

The Beginnings of Electron Microscopy - Part 2

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Seeing the Invisible: The Introduction and Development of Electron Microscopy in Britain, 1935–1945

Cited by 4 publications

References 49 publications

How to Use a Fundamental Discovery in Physics: The Early Days of Electron Diffraction

How to Use a Fundamental Discovery in Physics: The Early Days of Electron Diffraction

Irene Manton, Erwin Schrödinger and the Puzzle of Chromosome Structure

Complementary accounts of the history of electron microscopy

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