Call for Papers:
Sir Hans Sloane, The Greatest Physician-Naturalist of His Era
An International Conference
Commemorating the 350th Anniversary of His Birth
To be held at the
British Library
7-8 June 2010
The year 2010 marks the 350th anniversary of the birth of the physician Sir
Hans Sloane (1660-1753). Well-known as one of the greatest collectors of his
age, he was also President of the Royal Society and the Royal College of
Physicians, the major patron of the Chelsea Physic Garden, a physician to
Queen Anne, George I and George II, and had many other connections
throughout British society, leaving his name to the prestigious Sloane
Square in London. His enormous network of acquaintances and correspondents
throughout the world established him as probably the single most influential
British 'scientist' between Isaac Newton and Joseph Banks. After his death,
Parliament purchased his collections, which laid the foundation for what are
now three institutions: the British Library, British Museum, and Natural
History Museum.
A project has been generously funded by the Wellcome Trust to electronically
re-create the bulk of Sloane's voluminous but now dispersed library, led by
Alison Walker with the assistance of Shauna Barrett and the direction of
Prof Hal Cook. It is now online and being continuously updated at
www.bl.uk/catalogues/sloane. The project's two host institutions, The
British Library and The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at
UCL, are sponsoring a two-day conference on Sloane and his collections.
We invite proposals on any aspect of the history and significance of Sloane
and his activities, such as: his medical practice and career; his role in
medical and scientific institutions; his travel and links to the West
Indies; his botanical and zoological collecting; his ethnographic and
antiquarian collecting; his prints, drawings and fine art; his books and
manuscripts; his links to global trade networks across and beyond the
British Empire. Papers on the development of the Sloane collections after
his lifetime will also be considered. Preference will be given to studies
that make use of the new online catalogue. Those attending the conference
will be responsible for organising their own travel and accommodation.
Please send your proposal by no later than 15 December 2009, which should be
no more than one page in length, to Lauren Cracknell at The Wellcome Trust
Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 183 Euston Rd., London NW1 2BE,
UK, or emailed to [log in to unmask] Inquiries may be directed to Hal
Cook, via Lauren Cracknell, or to Alison Walker [log in to unmask]
Submitted by Hal Cook, Professor and Director, Wellcome Trust Centre for the
History of Medicine at UCL ([log in to unmask])
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