“The Theory of Practice”

During the first half of the nineteenth century many protagonists of Italian science took part in the renewal of techno-scientific studies with their use of mundane, everyday objects and a model-based didactic methodology. The Kingdom of Sardinia was relatively advanced in this regard, mostly thanks to the work of renowned mathematics professors at the University of Turin such as Carlo Ignazio Giulio and his pupil Quintino Sella. In 1852 they founded the Regio Istituto Tecnico, which in 1861 would become the Reale Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri and later, in 1906, the Polytechnic. With a review of unpublished material held in the Turin and Biella archives, this work will show how a willingness to merge theoretical knowledge and practical know-how was the mainstay of education in these three schools, and how their students were able to work in cabinets and laboratories, enjoying access to high-quality scientific collections.

A Prophet of Divine Wisdom?—Giambattista Vico and the Construction of the Pythagorean Myth

In the nineteenth century, the reception of Giambattista Vico’s writings came along with nationalist interpretations of his Scienza Nuova as an ‘Italian Science’. This tendency was based upon an increased examination of the role that the philosopher Pythagoras and his Italian school of Croton played in Vico’s hierarchical conception of the ancient Greek and Italian civilizations. Writers, archaeologists and historians used the New Science as a metonymic reference work for their own nationalist concepts by updating the Pythagorean myth in accordance with relevant narratives of exclusive genealogies concerning an ancient Italian wisdom. These narratives follow tendencies in Vico’s own writings that were quoted strategically and mixed with further interpretations of the Scienza Nuova as reliable testimonial for a glorious Italian history. A theological poet characterized by deeper insight into the secrets of nature and some parts of the divine providence, Pythagoras gains his special position in Vico’s general conception of knowledge.

Optimizing and normalizing the population through hormone therapies in Italian science, c.1926–1950

This essay explores how hormone treatments were used to optimize and normalize individuals under Italian Fascism. It does so by taking the activities of the Biotypological Orthogenetic Institute − an Italian eugenics and endocrinological centre founded by Nicola Pende in 1926 − as the prime example of a version of eugenics, biotypology, which was based on hormone therapies. This essay first demonstrates that Italian Fascist biopolitics was not only concerned with increasing the size of the Italian population, but also with improving its quality. It suggests that under the Italian Fascist regime hormone therapies became eugenic tools of intervention to improve the Italian race. Second, while Pende's institute purportedly enhanced men and women, its activities show the extent to which the ‘techniques of normalization’ pursued by the Fascist regime were both systematic and invasive.

Retrospectives: History of science in France

Although maybe not the most fashionable area of study today, French science has a secure place in the classical canon of the history of science. Like the Scientific Revolution and Italian science at the beginning of the seventeenth century, French science, particularly eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century French science, remains a safe, albeit conservative, bet in terms of history-of-science teaching and research. The classic trope of the passage of the flame of European science from Italy to Britain and France in the seventeenth and then eighteenth centuries is well established in overviews of the field. Specializing in research in this area is not, therefore, unreasonable as a career choice if you are aiming for a history-of-science position in Europe or even in the US. The Académie (royale) des sciences, with its state-sponsored model of collective research, provides a striking counterpoint to the amateur, more individualistic functioning of London's Royal Society – a foretaste of modernity in the institutionalization of science. Clearly naive, such a representation of French science serves as a good initial framework on which to hang half a century of critical historical research. If proof of the continued interest for eighteenth-century French science is needed, we can cite the Web-based project around Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie currently in progress under the auspices of the French Academy of Sciences. The large number of publications in the history of French science (in English as well as French) make it unreasonable to pick out one or two for special attention here. But what about history of science in France and the academic community that practises this discipline today? Here, I offer a very personal view and analysis of this community, trying to underline contrasts with the history of science in the UK and the US.

How to Relate Research on Students' Views and Teacher Education About Inquiry With Dissemination Activities

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) has been acknowledged as central in many curriculum reforms since mid-nineties. In this chapter, the authors aim to investigate the way IBSE was implemented by Italian science secondary school teachers in the context of the Chain Reaction Project. Thirty teachers attended a professional development course aimed at familiarizing them with IBSE principles. Then, the teachers implemented in their classrooms a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) for at least 5 hours. About 900 students were involved in the activities. Effectiveness of the TLS was measured by administering a pre- and post-implementation questionnaire about Nature of Science. Findings suggest that TLS inquiry aspects have been only partially adopted by the teachers. Moreover, they found that students that obtained the lowest score in the post-test questionnaire were taught by the teachers that mostly transformed the proposed TLSs. The data suggest the need to develop specific training courses to support teachers in the implementation of new methodologies as IBSE.

New Initiative Aims to Help Displaced Scientists

The accord, initiated by 10 Italian science institutions, hopes to provide temporary opportunities for some refugees until they can safely return to their home countries.