Specimens in the du Bois Herbarium often include early modern ephemera and features that are not present in modern collections. (a) A grass (Poaceae) mounted on a proforma shipping contract. (b) ‘Bellis minima pratensis, caule folioso’ (Bellis annua L.; Asteraceae) includes an engraving cut out from a proof-print of Paolo Boccone's Museo di piante rare della Sicilia, Malta, Corsica, Italia, Piamonte, e Germania.

Looking backward to move forward: Enhancing metadata in scientific collections through interdisciplinary collaboration
White & Harris

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#PlantScience

We are thrilled to announce that INCSA's peer-reviewed journal, Advances in 19th-Century Research, just published its first articles. Take a look!

Excellent stuff!

Given the low uptake of botany among students in the UK, this is an really interesting find and welcome development #HistSTM #botany

The issue seems to be that if a significant proportion of people adopt AI writing, then an individual’s performance will be measured in terms of efficiency rather than skill, which means that the latter will almost automatically place you behind the curb. Or at least there’s a higher risk of that!

I would agree with you I think, and it’s the same issue in academia generally. Convenience/efficiency over skill, but in the long term the loss of the skill is not really a net positive.

An email sent to me from Springer Nature offering a book contract with them on my proposed subject of plant medicine research in the history of Ghana

Pleased to share that I’ve signed a contract for my monograph 'Scientific Herbal Medicine and the Making of Ghanaian Modernity, 1889–2002', which centres West African actors in the making of Ghanaian plant medicine research across its colonial, national, and global history 😄 #histSTM #ghana #plants

Had a great time last week Friday giving a guest session on African Traditional Medicine in the context of imperial history and contemporary Global Health. This was alongside Dr Mei Wang (Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), who gave a very engaging talk on TCM 😀

Melanie Keen to step down as Director of Wellcome Collection in spring 2026 Wellcome has announced that Melanie Keen, who has been Director of Wellcome Collection since 2019, will step down in the Spring of 2026.

A little late to share, but I am grateful to have met Melanie Keen as Director, and that the display I co-curated at Wellcome during her time there (The Kola Nut Cannot Be Contained) is mentioned in this announcement!

Keen pushed Wellcome into the future!

wellcomecollection.org/melanie-keen...

Sure thing! Will get back to you when I get to reading

I will be reading!

Book Reviews: Overview & Submission Guidelines - International Nineteenth-Century Studies Association BOOK REVIEWS Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research, the journal of the International-Nineteenth Century Studies Association Publications Book Reviews Overview & Submission Guidelines Advances in Nin...

📚 INCSA's Book Reviews Editor, @nathanbossoh.bsky.social, is looking for authors to review books for upcoming issues of Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research @advancesjournal.bsky.social.

Click here for more details and to view a list for books for review: in-csa.com/book-reviews/

Dr Archibald Hewan (1832–1883) and the University of Glasgow’s medical libraries - Matthew Daniel Eddy, Robert MacLean, Emma Yan, 2025 Background: We provide historical context for the recently discovered University of Glasgow Library records of Archibald Hewan (1832– 1883), the first Black med...

My JRCPE article about Dr Archibald Hewan and Glasgow's medical libraries is out! You can read it for FREE via the link. Hewan was the first black physician to serve as a missionary in Africa. #histstm #histsci #hps #BookHistory #churchhistory #AfricanHistory journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Amazing stuff Matthew, an important read!

The Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research Journal is not just interested in books that deal with the (long) 19th century, but also its legacies and afterlives today.

See our current books on offer for review: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

@incsa.bsky.social @advancesjournal.bsky.social

Academic book front cover with multi-coloured triangle theme at top and bottom, and large writing (the title) in black with a white background in the middle of the book cover

I was fortunate to be able to co-author a book chapter with @skidwayy.bsky.social on the topic of imperial intersections in the current historiography of science and religion, charting some new paths forward for the field!

Congrats to the editors and other contributors on the new publication 😀📚😀

A large green and brown sign post outside with the word ‘Centre for Plant Medicine Research’

A road pathway leading to a large which and brown building - the national archives of Ghana in Accra

Two black men (myself and Yaw Afrim) standing next to each other in a cafe shop wearing white and cream coloured tops and brown trousers

A plethora of black Ghanaian research and administrators standing together posing for pictures in front of an exhibition display on the topic of herbal medicine science - hosted at the University of Ghana

Back from my recent research trip to Ghana and it’s been quite a fun but busy few weeks there! Got to see many things and also definitely need to go back to see many other things 🇬🇭😆

Text box reads Thurs 19 June, 9-10am, online, with link to signup page. Image shows Dr Nathan Bossoh smiling.

Join us next Thursday for our final seminar of the academic year!

'Science, Christianity, and Representation: ethnic dimensions in past and present,' with Dr Nathan Bossoh from Southampton University. @nathanbossoh.bsky.social

Sign up here: tinyurl.com/eclas-seminars

Ahh that’s no worries! I’m sure there are other games around, those are just the two that came to my mind

Ahh great. I thought it was a good one (I watched a full gameplay stream of it on YouTube), hopefully you enjoy playing it 👾🎮

Dishonored - Wikipedia

Two suggestions which might fit (both set in a version of Victorian Britain):

Alice madness returns - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice:_...

Dishonoured - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dishono...

The talk will explore the creation and early years of the Garden in the 1890s, the role of the first curator, William Crowther, and two plants of significance - cotton and cocoa.

Date: Wednesday 21 May 2025
Time: 15:00 16:00
Link: Email instructingnaturalhistory@uu.se or see website for more info

I am giving a talk tomorrow for the INH series online, where I am looking at the origins of the Aburi Botanic Gardens in the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) and the role that instructions and suggestions played in its management and early "success"

#botany #ghana.Bsky #HistSTM #aburibotanicgardens

Don't miss tomorrow's seminar by the fabulous @nathanbossoh.bsky.social: Making Colonial Laboratories: Investigating the Role of Suggestions and Instructions in Managing the Aburi Botanic Gardens. 21 May, 15.00-16.00 CET. Please note time dif.To register please email instructingnaturalhistory@uu.se

Is there a long 19th-century-ish book you'd like to review? Or have you written one? We've got an editor for that!

Meet Nathan Bossoh @nathanbossoh.bsky.social - book reviews editor here at Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research.

SRF 50th Anniversary Conference The Anniversary conference is taking a broad look at the the ongoing points of connection and dissonance between science and religion. This includes questions on the interaction of indigenous knowledg...

The 2025 Anniversary conference celebrates 50 years of the Science and Religion Forum. The upcoming conference doesn't pose the question of whether science and religion can interact but how and where they are in dialogue 📚

Last opportunity for (in-person) tickets!

www.srforum.org/anniversary-...

The first article is by Will Sims and Will Law (SMG), and the Second article is by Emily Dawson (UCL)

Challenging museum narratives: the case of a Rhodesia Railways carriage - Science Museum Group Journal This article examines the history of a former Rhodesia Railways carriage in the Science Museum Group’s collection to ask what stories it can tell beyond the narrative of its return. The article argues...

Two new significant articles have just recently been published (separately) on the topic of colonial collections, displays, and practices in the London Science Museum! 📚

The 1st:
journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/article/chal...

The 2nd:
journals.le.ac.uk/index.php/ma...

#HistSTM #GLAMS #sciencemuseum

Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research Explore the latest peer-reviewed articles and learn how to publish your work in Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research.

Very happy to be able to say that the new @incsa.bsky.social academic journal 'Advances in Nineteenth-Century Research' is now live and accepting proposals!

Do get in touch with me regarding potential books for review and/or books you would like to review 😁

www.tandfonline.com/journals/ran...

Got an opinion piece on the boil?

Meet @dremilyvincent.bsky.social - our Forums Editor: she is commissioning bold, informed discussions of topical, controversial, or neglected research questions in long 19th century studies around the work.