Eighteenth century Women in science

laura bassi



maria gaetana agnesi

the eighteenth century characterized 3 divergent views towards woman: women mentally , socially inferior men, equal different, , women potentially equal in both mental ability , contribution society. while individuals such jean-jacques rousseau believed women s roles confined motherhood , service male partners, enlightenment period in women experienced expanded roles in sciences. rise of salon culture in europe brought philosophers , conversation intimate setting men , women met discuss contemporary political, social, , scientific topics. while jean-jacques rousseau attacked women-dominated salons producing ‘effeminate men’ stifled serious discourse, salons characterized in era mixing of sexes. through salons , work in mathematics, physics, botany, , philosophy, women began have significant impact during enlightenment. women not entirely excluded being officially acknowledged scientific world.

the first woman earn university chair in scientific field of studies in europe (indeed in field), laura bassi, second woman obtain doctorate degree in western world , went on being first woman teach @ european university. central introducing newton s ideas of physics , natural philosophy southern europe, presenting numerous dissertations on issues of gravity.

in 1741, prussian king frederick ii. allowed dorothea erxleben (1715–1762) study medicine @ university of halle. first german women receive phd (1754). in 1742 dorothea erxleben published tract arguing women should allowed attend university.

in 1741, charlotta frölich, first female historian in sweden, became first of sex published royal swedish academy of science, , in 1748, eva ekeblad became first woman inducted academy.

italian maria gaetana agnesi first woman write mathematics handbook , first woman appointed mathematics professor @ university (although never taught). in 1748 wrote used text on finite , infinitesimal analysis.

Émilie du châtelet, close friend of voltaire , first-rate physicist in own right, first scientist appreciate significance of kinetic energy, opposed momentum. repeated , described importance of experiment devised willem s gravesande showing impact of falling objects proportional not velocity, velocity squared. understanding considered have made profound contribution newtonian mechanics.

as many experiments took place in home, women located assist husbands , family members experiments. among best known of these scientific wives marie-anne pierrette paulze, married antoine lavoisier @ thirteen , became assistant in home laboratory, in discovered oxygen. mme. lavoisier spoke english, , translated husband s correspondence english chemists, , richard kirwan s essay on phlogiston, key text in controversy english chemists such joseph priestley on nature of heat in chemical reactions. mme lavoisier took drawing lessons jacques-louis david , drew diagrams husband s traite elementaire de chimie (1789). mme. lavoisier maintained small lively salon , corresponded french scientists , naturalists, many of whom impressed intellect.

science personified woman, illuminating nature light. museum ticket late eighteenth century

although women excelled in many scientific areas during eighteenth century, discouraged learning plant reproduction. carl linnaeus system of plant classification based on sexual characteristics drew attention botanical licentiousness, , people feared women learn immoral lessons nature s example. women depicted both innately emotional , incapable of objective reasoning, or natural mothers reproducing natural, moral society.

even such characterizations, author lady mary wortley montagu, known prolific letter writing, pioneered smallpox inoculation in england. first observed inoculations while visiting ottoman empire, wrote detailed accounts of practice in letters [8].

laura bassi (1711–1778), member of italian academy of institute of sciences , chair of institute of experimental physics, became world s first female professor.

the english caroline herschel added scientific knowledge of time. herschel, great astronomer, born in hanover moved england acted assistant brother, william herschel. there learned mathematics. received small salary king george iii (agnesscott.edu) , first woman recognized scientific position. discovered 8 comets between 1786 , 1797, , submitted index flamsteed s observations of fixed stars (including on 5 hundred omitted stars) royal society in 1798, becoming first woman present paper there. in 1835, , mary fairfax somerville first 2 women awarded honorary memberships in royal astronomical society (source).

although defined gender roles remained largely unchanged in 18th century, women experienced great advances in science. whether through emilie du châtelet in translating newton s principia or caroline herschel discovering 8 comets, women made great strides toward gender equality in sciences during time.