Historical collections and

ancient science networks

Abraham S.H. Breure

Overview• Ancient science networks in the 19th / early 20th

century (Moricand, Brot, Drouët, Crosse, and Dautzenberg)

• Historical collections and the link to science networks

• Material of the ‘Comisión Científica del Pacífico’ (CCP)

Ancient science networks

• Exchange of ideas and arguments (correspondence, face-to-face)

• Exchange of material (unilateral or bilateral)

• Exchange of formal knowledge (reprints)

Ancient science networks

• M.E. (Stéfano) Moricand – 1779-1854

• J.A. (Jacques) Moricand – 1823-1877

• amateur scientists in Geneva

• botanist [Sr.] and malacologists (collections in Geneva)

Breure & Tardy, 2016 Revue suisse Zool. 123

Ancient science networks

• Auguste Brot – 1821-1896

• amateur scientist in Geneva

• malacologist (collection in Geneva)

Breure & Tardy, 2016 Revue suisse Zool. 123

Moricand sr./jr.

n = 40

Brot

n = 28*

Moricand sr./jr.

n = 40

Brot

n = 28*France is dominantly present

very few outside Europe

Ancient science networks

• Henri Drouët – 1829-1900

• amateur scientist in Troyes, and Dijon

• malacologist (collection partly in Dijon and Lyon)

• correspondence partly in Crosse archive, partly in Baudon archive (soon in BnF)

Crosse archive

Audibert, 2011 Folia conchyliologica 14

Crosse archive / Breure & Backhuys, 2016. Basteria 80: in press

Material from Drouët’s publication on molluscs

from French Guiana and Martinique (1859)

was sold to Crosse in 1883, and subsequently

dispersed when his collection was auctioned after his death in 1899

Ancient science networks

• Philippe Dautzenberg – 1849-1935

• amateur scientist

• malacologist (collection presented to King Leopold of Belgium, now in RBINS)

• correspondence and reprint archive in RBINS

Duchamps, 1999 Apex 14

Breure, 2016. Basteria 80: in press1881-1900 1900-1915 1915-1935

Breure, 2016. Basteria 80: in pressn = 481

Breure, 2016. Basteria 80: in pressn = 481Europe and

France still dominant

Ancient science networks• Hippolyte Crosse – 1821-1896

• amateur scientist

• malacologist (collection sold after his death and dispersed)

• co-editor and director of the Journal de Conchyliologie

• correspondence archive in private hands

Deyrolle, 1899

n = 412

n = 412During 19th/early 20th century France, Germany, Italy and

U.K. were ‘science centers’ in malacology

French correspondents

0

75

150

225

300

0 10 20 30 40

#Letters

Morelet

Drouët

n = 187

non-French correspondents

0

50

100

150

200

0 10 20 30 40

#Letters

Hidalgo

n = 225

Networks – collections• Contacts were predominantly by mail (letters); face-

to-face was exceptional

• ‘Swapping’ of material was very common (duplicates)

• Formal knowledge was distributed via few channels

• ‘Slow science’ via few ‘gate keepers’ per country

• Eponyms are a proxy for good contacts; played a role in trust building?

‘Gate keeper’

• Joaquin González Hidalgo – 1839-1923

• amateur scientist

• malacologist (collection in MNCN)

• worked on the land snails collected by CCP

RBINS archive

n=56*France, Germany, Spain, UK and USA dominant

Comisión Científica del Pacífico

López-Ocón, 2003. Bull. Inst. fr. études andine 32

Comisión Científica del Pacífico

López-Ocón, 2003. Bull. Inst. fr. études

andine 32

Comisión Científica del Pacifico

• Collected land, freshwater, and marine shells, besides many other animals and plants

• 230 lots in MNCN (land mollusks)

• Studied and described by Hidalgo (25), Crosse (4), Pfeiffer (2), and Philippi (2)

• Still more to be discovered?

Hidalgo – Crosse• Corresponded between 1863 and 1897

• 191 letters in Crosse archives

• Hidalgo visited Paris twice; also Paz y Membiela

• Background of completion of ‘Moluscos del Viaje al Pacífico’ (Hidalgo, 1872)

• Plates were made and printed in Paris

letter d.d. 8 March 1868 Crosse archive

Annex to letter d.d. 11 November 1869

(Crosse archive)

letter 17 July 1872 (archive Crosse)

Summary• Historical collections are valuable assets of present-day

public museums

• Correct interpretations not only needs research on content (labels!) but also on context

• Ancient science networks may provide valuable contextual information

• Networks outside France may shed new light on presumed dominance

• More CCP material than thought, with a hidden novelty

• Thanks to Rafael Araujo (MNCN), Rose Sablon and Thierry Backeljau (RBINS), Rob Moolenbeek (Naturalis), Wim Backhuys

• Research supported by SYNTHESYS (Brussels, Madrid) and Diederik van Schagen Fund (Netherlands)