Allen G. Debus
Encyclopedia
Allen George Debus was an American historian of science, known primarily for his work on the history of chemistry
and alchemy
. In 1991 he was honored at the University of Chicago
with an academic conference held in his name. Paul H. Theerman and Karen Hunger Parshall edited the proceedings, and Debus contributed his autobiography
of which this article is a digest.
public school system where he showed an early interest in history
. A great aunt passed on her legacy of an epoch of music to him in the form of a 1908 Victrola and a record collection up to 1923. Due to the topical material and dialect songs, he wrote "studying this music gave me an opportunity early on to place past events in their historical context". In the contextual approach to history, developments should be compared across fields, and this is a feature of the school of Alexandre Koyre
, I. Bernard Cohen
, and Walter Pagel, the latter two being teachers of Debus.
and history, graduating with a major in chemistry in the summer of 1947 from Northwestern University
. He pursued his master’s degree at Indiana University
where he had followed John J. Murray. In June 1949 he presented his master’s thesis Robert Boyle
and Chemistry in England 1660-1700 under John J. Murray. Subsequently he worked towards a master’s in chemistry at the same institution. He went to work for Abbott Laboratories
, a company for which he filed five patent
s. He wrote that slow reaction times for some of his work provided reading time for broader investigations in history of science and chemistry literature. In fall 1956 he began his Ph.D.
studies at Harvard under I. Bernard Cohen
. His teaching assistant work was supervised by Leonard K. Nash. In a seminar with Wilbur K. Jordan he presented a paper on the English followers of Paracelsus
which received the Bowdoin Prize
in the Natural Sciences, the first of two from his years at Harvard. In September 1959 he went to London, England to delve more deeply into the topic. There he met regularly with Walter Pagel and attended University College of London courses given by Douglas McKie. Returning to Harvard, he completed the requirements for a Harvard Ph.D. in history of science.
. Back at the University of Chicago, Debus described attempts by the philosophy department to intrude on the history of science program in the history department. Debus was instrumental in the development of the Morris Fishbein Center in that he served as its first director for two three-year terms. In 1978 he was elected to the academic chair at University of Chicago established in honor of Morris Fishbein
. Allen G. Debus developed a three-quarter sequence in history of science leading from ancient science to the beginning of the twentieth century as well as seminars in Renaissance science and medicine. He was at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
working on the Renaissance chemical philosophy. He was awarded the George Sarton Medal
(1994) and the Pfizer Award
(1978) from the History of Science Society
. He was also awarded the Dexter Award
(1987) of the American Chemical Society
and the Edward Kremers Award of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. In 1984 he received an honorary Ph.D. from the Catholic University of Louvain.
was an innovation in his familial lineage. His father formed the company Modern Boxes, where Allen served as salesman for a time in 1950. Allen met Brunilda Lopez Rodriguez from Puerto Rico
at Indiana University. They married in 1951, and studied Latin, French, and German together preparing for Debus’ push for the Ph.D. They had three children: Allen (1954), Richard (1957–2007), and Karl (1961).
Debus also reprinted 16th and 17th century texts by Elias Ashmote, John Dee and Robert Fludd.
He also programmed and prepared notes for CDs released by Archeophone Records
.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
. In 1991 he was honored at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
with an academic conference held in his name. Paul H. Theerman and Karen Hunger Parshall edited the proceedings, and Debus contributed his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of which this article is a digest.
Early life
Allen Debus attended the EvanstonEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
public school system where he showed an early interest in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. A great aunt passed on her legacy of an epoch of music to him in the form of a 1908 Victrola and a record collection up to 1923. Due to the topical material and dialect songs, he wrote "studying this music gave me an opportunity early on to place past events in their historical context". In the contextual approach to history, developments should be compared across fields, and this is a feature of the school of Alexandre Koyre
Alexandre Koyré
Alexandre Koyré , sometimes anglicised as Alexander Koiré, was a French philosopher of Russian origin who wrote on the history and philosophy of science.-Life:...
, I. Bernard Cohen
I. Bernard Cohen
I. Bernard Cohen was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of the history of science at Harvard University and the author of many books on the history of science and, in particular, Isaac Newton....
, and Walter Pagel, the latter two being teachers of Debus.
Higher education
Debus studied chemical engineeringChemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
and history, graduating with a major in chemistry in the summer of 1947 from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. He pursued his master’s degree at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
where he had followed John J. Murray. In June 1949 he presented his master’s thesis Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
and Chemistry in England 1660-1700 under John J. Murray. Subsequently he worked towards a master’s in chemistry at the same institution. He went to work for Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
, a company for which he filed five patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s. He wrote that slow reaction times for some of his work provided reading time for broader investigations in history of science and chemistry literature. In fall 1956 he began his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
studies at Harvard under I. Bernard Cohen
I. Bernard Cohen
I. Bernard Cohen was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of the history of science at Harvard University and the author of many books on the history of science and, in particular, Isaac Newton....
. His teaching assistant work was supervised by Leonard K. Nash. In a seminar with Wilbur K. Jordan he presented a paper on the English followers of Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
which received the Bowdoin Prize
Bowdoin prize
The Bowdoin Prize is a prestigious award given annually to Harvard University undergraduate and graduate students. It is considered among the highest academic commendations the University can bestow upon a student...
in the Natural Sciences, the first of two from his years at Harvard. In September 1959 he went to London, England to delve more deeply into the topic. There he met regularly with Walter Pagel and attended University College of London courses given by Douglas McKie. Returning to Harvard, he completed the requirements for a Harvard Ph.D. in history of science.
Professor
In 1961, Debus took up a position at the University of Chicago under William McNiell in the Department of History, with one-third of the time as assistant professor in history of science, and two-thirds in undergraduate physical science coursework. In 1965 he was raised to Associate Professor on the strength of his book The English Paracelsians. For the school-year 1966/7 he went on an overseas fellowship to Churchill College, CambridgeChurchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
. Back at the University of Chicago, Debus described attempts by the philosophy department to intrude on the history of science program in the history department. Debus was instrumental in the development of the Morris Fishbein Center in that he served as its first director for two three-year terms. In 1978 he was elected to the academic chair at University of Chicago established in honor of Morris Fishbein
Morris Fishbein
Morris Fishbein M.D. was a physician and the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association from 1924 to 1950. In 1961 he became the founding Editor of Medical World News, a magazine for doctors. In 1970 he endowed the Morris Fishbein Center...
. Allen G. Debus developed a three-quarter sequence in history of science leading from ancient science to the beginning of the twentieth century as well as seminars in Renaissance science and medicine. He was at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
working on the Renaissance chemical philosophy. He was awarded the George Sarton Medal
George Sarton Medal
The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to an historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifetime of scholarly achievement" in the field...
(1994) and the Pfizer Award
Pfizer Award
The Pfizer Award is awarded annually by the History of Science Society "in recognition of an outstanding book dealing with the history of science"- Pfizer Awardees :...
(1978) from the History of Science Society
History of Science Society
The History of Science Society is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science.It was founded in 1924 by George Sarton and Lawrence Joseph Henderson, primarily to support the publication of Isis, a journal of the history of science Sarton had started in 1912....
. He was also awarded the Dexter Award
Dexter Award
The Dexter Award was an honor given out by the American Chemical Society from 1956 until 2001. It was sponsored by the Dexter Chemical Corporation except for the final two years, when it was sponsored by the Mildred and Sidney Edelstein Foundation....
(1987) of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
and the Edward Kremers Award of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. In 1984 he received an honorary Ph.D. from the Catholic University of Louvain.
Family
Allen G. Debus noted that his academic careerAcademia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
was an innovation in his familial lineage. His father formed the company Modern Boxes, where Allen served as salesman for a time in 1950. Allen met Brunilda Lopez Rodriguez from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
at Indiana University. They married in 1951, and studied Latin, French, and German together preparing for Debus’ push for the Ph.D. They had three children: Allen (1954), Richard (1957–2007), and Karl (1961).
Books
- The English Paracelsians (Oldbourne Press : History of science library, 1965)
- Editor, World Who's Who in Science (A. N. Marquis, 1968)
- The chemical dream of the Renaissance (Heffer, 1968 : reprinted Bobbs-Merrill, 1968)
- Science and education in the seventeenth century: The Webster-Ward debate (Macdonald, History of science library, primary sources, 1970)
- Editor, Medicine in Seventeenth Century England (University of California Press, 1974)
- The chemical philosophy: Paracelsian science and medicine in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (1977, 2nd ed., 2002)
- Man and nature in the Renaissance (Cambridge, 1978)
- Chemistry, Alchemy and the New Philosophy, 1550-1770: Studies in the History of Science and Medicine (Variorum Reprints, 1987)
- Co-editor with Ingrid Merkel, HermeticismHermeticismHermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
and the Renaissance: Intellectual History and the Occult in Early Modern Europe (Folger Books, 1988) - Co-authored with Brian A. L. Rust, The Complete Entertainment Discography: From 1897-1942 (Roots of Jazz) (Arlington House, 1982; 2nd ed., Da Capo, 1989)
- The French Paracelsians, The Chemical Challenge to Medical and Scientific Tradition in Early Modern France (Cambridge, 1991)
- Co-editor with Michael Thomson Walton, Reading the Book of Nature: The Other Side of the Scientific Revolution (Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies) (Thomas Jefferson University Press, 1998)
- Chemistry and Medical Debate: van Helmout to Boerhaave (Science History Publications, 2001)
- Editor, Alchemy and Early Modern Chemistry: Papers from Ambix (Jeremy Mills, 2004)
- The Chemical Promise: Experiment And Mysticism in the Chemical Philosophy, 1550-1800 : Selected Essays of Allen G. Debus (2006)
Debus also reprinted 16th and 17th century texts by Elias Ashmote, John Dee and Robert Fludd.
He also programmed and prepared notes for CDs released by Archeophone Records
Archeophone Records
Archeophone Records, LLC, based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in preserving recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry by remastering phonograph cylinders and gramophone records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and releasing them on compact disc...
.