Éva Vámos (1950-2015)

The article describes synthetically the achievements of Professor Katalin Éva Vámos, Habilitated Doctor (22 May 1950 - 25 July 2015), a historian of science, museologist of science and technology, a longtime director of the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport in Budapest (MTESZPrzedstawiony jest syntetyczny opis dokonań prof. dr hab. Évy Katalin Vámos (22 maja 1950 - 25 lipca 2015), historyka nauki, muzealnika nauki i techniki, wieloletniej dyrektor Węgierskiego Muzeum Nauki, Techniki i Transportu w Budapeszcie

Éva Vámos (1950–2015)

The article describes synthetically the achievements of Professor Katalin Éva Vámos, Habilitated Doctor (22 May 1950 – 25 July 2015), a historian of science, museologist of science and technology, a longtime director of the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport in Budapest (MTESZ).Przedstawiony jest syntetyczny opis dokonań prof. dr hab. Évy Katalin Vámos (22 maja 1950 – 25 lipca 2015), historyka nauki, muzealnika nauki i techniki, wieloletniej dyrektor Węgierskiego Muzeum Nauki, Techniki i Transportu w Budapeszcie

The origins of radiology in Poland according to documents and exhibits in the collections of the Jagiellonian University

In January 1896, a few days after the announcement of the discovery of X-rays, experiments with X-ray photography began in Cracow, giving the beginnings of Polish radiology. To this day, radiographs of various objects, like high-quality medical x-ray photographs, X- ray apparatuses, and lamps have survived from this period. A description of early X-ray photographs and scientific publications by professors of the Jagiellonian University are kept as a valuable source of information on the level of conducted experiments. The Polish pioneers of this field were Karol Olszewski (first Polish X-ray photographs) and the doctors of medicine Alfred Obaliński, Mieczysław Nartowski, Walery Jaworski, and Karol Mayer. The authors describe the publications and objects stored in the units of the Jagiellonian University documenting the beginnings of Polish radiology

Trójwymiarowe modele matematyczne na przykładzie obiektów ze zbiorów Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego

This paper presents examples of mathematical models which have almost passed into oblivion, yet a few decades ago still played a significant role in the teaching of mathematics. In the late nineteenth century such devices started to be produced on a large scale for schools and universities. The Jagiellonian University Museum has three such models in perfect condition in its collections.W artykule podajemy przykłady modeli matematycznych, obecnie niemal zapomnianych, które jeszcze kilkadziesiąt lat temu odgrywały wielką rolę w dydaktyce matematyki. Z końcem XIX wieku powstała prężna produkcja tych modeli na użytek szkół i uczelni. W Muzeum UJ zachowały się w doskonałym stanie trzy takie modele. Three-dimensional mathematical models illustrated by objects from the collections of the Jagiellonian University Museum Abstract This paper presents examples of mathematical models which have almost passed into oblivion, yet a few decades ago still played a significant role in the teaching of mathematics. In the late nineteenth century such devices started to be produced on a large scale for schools and universities. The Jagiellonian University Museum has three such models in perfect condition in its collections

Mechanic of the Jagiellonian University Władysław Antoni Grodzicki and his gas liquefiers

One of the significant achievements in Polish science was the liquefaction of oxygen, air, and other gases in 1883 by the Jagiellonian University professors - Zygmunt Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski. Over the next few years, Krakow became one of the leading units in researching the physicochemical properties of gases. The mechanical workshop of the Jagiellonian University, which produced custom-made laboratory devices for liquefying gases, also gained recognition. The devices were designed by Karol Olszewski, a professor of chemistry at the Jagiellonian University, who modelled them on the countercurrent condenser by William Hampson. The apparatuses were made by the university mechanic, Władysław Grodzicki (1864-1927), who held this post in the years 1897-1927. He offered three types of apparatuses: a cased apparatus, a demonstration apparatus for air liquefaction, and a universal apparatus for liquefaction of air and hydrogen. In order to test how they functioned, a complete gas liquefaction apparatus was installed in the laboratory (including purifiers, a compressor, etc.). These devices were bought by European research institutions, universities, and schools. Grodzicki’s activity contributed to the popularisation of research on low temperatures conducted at the Jagiellonian University. At the same time, it was one of the few Polish companies offering high-class scientific instruments

Jędrzej Śniadecki and his legacy. Extraordinary session at the 61st scientific meeting of the Polish chemical society

The year 2018 marked the 250th birthday anniversary of Jędrzej Śniadecki (30 Nov 1768–11 May 1838), a renowned Polish chemist, doctor and columnist. Jędrzej, the younger brother of Jan Śniadecki, a Polish mathematician and astronomer, was born in Radlewo near Żnin in Greater Poland. His family and professional life was associated with Vilnius. From 1803, he was a professor of chemistry and medicine at the Principal School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which then became the Imperial University of Vilnius. He was the author of the first chemistry textbook in Polish (1800) and an innovative work entitled Teoria jestestw organicznych (Theory of Organic Beings) (1804). The birthday of Jędrzej Śniadecki was celebrated in the three countries to which his fate was tied: Belarus, Lithuania and Poland. Celebrations in Poland: The year-long celebrations in Poland started on 28 January 2018 with a concert at the Main University Auditorium of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. It was organized by the PoznańSociety of Jędrzej Śniadecki, Karol Olszewski and Zygmunt Wróblewski. In March 2018, celebrations were inaugurated by the town of Żnin, with the event being attended by descendants of the Śniadecki family: Prof. Antonina Magdalena Śniadecki-‑Kotarska, Senator Piotr Łukasz Juliusz Andrzejewski and Krzysztof Śniadecki-Lempke. A lecture on Jędrzej Śniadecki and the Society of Rascals was delivered by Emilia Maria Iwaszkiewicz, PhD, from Vilnius University. The University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz (UTP) also commemorated the scholars it has chosen as its namesakes, that is Jan Śniadecki and Jędrzej Śniadecki. A report on the event and an article by Emilia M. Iwaszkiewicz, PhD, are available in Magazyn UTP Format 2.0 No. 3 from July 2018. In Kraków, during the 61st Scientific Meeting of the Polish Chemical Society, a session was organized entitled “Jędrzej Śniadecki and his legacy”. During the session, five papers were delivered which presented Jędrzej Śniadecki, his academic and journalistic output and memorabilia related to him. Celebrations in Lithuania: On 10 September 2018, Vilnius City Hall held a conference attended by Urszula Doroszewska, the Polish ambassador to Lithuania, and Edyta Tamošiūnaitė, the Deputy Mayor of Vilnius, as well as Polish and Lithuanian scholars. On 11–13 October 2018, at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences was held the 4th Oxygenalia International Conference. Belarus: The memory of Jędrzej Śniadecki is also cherished in Belarus, especially in Gorodniki where he is buried and at the nearby school in Kolchuny, which houses a small museum commemorating him and other scholars with ties to this region

Éva Vámos (1950–2015) (in Polish)

The article describes synthetically the achievements of Professor Katalin Éva Vámos, Habilitated Doctor (22 May 1950 – 25 July 2015), a historian of science, museologist of science and technology, a longtime director of the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technologyand Transport in Budapest (MTESZ)

Światowy inwentarz zabytkowych przyrządów naukowych - polski wkład

The article is devoted to a project carried out after the Second World War by historians of science whose aim was to explore the world heritage of historical scientific instruments. The article presents the results of research whose purpose was to learn the methods of implementation and the results of compiling an inventory of historical scientific instruments preserved in Poland after World War II. The Commission pour l’inventaire mondial des appareils scientifiques d’intérêt historique (the Commission for the World Inventory of Scientific Instruments) was founded in 1956 at the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science in Paris - the Division of the History of Science. The aim of the Commission was to coordinate work on the implementation of a world inventory of historical scientific instruments. The concept of the inventory card was prepared, and the criteria for the selection of historical instruments for the inventory and deadlines for the project were set. Members from at least 29 countries participated in the works of the Commission. The project was implemented by European science and technology museums and national academies of sciences. The collected data was recorded on index cards which were prepared, among others, by French, Italian, Belgian, Czech, and Polish researchers. A Russian catalogue was published. In Poland in 1959-1963, work on the inventory was conducted by the Department of History of Science and Technology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Queries were commissioned to Tadeusz Przypkowski, a science historian, collector, and expert on gnomonics. For the world inventory, he selected about one hundred of the most valuable science objects from the collections of Polish museums and other institutions. Nearly 20% of those were gnomonic objects, the remaining part consisted of astronomical instruments, pharmacy instruments and individual objects pertaining to other fields of science. Works on the national inventory of historical scientific instruments were also carried out under the guidance of Przypkowski. The preserved documents do not allow us to determine at what stage these works stopped. Currently, the project ‘National inventory of historical scientific instruments’ is being implemented at the L. & A. Birkenmajer Institute for the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It aims to create an electronic database of historical scientific instruments which have been preserved in Polish museums. The project has been financed by the National Science Centre Poland (Research project: OPUS 13 No. 2017/25/B/HS3/01829).Artykuł poświęcony jest projektowi realizowanemu po drugiej wojnie światowej przez historyków nauki, którego celem było zbadanie światowych zasobów historycznych przyrządów naukowych. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki prac badawczych, których celem było poznanie sposobu realizacji i rezultatów opracowania inwentarza historycznych przyrządów naukowych zachowanych na ziemiach polskich po II wojnie światowej. W 1956 r. przy Międzynarodowej Unii Historii i Filozofii Nauki w Paryżu - Sekcji Historii Nauki powołana została Commision pour l’inventaire mondial des appareils scientifiques d’intérêt historique (Komisja Światowego Inwentarza Zabytkowych Przyrządów Naukowych). Celem Komisji było koordynowanie prac nad wykonaniem światowego inwentarza historycznych przyrządów naukowych. Opracowany został wzór karty inwentaryzacyjnej, kryteria doboru zabytkowych przyrządów do inwentarza i ustalone zostały terminy realizacji projektu. W pracach Komisji uczestniczyli członkowie co najmniej 29 krajów. Projekt realizowany był przez europejskie muzea nauki i techniki oraz narodowe akademie nauk. Dane w formie fiszek przygotowane zostały m.in. przez badaczy francuskich, włoskich, belgijskich, czeskich, polskich. Katalog rosyjski został opublikowany. W Polsce prace nad inwentarzem prowadzone były przez Zakład Historii Nauki i Techniki Polskiej Akademii Nauk w latach 1959-1963. Prace kwerendalne zlecone zostały Tadeuszowi Przypkowskiemu, historykowi nauki, gnomonikowi i kolekcjonerowi. Wytypował on do światowego inwentarza około 100 najcenniejszych obiektów nauki ze zbiorów polskich muzeów i innych instytucji. Blisko 20% stanowiły zabytki gnomoniki, pozostałe to przyrządy astronomiczne, wyposażenie zabytkowych aptek i pojedyncze przedmioty z innych dziedzin nauki. Pod kierunkiem T. Przypkowskiego prowadzone były również prace nad przygotowaniem krajowego inwentarza historycznych przyrządów naukowych. Zachowane dokumenty nie pozwalają stwierdzić, na jakim etapie te prace zostały zakończone. Obecnie w Instytucie Historii Nauki im. L. A. Birkenmajerów PAN realizowany jest projekt „Narodowy inwentarz historycznych przyrządów naukowych”. Jego celem jest stworzenie elektronicznej bazy zabytkowego instrumentarium naukowego przechowywanego w polskich muzeach. Projekt finansowany jest przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki (Projekt badawczy OPUS 13 nr 2017/25/B/HS3/01829)