This article analyzes copies and models of technical objects as a particular category of sources for the history of science and technology. Depending on the purpose of reproduction and its functions, two groups of such objects can be distinguished, each requiring its own historiographical approach. The problem of authenticity of information about the original object and its representation in the copy is discussed with the help of several concrete examples. Full text as PDF

Russia’s rich patrimony includes material objects representing the country’s legacy in science and technology. The article discusses the concept of “cultural patrimony” in general, its application to scientific and technological objects in particular, and related legal issues from the point of view of international and national law. Full text as PDF

In 1936 the physiologist N. A. Bernstein completed a book manuscript critical of the then dominant views and approach of I. P. Pavlov. Pavlov died that same year, and in 1937, when Bernstein’s book was already in the printing house, the existing typeset was destroyed. Only one copy of the proof sheets has survived, which includes marginalia by Bernstein, the book’s editor, and possibly some other readers. The author uses this marked copy and the historical context in an attempt to reconstruct the motivations behind Bernstein’s (or someone else’s) decision to withdraw the book from publication. Full text as PDF

A book by the Russian explorer of Central Asia P. K. Kozlov's Mongolia, Amdo, and the dead city Khara-Khoto was translated and published in Germany in 1925, when Soviet and German geographers were reestablishing their ties in the changed political situation after WWI and revolutions in both countries. The history of its publication is shown to be related to the personal plans of the book's German editor, Wilhelm Filchner, to organize an expedition to Central Asia.  

In 1491 the Muscovy state sent its first exploration party attempting to find copper and silver ores in the land of Komi, on river Tsilma. After many centuries, it is hard to separate facts from myths in the history of the Tsilma works. Despite the persistent legend regarding the existence of a copper producing factory, no reliable sources have been found to confirm that copper ores were mined and smelted in the area. Without a special archeological investigation, it is impossible to date precisely the surviving traces of old mining activities. Some parts of the relief seen as remnants of old mines could also be of natural origin. But there is a documentary record in the chronicles confirming that the party of 1491 did find some ores or presumably precious metals, which marks the attempt as a pioneering event in the history of Russian mining and metallurgy.

A graduate of the Petrograd Mining Institute, M. K. Eliashevich, worked as the chief geologist at the Verkh-Isetsky Works in Yekaterinburg and taught at the Ural Mining Institute there. During the Civil War, he moved to the Far East and conducted geological explorations in the Vladivostok area before moving to the USA in 1922. This article presents some new biographical information about Eliashevich, his geological work in the Far East and his contributions to American geology and paleontology.

General and specialized scientific and industrial exhibitions, in Russia and abroad, included sections on medicine and public health. The article uses published catalogues and sources to reconstruct the development of medical expositions during the second half of the 19 th  century and the early 20 th  century, their organization, methods of presenting materials, and popularization of medical knowledge and scientific discoveries. The initiative to organize such exhibitions often came from medical professors. Overall, the medical exhibition movement played an important role in the development of preventive medical care and in laying the foundation for many collections of medical devices and materials in historical and medical museums. Full text as PDF

By using published sources and 35 in-depth interviews with leading researchers from scientific research institutes at the Russian Academy of Sciences, this investigation reveals that traditions dominate research agendas in the academic sciences. Recent innovations that have proven themselves in world science have not advanced past the stage of discussion or testing in Russia in most scientific fields, except information technologies. Interviewees evaluated the innovation climate in Russian academic science as very low. Full text as PDF

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