The Singular and the Making of Knowledge at the Royal Society of London in the Eighteenth Century

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For a 'Bacon-faced' early Royal Society, 'singular experiences' offered the opportunity to delve into the inner recesses of nature. Had not the great Sir Francis commended the possibilities opened up by the study of 'nature erring' as a way of better understanding the normal course of natural processes? Pathology could be a guide to the ordinary. Such aspirations provide the theme of this comprehensively researched book which constitutes a useful addition to the still scant literature on the Royal Society in the eighteenth century.

Palmira Fontes da Costa shows how exploring the way in which the eighteenth-century Royal Society used such 'singular experiences' provides an illuminating guide to the dynamics of that institution. 'Singular experiences' involved the society acting as a corporate body in determining the authenticity or otherwise of such reported events. Such singularities were often linked to medical phenomena such as 'monstrous births', so their...