{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.012243113248797552, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0017490161783996502, 'mean_word_length': 5.251366120218579, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
A Noble Spectacle: Phosphorus and the Public Cultures of Science in the Early Royal Society

THE PHENOMENON OF PHOSPHORESCENCE, in which light is observed without the usual signs of burning, held a particular fascination for experimental philosophers in the late seventeenth century. Various phosphorescent phenomena were exhibited and studied and phosphorus itself was isolated during this decisive period for the formation of modern science. The spectacular qualities of these phenomena were exploited in demonstrations by natural philosophers and chemists, the properties of phosphorescent materials were established, and there was much speculation as to their causes in the new scientific institutions of the period. The purpose of this paper is to consider the research on phosphorus conducted in one of these institutions, the Royal Society of London, in the three to four decades after its foundation in 1660. I shall investigate the ways in which demonstrations of phosphorescent phenomena were performed and the techniques applied to interpret them. Phosphorescence was at the same time a "wonder," an anomalous and possibly magical phenomenon, and potentially a vital resource that might be harnessed to boost the prestige of the new philosophy. My claim will be that this ambiguity was central to its importance, and in particular that the conceptual and practical means by which phosphorescence was handled indicate some of the problems and opportunities for natural philosophy as a public culture at this time. Phosphorus could be a device for extending the public appreciation of the new experimental philosophy, but it could also become a target for criticism by those who opposed the public status of the new science. Investigations of phosphorus by members of the early Royal Society provide an interesting case study of the role of chemistry in their inquiries. Little attention has been focused upon the society's work in chemistry, despite the fact that it was a subject with which many early fellows had experience and in which several sustained a research interest. By considering the specific example of studies of phosphorus, I hope to open the society's chemical work to further research. Chemistry was a prominent but problematic aspect of the experimental work