Inaugural Address

Gaubius, Hieronymus David, 1705？-1780Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.4

Word count: 64K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Inaugureele Rede by Hieronymus David GaubiusAuthor: Gaubius, Hieronymus David, 1705?-1780,Language: Dutch, Class: QD: Science: Chemistry, Release Date: Apr 11, 2006

Editor's review

This is an inaugural oration by the 18th-century Dutch physician and chemist Hieronymus David Gaubius, written in Dutch and a rare primary source for early chemistry and the history of academic oratory. Its value lies not in accessibility but in giving readers direct contact with the rhetorical conventions, disciplinary self-positioning, and classificatory discourse of an 18th-century university chair in chemistry. For those studying the institutionalization of modern chemistry, Dutch academic history, or oratorical genre, this text offers first-hand material for observing how its author defines chemistry's standing, methods, and applied boundaries. It should be read as a historical source rather than popular science, understood in its period context and the Latin academic tradition. Being in Dutch and brief, it suits supplementary specialist study rather than standalone cover-to-cover reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars of the history of modern chemistry and the institutionalization of science
Researchers in the humanities studying 18th-century Dutch academic oratory and rhetoric
Librarians and archivists needing early primary chemical sources
Advanced readers with Dutch reading ability and an interest in the history of science

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking accessible introductions to chemistry or popular science
Readers unfamiliar with Dutch and unwilling to use a translation
Those expecting a complete chemical treatise or manual of experimental methods

Reading tips

Begin with introductory materials on the history of science to understand the academic context of 18th-century chemistry chairs
Read through the Dutch original alongside a reliable translation paragraph by paragraph, noting rhetorical and disciplinary terminology
Compare the oration's disciplinary classifications with contemporary chemical works and make thematic excerpts

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What kind of work is this text?

It is an inaugural oration by Gaubius, written in Dutch; it belongs to the genre of academic oratory, not a systematic chemistry textbook or experimental record. It should be read as primary material for the history of science and oratory.

Can I read it without knowing Dutch?

You can read it with a reliable translation or a bilingual edition, though some rhetorical and terminological detail will be lost. For serious research, it is advisable at least to check key terms against the original or collaborate with a Dutch-speaking colleague.

Is it suitable as an introductory chemistry text?

No. The text is old, written in Dutch, and is an inaugural oration rather than an explanation of fundamentals; lacking the systematic and practical character of modern chemistry, it offers beginners little systematic knowledge.

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About the author

Gaubius, Hieronymus David, 1705？-1780 Author · Dutch · 1705–1780

Hieronymus David Gaubius (1705–1780) was a Dutch scholar of medicine and chemistry who long served as professor of medicine and chemistry at the University of Leiden. His writings touch on physiology and hygiene and address the place of chemistry within academic education. Two of his works are held in this collection. Inaugureele Rede is an inaugural oration, and Chemiam artibus academicis jure esse inserendam, judging by its title, likewise takes up the question of whether chemistry should be admitted into the university curriculum, giving it a clear argumentative character. His writing consists mainly of Latin academic speeches and essays addressed to university audiences and concerned with theoretical questions of medicine and chemical education. Public information about the details of his life is limited, so his academic concerns can be understood only through his teaching post and surviving works.