The greatest ideas often start with a small piece of paper – a scribbled diary entry, a rough drawing or a journal article. Here are a few examples from our collections which represent milestones in the history of science and medicine. From the discovery of logarithms at the start of the 17th century to the cloning of Dolly the sheep, these books and records tell a story of breakthroughs and ‘eureka moments’.
Alan Turing (1912-1954), “Computing machinery and intelligence”, in Mind, 1950
The origins of artificial intelligence
Edward V. Appleton (1892-1965), “Some notes on wireless methods of investigating the electrical structure of the upper atmosphere”, in Proceedings of the Physical Society, Vol. 42 part 4, June 1930, Plate I
All up in the air
Invalid Fruit Tart
A pudding that’s good for you
Royal Edinburgh Hospital First World War shell shock case note, 1917
Investigating the mind
“Your Health Service” on the coming of the NHS in Scotland, 1948
From the cradle to the grave