'DIY' na Universidade do Porto : instrumentos científicos fabricados localmente

Abstract

In the late spring of 1942, a significant number of scientific instruments made inPorto's workshops was exhibited in the premises of the Physics Laboratory of the Faculty of Science, while the 4º Congresso Luso-Espanhol para o Progresso das Ciências was taking place. The entries in the small catalogue associated to this event amounted to 206. The instruments, apparatus and glassware listed were the result of an effort of several years, of the Physics Laboratory, as well as of other similar institutions - to meet the needs of an appropriate experimental teaching. The Museum of Science of the University of Porto, which holds the collection of scientific instruments of the extinct Physics Laboratory, initiated a research project in 2008 - still going on - aiming at the identification and study of the functionality of these objects, falling into the major areas to be found in the Physics curricula at the time: Metrology, Mechanics, Acoustics, Optics, Heat and Electricity. Copied in most cases from originals built by renowned foreign makers, sometimes showing the addition of innovative features, the instruments, apparatus and utensils on display were, either quite unpretentious, or had been made in local workshops with precision machinery, under the supervision of the Laboratory's Head and teaching staff.This research has so far shown the peculiar nature of the collection of scientific instruments held by the Museum of Science: while offering examples of the work of a large number of foreign manufacturers, it contributes an important testimony of the town's traditional crafts and industrial fabric in the first half of the 20th century, as well as of the investment made in building up a school in times of hardship.