Mary Fairfax Somerville: Lo Científico Sublime

Abstract

When referring to the history of women in science, we may speak of the tradition that runs from the initial biographical studies from the gender perspective to the current ones that deal with the contextual analysis of scientist women’s contributions. Female scientist images built both by themselves and by those contemporary with them conform complex tapestries of related topics. These foster the understanding of the contributions of women to science. The case of Mary Somerville illustrates these aspects and simultaneously enriches them by the added relevance attributed to her scientific writing.