The Evolution of Scientific Knowledge about the Chestnut Tree - Illustrations in Works of the 19th and 20th Centurys

Abstract

The chestnut is a tree that has been cultivated for thousands of years around the world, following man since the Paleolithic period, with Romans responsible for its widespread cultivation. Throughout the time the chestnut tree had diverse denominations, such as, "tree of the bread", and "tree of the life". In addition, chestnut has contributed and continues to contribute significantly to the development and sustainability of mountain populations, representing a valuable resource in historical, social, cultural, ecological and economic terms. Scientific illustration has been proved important in the learning of Science, assuming a central role in the construction and communication of scientific knowledge. In this investigation, a qualitative methodology was applied, using documentary analysis of several works of the XIX and XX century’s The following works were used:Histoire des chênes de l'Amérique Septentrionale (1811) of François Andre Michaux; Pomona Italiana: Trattato degli alberi fruttiferi conteneate la descrizione delle megliori varietáa dei frutte coltivat (1839) by Giorgio Galessio;Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen (1887) of Hermann Köhler and for last the work Michigan Trees - A Handbook of the native and most important introduced species (1915) by Charles Herbert Otis. In this study, it was verified that the illustrations during the XIX and XX centuries evolved in a gradual way, with influences of existing image representation techniques, that were becoming more detailed, improved and complete, revealing their authors deep knowledge on plant physiology, morphology and botany, contributing to the evolution of the scientific knowledge about the chestnut tree. The present work integrates a broader investigation that with the followingmain objectives: a) Analyze the illustrations of chestnut found in works of the 19th and 20th century; b) To point out the relevance of chestnut illustrations to the history of botany and the development of current scientific knowledge about this tree; c) Highlight the importance of applying the history of science in the classroom as a tool in scientific education; d) emphasize the contribution of the study on the evolution of the illustrations aboutthe chestnut tree to the scientific literacy of the students, when introducing the history of science in teaching.