Many of these natural philosophers endured serious nervous difficulties, particularly vision problems. They turned these weaknesses into strengths, however, by claiming that their well-disciplined mental skills enabled them to transcend their bodily frailties. Their adeptness at transcendence, they asserted, explained why men of science belonged at the heart of modern life, and qualified them to address such problems as unifying the British provinces into one nation, managing the industrial workplace, and accommodating religious plurality.

“Solidly argued and researched, and well crafted down to its smallest details, Nervous Conditions presents a highly original approach to Victorian scientific culture by examining the personal character of Victorian natural philosophy–individual dispositions and the habits of scientific labor–and how they dovetailed with scientific concerns. It redraws the map of the transition from natural philosophy to natural science.” — Robert M. Brain, The University of British Columbia

“This book is erudite, fluidly written, exhaustively researched and documented–and entertaining. The way Green Musselman moves between literary, scientific, philosophical, and theological sources makes this a particularly impressive cultural history. A rich and engaging account of science’s anxiety about its own empirical authority, it makes a valuable contribution to the history of science.” — Joel Faflak, coeditor of Nervous Reactions: Victorian Recollections of Romanticism

Many of these natural philosophers endured serious nervous difficulties, particularly vision problems. They turned these weaknesses into strengths, however, by claiming that their well-disciplined mental skills enabled them to transcend their bodily frailties. Their adeptness at transcendence, they asserted, explained why men of science belonged at the heart of modern life, and qualified them to address such problems as unifying the British provinces into one nation, managing the industrial workplace, and accommodating religious plurality.

“Solidly argued and researched, and well crafted down to its smallest details, Nervous Conditions presents a highly original approach to Victorian scientific culture by examining the personal character of Victorian natural philosophy individual dispositions and the habits of scientific labor and how they dovetailed with scientific concerns. It redraws the map of the transition from natural philosophy to natural science.” – Robert M. Brain, The University of British Columbia

“This book is erudite, fluidly written, exhaustively researched and documented and entertaining. The way Green Musselman moves between literary, scientific, philosophical, and theological sources makes this a particularly impressive cultural history. A rich and engaging account of science s anxiety about its own empirical authority, it makes a valuable contribution to the history of science.” – Joel Faflak, coeditor of Nervous Reactions: Victorian Recollections of Romanticism