Introduction

These essays take a second look at Joseph Needham (1900-1995), the British biochemist whose colossal publishing project with Cambridge University Press, Science and Civilisation in China (1954-), attracts and frustrates historians of science, medicine, and technology in equal measure. Current reflections on the state of play in these fields address the themes, methods, and approaches that Needham took seriously and, in many cases, pioneered. This Second Look section probes the contributions that Needham's work can still make to ongoing debates.