[Ads-l] antedating of 'oudenology', etc.

James Eric Lawson jel at NVENTURE.COM
Thu Oct 27 08:15:57 UTC 2022


Incidentally: I've seen the OED appeal for antedatings (M-R as of May,
2020). The appeal seems crippled, less than half-hearted, to the point
of being condescending, and does not seem to carry on the much-vaunted
OED "long tradition of crowdsourcing" (as I understand it).

On 10/26/22 22:03, James Eric Lawson wrote:
> It seems unlikely that 'nihilology' will meet OED criteria for
> inclusion. I can't say I'll be disappointed if it doesn't. The entry for
> oudenology should be fixed, though. If I could fix it, I would; which
> reminds me: why isn't the OED crowdsourced? Simple inertia?
> 
> Not that I'd want an OED on the model of Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary,
> but rigorous vetting and professional editing of crowdsourced amateur
> material could work well.
> 
> On 10/26/22 08:18, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> The corresponding Latinate version, “nihilology”, seems better substantiated, including its own website and monograph:
>>
>> https://www.nihilology.com <https://www.nihilology.com/>
>> https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Nothingness-Toward-Apophatic-Science/dp/177702420X <https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Nothingness-Toward-Apophatic-Science/dp/177702420X>
>>
>>
>> LH
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Oct 26, 2022, at 4:22 AM, James Eric Lawson <jel at NVENTURE.COM> wrote:
>>>
>>> Oudenology, noun; OEDO (entry updated 2004; modified 2019) 1838, "The
>>> science of nothing, or of things having no real existence." 1838 quote
>>> "Apparently an isolated use".
>>>
>>> In _The London Medical and Surgical Journal_, 25 July 1835, 825/2.
>>> Article titled "Nothing of a Leader": "The substantialists may talk how
>>> they like, but *oudenology*, so we shall name it, is a very important
>>> branch of science--without its aid, some of the most celebrated medical
>>> works of the day would collapse into atoms!"
>>>
>>> https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858046176412&view=1up&seq=833&q1=oudenology
>>>
>>> Another attestation November 1883, 84/2, in _New England Medical
>>> Monthly_: "Benjamin Waterhouse, honorably known for having been the
>>> introducer of vaccination into America, was the first professor of the
>>> theory and practice of medicine. I remember him well, and carry the scar
>>> of the vaccination he performed on me. ...  He had some learning, which
>>> he was disposed to make the most of, as perhaps we all are if we have
>>> it, and laid himself open to the playful sallies of the students of his
>>> time, one of whom announced a course of lectures on Oudenology, which
>>> was supposed to be a travesty of some of his prelections."
>>>
>>> https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015047691798&view=1up&seq=102&q1=oudenology
>>>
>>> Occasional attestation thereafter in the 19th and 20th centuries, often
>>> in a humorous medical context involving the history of vaccination.
>>>
> 

-- 
James Eric Lawson

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