[Ads-l] Surprising Connection Between the Term "Science Fiction" and Pharmacology

Shapiro, Fred fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU
Mon Jan 23 11:46:57 UTC 2023


We now have the earliest known citation for "science fiction," meaning an individual work in that genre, dated 1897, and the earliest known citation for "science fiction," meaning the genre itself, dated 1898.  The 1897 citation was found by the Oxford English Dictionary, the 1898 citation was found by Stephen Goranson.

The 1897 use was written by Harry B. Mason, in the journal Pharmaceutical Era (the OED erroneously says it was Pharmaceutical World).  The 1898 use, in the Bulletin of Pharmacy, was probably also written by Mason.  Mason was a leading pharmaceutical journalist.  The work he referred to in 1897 was titled Etidorhpa and was authored by John Uri Lloyd.  Lloyd, now considered to be one of the earliest writers of science fiction, was also the foremost pharmacologist of his time.

Harry B. Mason should now be considered to be the father of the term "science fiction," and also exemplified a surprisingly strong connection between s.f. and pharmacology.

Fred Shapiro

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


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