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10F Room 1010

Introduction Nathan Sivin (1931-2022)
Nathan Sivin (left), Professor Emeritus of the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, passed away on June 24, 2022, in Philadelphia at the age of 91. His wife, Carole Delmore Sivin, a talented artist, predeceased him in December 2020. Sivin's legacy is preserved in the new Sivin Archive at the Penn libraries, which includes all of his extant papers and Carole's notebooks, sketchbooks, slides, and photo albums. Tel Aviv University is using his 6,000+-book library for a research lab dedicated to his legacy in the history of Chinese science, medicine, and religion. The Sivin estate gifted about 50 scrolls to the NRICM in Taiwan.

Sivin initially majored in chemistry at M.I.T., took a leave of absence to join the Army during the Korean War, and studied Chinese at the Army Language School in California. He later earned a B.S. in science and humanities from M.I.T. and both an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University’s History of Science Department.

His first book, "Chinese Alchemy: Preliminary Studies" (1968), explored a seventh-century alchemical text. Thereafter Sivin's extensive publications covered Chinese alchemy, mathematical astronomy, religion, and medicine. His contributions re-oriented entire fields of inquiry. 

Sivin's collaborative spirit was evident in his work with Shigeru Nakayama, Joseph Needham, and Geoffrey Lloyd. He founded and edited the journal Chinese Science, which evolved into East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine. As the first president of the International Society of the History of East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine, he was pivotal in establishing the field as a formal discipline.

Throughout his career, Sivin was recognized with numerous awards, including membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His commitment to ideas, his support for women scholars, and his love of good food, fine wine, congenial company, and cats are fondly remembered by friends, colleagues, and students worldwide.