“科学图像”的转译:近代报刊科学知识的视觉生产——以显微镜的图文报道为例(1876-1949)

Translation of"Scientific Image":Visual Production of Scientific knowledge in Mass Print Media of Modern China——Take Pictorial Reports of Microscope as Example(1876-1949)

近代科学知识的生产与西学翻译相伴而生,科学图像在自西向东的转译中具有超越文字壁垒的通俗性和可读性,成为科普必不可少的方式。科学图像转译作为报刊科学知识视觉生产的方式,以物质技术性实现了多重转译:印刷媒介间的转译;摄影术与印刷术的转译;视觉器物的转译,由此形成了报刊科学知识生产的技术模式。科学图像的转译还受组织方式和话语网络的影响,留学知识分子以办刊为中介的主动知识引流形成了同仁合作的组织化知识生产模式;科学实用主义的现实语境形成了科学知识生产的“致用”模式。科学图像以技术的中介性视觉生产出科学器物关联的世界观。从显微镜的图文报道可见,显微镜科学图像采用多种视觉图式格致释器,以视觉物质性形成信息自足的知识生产机制;以图案装饰性回应科学实用主义,实现知识的地方化生产;以“光学一致性”生产微观世界,形塑了视觉器物所中介的知识。科学图像不是诠释学意义上的能指,而是处于技术与艺术、符号与现实、文化与自然之间的“文化技艺”,这有助于重新理解媒介与科普、图像与报刊的关系。

The production of modern scientific knowledge is accompanied by translation from the west.The translation of scientific images has advantages of popularity and readability beyond writen language barrier,thus has become an indispensable way of popular science.As a way of visual production of scientific knowledge of newspapers and periodicals,scientific image translation included three aspects from perspective of materiality and technology:translation between printing media;translation of photography and printing;translation of visual instruments,which formed the technical mode of knowledge production of print media.The translation of scientific images was also influenced by the way of organization and discourse network.The knowledge introduction of overseas intellectuals by way of founding periodicals had formed an organized knowledge production mode of peer cooperation;the reality of scientific pragmatism had formed the pragmatism mode of scientific knowledge production.Scientific images visually produced world views related to scientific instruments with the mediation of technology.It can be seen from the reports of microscope that the scientific images adopted various visual schemas to illustrate instruments,which formed self-sufficient knowledge production mechanism.Furthermore,scientific images of microscope put more emphasis on decorative patterns which are responding to scientific pragmatism,realized the localized production of knowledge.Scientific images of microscope produced micro-world by optical consistency,and shaped knowledge mediated by visual objects.That is to say,scientific images are not signifiers in the sense of hermeneutics,but"cultural techniques"between technology and art,symbol and reality,culture and nature,which is conducive to new understanding of the relationship between media and popular science,images andnewspaper.