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| Preface | |
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| Foreword | |
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| The West's debt to China | |
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| Agriculture | |
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| Row cultivation and intensive hoeing | |
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| The iron plough | |
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| Efficient horse harnesses | |
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| The rotary winnowing fan | |
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| The multi-tube ('modern') seed drill | |
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| Astronomy and Cartography | |
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| Recognition of sunspots as solar phenomena | |
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| Quantitative cartography | |
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| Discovery of the solar wind | |
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| The Mercator map-projection | |
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| Equatorial astronomical instruments | |
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| Engineering | |
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| Spouting bowls and standing waves | |
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| Cast iron | |
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| The double-acting piston bellows | |
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| The crank handle | |
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| The 'Cardan suspension'; or gimbals | |
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| Manufacture of steel from cast iron | |
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| Deep drilling for natural gas | |
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| The belt-drive (or driving-belt) | |
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| Water power | |
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| The chain pump | |
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| The suspension bridge | |
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| The first cybernetic machine | |
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| Essentials of the steam engine | |
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| 'Magic minors' | |
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| The 'Siemens' steel process | |
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| The segmental arch bridge | |
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| The chain-drive | |
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| Underwater salvage operations | |
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| Domestic and Industrial Technology | |
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| Lacquer: the first plastic | |
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| Strong beer (sake) | |
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| Petroleum and natural gas as fuel | |
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| Paper | |
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| The wheelbarrow | |
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| Sliding callipers | |
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| The magic lantern | |
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| The fishing reel | |
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| The stirrup | |
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| Porcelain | |
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| Biology pest control | |
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| The umbrella | |
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| Matches | |
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| Chess | |
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| Brandy and whisky | |
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| The mechanical clock | |
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| Printing | |
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| Playing-cards | |
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| Paper money | |
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| 'Permanent' lamps | |
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| The spinning-wheel | |
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| Medicine and Health | |
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| Circulation of the blood | |
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| Circadian rhythms in the human body | |
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| The science of endocrinology | |
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| Deficiency diseases | |
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| Diabetes | |
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| Use of thyroid hormone | |
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| Immunology | |
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| Mathematics | |
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| The decimal system | |
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| A place for zero | |
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| Negative numbers | |
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| Extraction of higher roots and solutions of higher numerical equations | |
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| Decimal fractions | |
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| Using algebra in geometry | |
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| A refined value of pi | |
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| 'Pascal's' triangle | |
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| Magnetism | |
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| The first compasses | |
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| Dial and pointer devices | |
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| Magnetic declination of the Earth's magnetic field | |
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| Magnetic remanence and induction | |
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| The Physical Sciences | |
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| Geo-botanical prospecting | |
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| The First Law of Motion | |
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| The hexagonal structure of snowflakes | |
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| The seismograph | |
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| Spontaneous combustion | |
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| 'Modern' geology | |
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| Phosphorescent paint | |
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| Transportation and Exploration | |
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| The kite | |
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| Manned flight with kites | |
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| The first relief maps | |
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| The first contour transport canal | |
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| The parachute | |
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| Miniature hot-air balloons | |
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| The rudder | |
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| Masts and sailing | |
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| Watertight compartments in ships | |
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| The helicopter rotor and the propeller | |
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| The paddle-wheel boat | |
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| Land sailing | |
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| The canal pound-lock | |
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| Sound and Music | |
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| The large tuned bell | |
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| Tuned drums | |
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| Hermetically sealed research laboratories | |
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| The first understanding of musical timbre | |
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| Equal temperament in music | |
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| Warfare | |
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| Chemical warfare, poison gas, smoke bombs and tear gas | |
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| The crossbow | |
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| Gunpowder | |
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| The flame-thrower | |
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| Flares, fireworks, bombs, grenades land mines and sea mines | |
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| The rocket, and multi-staged rockets | |
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| Guns, cannons, mortars and repeating guns | |
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| Chinese dynasties | |
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| General map of China | |
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| Charts showing time lags between Chinese inventions and discoveries and their adoption or recognition by the West | |
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| Index | |
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| Author's acknowledgements | |
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| Picture credits | |