Against an assumption that conservation practices only became ‘scientific’ in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this essay shows how, on the contrary, preservation techniques in early modern England were an inspiration for new forms of scientific inquiry and knowledge. Following the framework of ‘thrifty science’, the essay demonstrates how the thrifty value of making use and extending the life of goods encouraged a variety of preservation practices, which some scholars identified as valuable resources for a new experimental philosophy. In practice, preserving techniques crossed between domestic, experimental and academic sites. Since ‘thrifty science’ included the preservation of human and non-human ‘bodies’, the essay argues that an appreciation of early modern conservation necessitates an interdisciplinary approach.

与保护实践仅在 19 世纪末和 20 世纪初才成为“科学”的假设相反，本文展示了相反，现代早期英格兰的保护技术如何激发新形式的科学探究和知识。在“节俭科学”的框架下，本文展示了使用和延长商品寿命的节俭价值如何鼓励各种保存实践，一些学者认为这是一种新的实验哲学的宝贵资源。在实践中，保存技术跨越了国内、实验和学术场所。由于“节俭的科学”包括对人类和非人类“身体”的保护，这篇文章认为，对早期现代保护的评价需要一种跨学科的方法。