For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century French manuscript consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
在过去五年里，科学历史学家保拉·史密斯一直致力于重现人们早已遗忘的技术。在为她的新书做研究时，她偶然发现了一本16世纪的法国手稿，包括近1000份说明书，涵盖范围从工具制作到如何寻找最佳沙子。

The author's intention remains as mysterious as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it," she says.
作者的意图如同他的名字一样神秘；他可能只是在为自己的记录做笔记。但让史密斯备受打击的是，她并没有真正掌握作者描述的任何技能。“你根本无法通过阅读来理解手工作品”，她说。

Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English medicine for eve problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.
尽管史密斯确实得到了最好的沙子，但用传统的方法做事情并不只是玩法国泥。重建生活在几个世纪前的工匠作品可以揭示他们是如何看待世界，他们的家中装满的物品，以及这些物品在作坊里如何进行生产。它甚至可以帮助解决当代问题：2015年，科学家发现，一种用于解决女性问题的10世纪英国药物可以杀死耐药病毒。

The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how on object was made in order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared-something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
史密斯说，这项工作也为博物馆带来了启发。为了保存文物，人们必须知道这个物体是如何制作的。更重要的是，重建可能是了解宝藏在时间磨损之前是什么样子的唯一途径。学者们在古希腊和古罗马雕像的实践中看到了这种想法，这些雕塑被漆成了鲜艳的彩虹色。如果不看艺术作品最初出现的样子，我们无法欣赏这些细节——史密斯认为，只有当你有路线图时，你才能做到这一点。

Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together: She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.
史密斯把手稿的想法付诸实践。她最终的目标是将艺术和科学的世界重新联系起来：她相信，将古老的食谱带到生活中有助于发展一种强调实验、团队合作和解决问题的学习方式。

Back when science—then called “the new philosophy”—took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering, as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
当科学——也就是所谓的“新哲学”——初具雏形时，学术界寻求工匠帮助理解自然世界。正如工匠尝试用玻璃更好地弯曲光线，显微镜和望远镜因为艺术修补而发明。

If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
史密斯说，如果我们能重新发现动手经验和工艺的价值，我们就能把我们最好的现代洞察力与我们祖先的灵巧结合起来。