In the late 19th century, scientists were made into heroes. Science fiction novels such as H G Wells’s The Time Machine and science textbooks such as Oliver Lodge’s Pioneers of Science helped create the popular image of the Victorian scientist as a powerful, authoritative figure, subjecting the forces of nature to his will. It’s an image that endures today, cemented by the narrative of 19th century science as the work of a series of great men: Humphry Davy, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin and the rest. And this was the story the scientific establishment told about itself.