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Originally published in 1935. J G Crowther has chosen five of the
greatest scientists of the nineteenth century - Davy, Faraday,
Clerk-Maxwell, Joule, Lord Kelvin and examines every aspect of
their lives and work. Nineteenth century science appears in a
different light from that in which its contemporaries regarded it,
and Crowther shows that it is now possible to judge which were the
most important discoveries, which the most significant
personalities of the period; and how the passage of time has
revealed many unsuspected connections between a scientist's
discoveries and the social life and industry of his day.
Originally published in 1952. Following on from British Scientists
of the Nineteenth Century, this volume covers six eminent British
scientists whose work and personality have not receded into the
same depth of perspective as their predecessors of the Nineteenth
Century, but the tremendous changes following the two world wars
have already cut them off sharply from this generation. Crowther
concludes that these six scientists arose out of various phases of
capitalist development and imperialism.
The Progress of Science, first published in 1934, was originally
intended to help the interested reader develop their understanding
of the natural sciences as they stood in the period leading up to
the Second World War. This intention was predicated on the belief
that the spirit of science can only have a positive influence on
human society, and that when enough people are sufficiently
scientifically-minded the problems of civilisation will be resolved
through the steady application of scientific principles. Covering
the full range of the distinct disciplines- physics, chemistry,
biology - this collection offers a fascinating window into the
attitudes towards science at a time when the full extent of its
potentially catastrophic potential was about to be realised across
the world.
The Progress of Science, first published in 1934, was originally
intended to help the interested reader develop their understanding
of the natural sciences as they stood in the period leading up to
the Second World War. This intention was predicated on the belief
that the spirit of science can only have a positive influence on
human society, and that when enough people are sufficiently
scientifically-minded the problems of civilisation will be resolved
through the steady application of scientific principles. Covering
the full range of the distinct disciplines- physics, chemistry,
biology - this collection offers a fascinating window into the
attitudes towards science at a time when the full extent of its
potentially catastrophic potential was about to be realised across
the world.
BRITISH SCIENTISTS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY J. G. CROWTHER By the
same author THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE THE ABC OF CHEMISTRY AN OUTLINE
OF THE UNIVERSE SCIENCE FOR YOU SHORT STORIES IN SCIENCE OSIRIS AND
THE ATOM SCIENCE IN SOVIET RUSSIA INDUSTRY EDUCATION IN SOVIET
RUSSIA CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. HUMPHRY DAVY, 1778-1829 II. MICHAEL
FARADAY, 1791-1867 III. JAMES PRESCOTT JOULE, 1818-1889 IV. WILLIAM
THOMSON, 1824-1907 V. JAMES CLERK MAXWELL, 1831-1879 SELECT
BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX PLATES JAMES CLERK MAXWELL Frontispiece FACING
PAGE HUMPHRY DAVY, AGED 23 SIR HUMPHRY DAVY MICHAEL FARADAY MICHAEL
FARADAY AND HIS WIFE SARAH JAMES PRESCOTT JOULE WILLIAM THOMSON,
AGED 22 SIR WILLIAM THOMSON LORD AND LADY KELVIN JAMES CLERK
MAXWELL, AGED 6 JAMES CLERK MAXWELL, AGED 10 JAMES CLERK MAXWELL,
AGED 10 JAMES CLERK MAXWELL AS A YOUNG MAN INTRODUCTION Scientists
of the nineteenth century are appearing in a new perspective as
they recede into the past. It is now possible to recognise aspects
of their work not wholly visible to their contemporaries. This book
was started with the intention of using the new opportunity to
discuss some of these aspects. Inspiration was also derived from
the instructive essay on The Social and Economic Roots of Newtons
Principia communicated by Professor Hessen to the International
Congress on the History of Science in 1931. Professor Hessen
discussed in a manner not hitherto seen in English literature the
relation between Newtons ideas and the social characteristics of
his time. The first intention was to include about twenty
scientists, but presently it became clear that the more remarkable
could not be usefully discussed in short essays. It was also
proposed to choose equal numbers of physical, bio logical, and
medical scientists. A difficulty then arose. Investigation showed
there were very few great British medical scientists in the
nineteenth century, and that the number of great biologists was
much smaller than the number of great physical scientists, of which
Davy, Fara day, Joule, Thomson, and Maxwell appeared to be the most
important. These have been chosen as the subjects. Dalton was
excluded because he was already mature in the eighteenth century,
and Rayleigh because he was too close to the twentieth. The rarity
of important British medical scientists in the nineteenth century
is noticeable. This may be due to the exclusiveness of the medical
profession. They considered medicine an art distinct from science,
and conducted their educational colleges apart from the
universities. The theory of medicine was taught perfunctorily and
the student hurried on to the empirical training in the hos pital.
This utilitarian attitude was connected with the nature of the
organisation of medical service. The private hospitals and doctors
reflected the narrow views, common though not universal, in private
institutions. In addition, the sciences of biology, chemistry, and
physics were not developed enough to provide easy methods of
investigating the complexities of human physiology.
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