News

I love that Thomas Huxley, a biologist, wrote the opening to the first Nature. He is the grandfather of Andrew Huxley; also a biologist of the Hodgkin-Huxley conductance-based model fame. T Huxley’s use of Goethe is interesting, given how Goethe seems to be talking about God but attributing His energies to mother nature. T Huxley was agnostic so he stopped at empirical data.

A foreign agency, [insect], is required for plants to cross-fertilize. Winter plants are able to self-fertilize by changing their structure within or after the flower has opened. Plants can cross-fertilize to others close to them of the same or different species. {nearest neighbor interactions?} Abruptly bringing plants indoors (warmer temperature), will cause them to discharge their pollen faster.

A comedic piece discussing a reverends dismissal and argument against T Huxley’s views. And the editorial seems to be an early argument that scientists work for mankind and not only for themselves or their fellows. {This is obviously a fallacy as man is fallen} Science shouldn’t be enforced on others. However, data and observation should be shared and discussed. “It is impossible to separate science from other knowledge and from daily life”. {this is why established views take a generation passing to begin to be challenged}

Solar eclipses stop the glare caused by he reflection of sunlight on earths atmosphere. This allows anything surrounding the sun that is normally inhibited by the glare to be seen. This allows one to see the pearly white corona and red prominences {solar flares?}. The spectroscope was used to study the “red flames” and showed mostly H. There was major disagreement about the source of the corona effect. The solar spectrum shows the Fraunhofer lines of H, Na, Fe, and Mg.

Books Received

Many stone implements were used in the Bronze Age.

Look up Hansen’s method for calculating planet disturbances; planet Pomona; Themis {they seem to be moons of Jupiter from the context clues}; bouvards tables for Jupiter and Saturn. The planets effect each other {if only modern day science would allow for this}

News

Teaching science to children: experimental mechanics, chemistry, and physiology. Also systemic botany to teach observation. Electricity interests boys and should be fostered. “Boys make nothing their own so thoroughly as that which they select themselves”. So let them branch out from these topics. At least 3h/wk -> 2y mechanics + 2y chemistry + 1y botany + what remains for physiology. Start when 11yo. Year 1: tons of experiments and some easy problems; reproduce lectures and drawings by hand each week. Year 2: master a good book. Year 3: lectures in inorganic chemistry with a textbook and experiments shown. Year 4: all laboratory. Year 5: botany, henslows schedules – will know classification and be able to identify local flora and fauna. Remaining time: physiology first human then comparative (Huxley’s book).

Mechanics: air pump, pulleys, models of force pump, common pump, Keith Johnston’s scientific maps, newths natural philosophy second year.

Take daily walks and understand engines at work.

Chemistry: still, stove, has jars, pneumatic trough, tubing, chemicals, test tubes, wash bottle, 24 test solutions, blow pipe, beakers, Roscoes or Williamson’s textbook.

Botany: professor oliver lessons, Lindleys descriptive botany

Meteorogical instruments and a telescope.

“Culture and refinement brings fewer pupils up to a given mark within a given time; it what he has taught remains with them; they never forget or fall back”

Habit and desire of intellectual improvement is what school is supposed to provide. Must make learning pleasurable for students to learn.

The amount of water mixed with phosphoric acid dictates what compounds are made.

The slow oxidation of phosphorous by atmospheric air emits light.

Water of crystallization = water + various salts

Chemistry

Uranium was found to be one of the densest metals

Physiology

Cholera results from a cholera poison (z) and then there is a cholera germ (x) which “of itself will not produce cholera symptoms. {bechamps terrain theory proven correct again… the bacteria shows up to deal with the poison}. “It may remain, and probably may multiply in the human body, and be carried in or on the body from place to place without of itself producing cholera. Cholera symptoms can only be brought about by z, and x can only give rise to cholera, indirectly, by generating z. But x, in order that it may generate z, must come into contact and act on another substance (y). So x germinates into z only through meeting with y. So x is like dad and y like mom who make z which is sterile or can only produce x. With z you have some x which clings to the products of z.

Societies and academies

The last light from the sun when setting is bluish-green

The moon gives off heat and the amount increases rapidly to the full moon.

Yellow and red rays cause faster evaporation and decomposition of carbonic acid than blue and violet.