New-York tribune., 1901-02-18
A CENTURYS SCIENCE.
DIR. wILLIAMs's SURVEY OF THE LAST
HUNDRED YEARS

TIE STORY OF, NINETEENTH CENTURY
SCIENCE BY Henry Smith Williams, NJ d.
Illustrated Octave pp. as. Harper Bros.
IT was an ambitious scheme for one man 20
try 10 cover so wide field as that which is
traversed in this volume But extensive research
in collecting material thoroughness in dealing
with IL, and a lucid, dispassionate manner OF
presenting st. have justified DR.. Williams in his
venture. The general reader VIII find the book
valuable both for immediate perusal and future
reference. Not the least Of its merits is the
collection OF good portraits which Il contains.
In three OF his earlier chapters DR.. Williams
deals with branches OF natural philosophy that
have wonderfully extended mans conception OF
the age OF the universe Astronomy reveals an
identity OF composition between the stars and
the earth which is easy 10 understand, even IL
impressive in its significance. But the inagi-
nation can scarcely grasp the enormous lapse
of time represented by the life history OF one OF
those orbs. Then come paleontology and geology
which. though limited in their teachings 10 our
own small planet, nevertheless emphasize the
millions Of years required for the development
OF the long array Of animal and vegetable forms
OF which fossil remains have been found, and
FOR the formation Of the rocks in which the lat
Ter are embedded. A century and a half ago
few scientific men dreamed that the earth was
more than six thousand years old. But the
minimum estimate Of the modern scholar is
several thousandfold greater. The share which
Marsh, Cope. Ledy, Dana and other Americans
have had in archaeological and geological re-
search is occasion for pride on the part Of their
fellow countrymen.
Another important advance in science relates
20 the nature OF light heat electricity and mag
netism. The first two OF these were once re-
garded as emissions OF matter. Thomas Young
and Fresnel, however, indicated the probability
that they were merely forms OF force Rumford
Davy and others helped 10 establish the same
theory relative 10 heat. Davy suspected that
electricity. like chemical affinity, was a prop
erty OF matter" AID the investigations OF Ger
sted Ampere. Gauss and Faraday served 10
confirm that ouinion. The convertibility OF one
force, or form OF force, into another was de-
tected early IN the century. Then followed the
belief that in any such transformation the
amount OF the one force had an exact eouiya-
lent in the amount Of the other But not until
Joule and Mayer enunciated the doctrine OF .'the
conservation OF energy was the fact clearly
recognized
Maxwelrs idea Of electricity and magnetism
was that they were stresses or strains. SET up
in the ether. Young's undulatory theory and
Helmhoitz's electromagnetic hypothesis %
Hight also called for such a medium The Don
ular mind finds il hard 20 understand how there
can be something which is rigid enough 10 trans
init vibrations, which not only fills all unoccu-
pied space, but also pervades solid objects. and
which is nevertheless without weight and fric-
uoness. Yet that is a conception which the
physicist now entertains with little reserve In
cidentaily this notion. together with certain dis
coveries by Hemholtz concerning worthless sue-
gested 20 Kelvin the possibility that atoms
might be nothing but worthless in the ether An
ether modern theory regarding the constituent
particles of matter. more particularly of gases
is that they are IN constant state OF oscina-
tion. Maxwell went far as 20 conclude from
elaborate computations that the molecules q. air
travel over paths a half millionth OF an inch
long. and come into collision with each other
s0o0Oo0000 times a second! The differences
in atomic weight and other properties between
the various elements OF which matter Is com
posed belong 20 the chemists field o, inquiry.
To these Dr. Williams devotes suitable attention.
The doctrine OF evolution and recent progress
,n anatomy and medicine have been so recently
and so fully discussed by The Tribune that the
biological features OF the book may be dismissed
without elaborate notice. IL should be noted,
however that they are supplemented by an in
teresting review OF the studies Of the nervous
system and physiological psychology by Gall.
Desmoulins. Bell. Helmholtz. Fechner. Wunat
Braid and charcot