Notes a report in
NatureNature
(1869–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> claiming
that 'men of science "are about to apply to Government for some further
Deep-Sea explorations"', but warns that 'We wouldn't hurry Ministers. Some of
them have already been getting signally out of depth'.
A series of questions beginning with the phrase 'Would it surprise
you'—a celebrated phrase used in the sensational legal case of the
'Tichborne Claimaint' (Arthur
OrtonOrton, Arthur
(b. 1834)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>). The questions are deliberately designed to make the reader
answer in the affirmative. These include '"Would it surprise you" to know that
the
Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of Physicians
CloseView the register entry >> were
insisting on the practice of homœopathy?'
Discusses the dispute between
John HampdenHampden, John
(1820–91)
DNBS CloseView the register entry >> and
Alfred R
WallaceWallace, Alfred Russel
(1823–1913)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> over the former's claim that the earth is flat. Begins by
explaining that Hampden bet five hundred pounds that he was right but 'the
Globe's champion', Wallace, was declared by an 'umpire' to be correct and
Hampden's 'vulgar belief' unfounded. Hampden then 'waxed wrathful', possibly
because he lost his bet or because his creed was 'upset'. Hampden was later
fined one hundred pounds by the Stratford Bench for his libellous remarks about
Wallace. Concludes by suggesting that Hampden 'illustrates one of Heaven's
laws'—'Fools must pay for their folly'.
Darwinism, Human Species, Progress, Population, Nationalism, Cultural
Geography
Responds to an article in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> calculating the net population growth in the United Kingdom taking into
account the rate of emigration. Argues that those who remain in England
'increase the severity of the struggle for existence', but those who emigrate
to a country that is warmer, less polluted, and where the struggle for
existence is less harsh, are making a 'natural selection'. Ironically suggests
that it is wrong to point out that in France, where the population is
stationary, the population problem is better managed. Instead, reminds readers
that 'gregarious opinion' compels them to 'extol the continued numerical
progress, and the railway-paced advancement in manufacturing industry, of this
great commercial nation'.
Mathematics, Religion, Religious Authority, Gender
Comments on a
Pall Mall
GazettePall Mall Gazette
(1865–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> report concerning
Richard
WilkinsWilkins, Richard
(b. 1830)
Venn and Venn
1922–1954 CloseView the register entry >>, a clergyman at
Magdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College, Cambridge CloseView the register entry >>,
who calculated, on the basis of the sacramental confession, that 'there will be
twelve women to one man who would enter heaven'. Believes that Wilkins has
invented a new branch of mathematics, but argues that calculations based on the
sacramental confession are hardly trustworthy because the confessional is a
'Protestant Counterfeit of a Roman Catholic institution', and that the
penitents are 'mostly of a sex especially tenacious of their own secrets'.
Suggests that the unreliability of the calculation stems from the fact that 'of
those who credited Wilkins with the character of a Catholic Priest', women
outnumbered men by twelve to one. Regards Wilkins as the inventor of the
'Theological Calculus'.
Psychology, Materialism, Religious Authority, Heterodoxy,
Superstition, Phrenology
Observes that 'modern Sages' argue for the dependence of thought on
phosphorous. Notes that in 'former days', the clergy would have 'fried' these
people for 'heresy deserving arson'. However, this claim shocks the reason and
'humbles pride and glory' and leads to the notion that when we loose
phosphorous 'we lose our wits'.
Responds to
John Tyndall'sTyndall, John
(1820–93)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
claim (published in
Tyndall 1871aTyndall, John
1871a. Fragments of Science: A Series of Detached Essays, Lectures, and
Reviews, 3rd edn, London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
CloseView the register entry >>) that
chemists could 'make a baby' given the proper materials. Notes that an
anonymous bard once thought he could do this. Observes that cooking 'sugar, and
spice, and all things nice' might result in the creation of little girls and
that mingling 'slugs and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails' might result in 'a
brood of goblins whom a popular nursery-rhyme calls little boys'. Concludes
that the 'Innocents' recently massacred—a reference to the people killed
by soldiers in the Paris Commune—were made from these repugnant
materials.
Discusses a bill to establish the metric system in Britain. Laments the
large number of existing systems of weights and measures and considers the
'incessant torture which a compulsory measure of this sort would inflict upon
the ignorant and semi-ignorant'. Believes it would 'bring on a
Revolution'—possibly an allusion to the Paris Commune of 1871. Points out
that Jewish people have several systems of weights and measures but supports
Alexander J B B
Hope'sHope, Alexander James Beresford Beresford
(1820–87)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> statement that he had 'no objection to a uniform system, if
foreigners found inconvenience in the present state of things', but insists
that the system be an English one. (43)
Discusses the attempt by 'Several influential persons' to find a use for
Greenwich Hospital—specifically, one for 'national purposes'. Suggests
that it should be used as a residence for a visiting foreign king or
emperor.
The writer describes his disappointment on reading the
Journal of the Royal
Geographical SocietyJournal of the Royal Geographical Society
(1833–62)
BUCOP CloseView the register entry >>, a publication which he believed would
remedy the 'defects' of his education. Explains that his limited knowledge of
geography deterred him from taking up an invitation in the periodical to
undertake an expedition to China. Continues to lament the parochial nature of
his geographical knowledge.
Response to
William
Thomson'sThomson, Sir William (Baron Kelvin of
Largs)
(1824–1907)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> presidential address to the
British
Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
CloseView the register entry >>, a version of which was
published as
Thomson 1872Thomson,
William 1872. 'Address', Report of the Forty-First Meeting of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science held at Edinburgh in August
1871, 41, lxxxiv-cv
CloseView the register entry >>. The subtitle
alludes to Edinburgh, which was the venue for the association's meeting. The
author likens the sun, a 'slowly-cooling liquid mass', to the warm contents of
a 'toddy-glass', but points out that the earth will continue to take 'draughts'
from the sun for 'millions of years', 'unlike [the] thirsty Scot' with his
toddy. Describes the nature and trajectories of comets and notes that just as
terrestrial railways are frequently strewn with wrecks, so 'smashes' on the
'meteoric railway lines' of 'heavenly space' are 'not unknown'. Insists that
'Life can only give life' and that this 'truth' should be stamped 'above
schools and their strife'. Enquires into the origin of life on earth and
explains Thomson's theory that 'earth's primal germs'—which 'might have
borne the sperms / Of other skies'—come from the remains of meteors
hurled at the lifeless planet. Notes that science denies that this seemingly
'far-fetched' hypothesis is a dream, and notes Thomson's opposition to accounts
of the earth that leave out 'Genesis and Moses'. Asks where the
life on comets originated and insists that 'we have but thrust the myst'ry one
stage back'. (62) Warns that despite palaeontological discoveries and 'creeds
and fancies' regarding the origin of life, there 'Looms, fixed and awful, A
Creative Power'. Considers it unwise for science to traverse and try to 'own'
'God's mysterious rule'. (63)
Comments on news that women attended 'social science' discussions at the
Edinburgh meeting of the
British
Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
CloseView the register entry >>. Cannot find any
'practical discussion' of branches of the subject 'wherewith ladies are
especially well qualified to deal'. Suggests several sciences that are social
and are therefore 'suitable for feminine harangues'. In general these are the
sciences of improving, with least personal expense, one's social and economic
position. Suggestions include the 'Science of procuring from mysteriously
gifted people all kinds of concert, opera, and flower-show admissions as often
as you want them' and the 'Science of reserving half the made dishes and sweets
of your Wednesday's grand-dinner, in order to do duty at your Friday's family
feed'.
Anthropology, Psychology, Human Species, Descent, Evolution,
Darwinism
In a thinly veiled reference to
Charles S Wake'sWake, Charles Staniland
(1835–1910)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>
paper delivered at the meeting of the
British
Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
CloseView the register entry >> (a version of which was
published as
Wake 1872Wake, Charles
Staniland 1872. 'On Man and Ape', Report of the Forty-First
Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held at
Edinburgh in August 1871, Transactions of Particular Sections, 41,
162
CloseView the register entry >>), the writer mentions
that 'W C Stanisland' told the anthropology section that there were 'a few
intellectual, moral, and spiritual differences' between humans and apes,
especially concerning the faculty of 'insight and reflection'. Notes that a
deficiency in this faculty makes men more like monkeys and thus supports the
theory presented in
Charles R
Darwin'sDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>Descent of ManDarwin, Charles
Robert 1871a. The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to
Sex, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>.
Thinks that another type of reflection might explain why Darwin wrote this
book: claims that on looking at the reflection of his face in a mirror, a man
might be led to believe that he was a 'pithecoid man, and bore a family
resemblance to an Orang-outang'. Suggests that man might therefore believe that
he and the Quadrumana have a common ancestor, but thinks photographs in shop
windows undermine this idea.
Shows a 'fond' Scottish father introducing his son to a schoolmaster. He
notes that his son has been put 'intil graummer an' jography' but explains that
since he neither means him 'tae be a minister or a sea-captain, it's o' nae
use. Gie him a plain bizness eddication'.
Response to
William
Thomson'sThomson, Sir William (Baron Kelvin of
Largs)
(1824–1907)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> presidential address to the
British
Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
CloseView the register entry >>, a version of which was
published as
Thomson 1872Thomson,
William 1872. 'Address', Report of the Forty-First Meeting of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science held at Edinburgh in August
1871, 41, lxxxiv-cv
CloseView the register entry >>. Claims, in
opposition to Thomson, that a meteoric stone 'with lichen overgrown' would have
fallen to the earth with any life contained in it 'burnt off'. Supposing
Thomson to be correct, imagines 'showers of fish and frogs' and a rain of 'cats
and dogs'. Says 'pooh' to Thomson, and considers the idea of aerolites
containing mould 'too hot to hold'.
Discusses a report in the
Hampshire
AdvertiserHampshire Advertiser
(1823–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> of a meeting of the
Winchester Board of HealthWinchester Board of Health
CloseView the register entry >>, which
heard a proposal by one councillor to appoint an officer of health and also
discussed the local mortuary house. Concludes from the report that the
inhabitants of Winchester appear to prefer the unsanitary path of leaving the
dead 'well alone'. Explains that the breezes which sweep down to Winchester
from the surrounding chalk hills dilute the 'unsavoury contributions' from
polluted 'receptacles' in the city, but hopes the local board of health will
undertake sanitary reform.
Military Technology, Medical Practitioners, Disease, Public Health,
Sanitation
Discusses the debate about gun-boats and a proposed 'Medical Police system',
and urges the need for sanitary action to thwart the imminent spread of Asiatic
cholera to Britain.
Comparative Philology, Zoology, Evolution, Human Species
Replies to people who do not believe 'in any history whatsoever, sacred or
profane', or even natural history. Challenges the notion that mermaids do not
exist. States that 'respectable persons' told a scientific audience at the
British
Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
CloseView the register entry >> that they had seen
mermaids in Scotland, but the claim went unchallenged. Announces that the
mermaid as 'one of the connecting links' between man and the marine ascidian
and then describes the mermaid's anatomy. Pointing out that the mermaid is
endowed with lungs and gills, claims that she is 'truly amphibious' and capable
of enjoying life on the bottom of the sea and seashore. Notes that the mermaid
occasionally shows more of her bust than women of the 'superior classes' who
wear 'low' dresses. Notes the mermaid's 'titivating' habit of combing her long
hair whilst singing in an unknown tongue.
Reports on the arrival of animals, including 'The Ludio Monkey, on a visit
to MR. OURANG OUTANG, Monkey
House,
Zoological GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>, Regent's
Park'.
Given the tendency of British warships to be wrecked or otherwise meet with
an accident, suggests that ship names such as 'Vigilant' and
'Thunderer' should be changed to 'Somnolent' and
'Blunderer'. Similarly, suggests names that reflect the disappointing
tardiness and unreliability of the vessels.
Discusses an advertisement offering for sale several young pythons, a baby
crocodile, and other animals. By purchasing these animals an 'enterprising
speculator' could create a 'good, paying exhibition'. Once the animals had been
trained, they could be introduced as a 'family' to the public, who would be
especially delighted if the crocodile could be kept young and made to cry.
Merrifield 1872Merrifield,
Charles Watkins 1872. 'On Certain families of Surfaces', Report
of the Forty-First Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of
Science, Held at Edinburgh in 1871, Notes and Abstracts of Miscellaneous
Communications to the Sections, 18-20
CloseView the register entry >>
Upholds vaccination as the greatest medical discovery since
William
Harvey'sHarvey, William
(1578–1657)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> discovery of the circulation of the blood. Criticises the
'Parliamentary Asses' who, lacking faith in vaccination, launched an official
inquiry into the technique. Notes that the inquiry vindicated vaccination but
made the 'idiotic' recommendation that the penalty should be greatly reduced
for those who neglected or refused to have their children vaccinated. Rejects
the argument that this clause in the legislation was to prevent 'conscientious
persons being fined': instead, thinks the true object of the clause was to
'make a weak concession to the asinine element in Parliament and out of it'.
Praises the
House of LordsHouse of Lords
CloseView the register entry >>
for striking out this clause and thus bringing penalties on those 'asses' who
risk their children's lives.
Observes that man's alleged descent from the monkey, and more remotely, from
the larvae of marine ascidians, is a subject which natural historians and
natural philosophers have 'vainly tried to solve'. Thinks that man's tendency
to 'ape' his betters and to drink like a fish is no less convincing an argument
for simian descent than 'citing the existence of a small point in the upper
inner portion of the inner ear'. Citing
Charles
Kingsley'sKingsley, Charles
(1819–75)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> argument that civilisations can 'fall as well as rise',
claims that the question of man's descent into savages and then apes is at
least as important as the question of man's simian descent. Admires 'ingenious
speculation' concerning man's simian descent but doubts whether this has
benefited mankind. Thinks that it is better for 'every true-born Briton' to use
his mental powers and stop aping his inferiors and to 'do battle' with his
animal propensities.
Reports a recent meteor shower at the village of Chignons. Notes that the
meteors allegedly came from Venus and thus support the possibility that 'other
planets are inhabited'. Reports a violent thunderstorm at Gulston where a
lightning bolt struck a piano in a house and played a recognisable tune on the
instrument. Reports the appearance of cucumber on a hitherto barren fruit tree.
Anticipates considerable botanical interest in this news.
Begins by insisting on the ugly appearance of 'Our ironclads' which are
bereft of the features of the 'wooden walls of old' that amply showed that
Britannia was 'ruler of the waves'. Agrees that the 'armour-plated man-of-war'
is no match for the 'mail-clad man-at arms of old' because it lacks the 'grace
of the medieval Knight'. Concludes by hoping that enemy's ironclads will be
even uglier than the British ones.
Discusses the possible subject of an advertisement for a 'Vowel Washing
Machine', suggesting that machines might be invented for cleaning consonants
and for inserting 'h's' when they are dropped.
Observes that
Charles R
Darwin'sDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> law of development implies that 'certain causes' produce
'varied effects', such as bats and birds, and that new and winged living things
would develop from species attempting to fly. Speculates that monkeys, owing to
continual leaping between trees, might have developed webs between their arms
and their sides. Considers that, after aeons, this 'flying arboreal Ape [...]
under conditions which modify shape', might have developed hoofs and horns.
Reflects that, the species becoming extinct, tradition might have preserved
remembrance of its anatomical features, representing them as the Devil to the
'popular mind'.
The writer informs Punch of his lack of scientific education. Wants
an explanation for the 'Periodic Comet of Arrest'. Asks whether this means that
comets, despite their movement in 'upper circles', are not free from the
'disagreeable operations of the Law' to which humans are subjected.
Believes that there might be 'some truth in astrology after all'. Responding
to striking engineers at the
Park End Company, Forest of
DeanPark End Company, Forest of Dean, firm CloseView the register entry >>, and the threatened strike by Newcastle policemen, wonders
whether a 'planetary stroke' is the cause of workers' strikes since no visible
cause can account for them. Thinks the working classes can now be called the
'Striking Classes'. Ends by implying that strikers are lunatics because the
only star under which they can be conceived to strike so wildly is the 'moist
star upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands'.
Hydropathy, Medical Practitioners, Mental Illness,
Charlatanry
Comments on the alleged therapeutic powers of the water in Lochmanur. Notes
that a reporter for the
Inverness ChronicleInverness Advertiser, Ross-shire Chronicle, and
General Gazette for the Counties of Elgin, Cromarty, Sutherland,
Caithness and the Isles
(1849–71)
Inverness Advertiser and Ross-shire Chronicle
(1871–85)
British Library
Newspaper Catalogue CloseView the register entry >>
observed that the 'impotent, the halt, the lunatic, and the tender infant' meet
up at midnight to immerse themselves in its water. Suggests that lunatics
probably outnumbered all other types of sufferer, and that the Lochmanur water
cure is no more efficacious at treating lunacy, 'than it would be if, as its
name would almost seem to imply, it were a tank on some Scotch farm'.
Homeopathy, Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment,
Heterodoxy
Responds to a letter in the
Hampshire
IndependentHampshire Independent
(1834–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> announcing that the
Winchester Poor Law UnionWinchester Poor Law Union
CloseView the register entry >> has
achieved much success in giving homeopathic remedies to the poor of Hampshire.
Asks whether Winchester inhabitants are aware of medical wisdom and comments
that the guardians are unprecedented in trying to 'supersede the medical
Faculty'. Wants to confirm that the guardians have 'officially recognised and
established Homœopathy'. Argues that homeopathy, if true, commends itself
to guardians because medical officers would have to supply the poor with drugs
in 'infinitesimal doses' and would thus increase their financial
remuneration.
Discusses puzzling extracts from orders issued to the
ArmyArmy
CloseView the register entry >> camp at Aldershot,
including one which states that during the autumn manoeuvres 'one hospital
orderly per regiment will carry a medical companion'. Thinks it is ludicrous to
expect a soldier to have to carry an army surgeon or assistant army
surgeon.
Punch, 61 (1871), 129.
Alpes Subactae. The Mont Cenis Tunnel, Begun September, 1857, Opened
September 1871.
Describes the political implications of the completion of the
Mont Cenis TunnelMont Cénis Tunnel
CloseView the register entry >> under the
Alps. Notes that the Alps presented a formidable barrier to military commanders
and their armies, but that the 'bitter brattle, / Of Alp and Engineer' was
finally won by the latter who laid a railway line through the tunnel. Concludes
by discussing whether the 'iron tether' now laid between nations will bring
'Labour, Peace, and Progress' and tie 'Men's races, toils and minds'.
Puzzled by a 'nautical notice' for 'Sirens worked by steam', reflecting that
this invention would have melted the wax Ulysses used to stop his ears. Notes
that
Erasmus DarwinDarwin, Erasmus
(1731–1802)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
was 'much laughed at when, some eighty years ago, he told the Georgian era that
steam would do miracles'.
Depicts Paterfamilias standing near a dining table where his daughters, who
are 'fond of sketching from nature', are drawing a leg of mutton before it is
taken away to be prepared for the next meal. Paterfamilias asks his daughters
to pay attention to an 'exquisite ridge of brown fat'.
Written from the perspective of a 'society' gentleman who notes a brief
reference in Punch to the 'alarming increase in defective vision in this
country' as shown by the use of 'double eye-glasses by young ladies of the
upper and middle ranks of society'. Disappointed that no learned medical
authorities have given their opinion on the subject, suggests that sufferers
wear tinted spectacles 'with sideglasses as required'. Thinks that if nothing
is done to stop this 'fashionable infirmity' then deafness may attack
society—a contingency which would foster the widespread use of
ear-trumpets. Concludes by noting that the 'lower classes' are not so badly
afflicted with short sight.
Notes that the 'public mind has been reassured by the result proving the
safety from accidental explosion of the gun-cotton discs' made by
Frederick A
AbelAbel, Sir Frederick Augustus, 1st Baronet
(1827–1902)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
The writer gives his relative, Algernon, some hints about how to spend his
vacation on his cousin's farm. Being passionate about self-improvement, his
suggestions include devoting himself to some 'rational pursuit' such as natural
history, and making himself 'an authority on the particular creatures you
select for investigation'. He also suggests that Algernon interest himself in
'agricultural operations and inquire into such specific topics as crop
rotation, corn averages, and irrigation, subsoils, the newest improvements in
implements, and the cultivation of Italian rye-grass'. He recommends gathering
statistical information from agricultural labourers and participating in some
of the 'minor operations of agriculture'. (149) Finally, he suggests reading
books and periodicals on agriculture and keeping a record of various
meteorological phenomena, including 'the wind, the clouds, electrical
phenomena, mock suns, lunar rainbows, auroras, &c'.
Discusses a recent 'Homœopathic Congress' in Oxford at which
Dr BlackBlack, Dr (homeopathist, of Clifton)
(fl. 1871)
PU1/61/14/0.7 CloseView the register entry >> of Clifton
gave a paper on '"Posology", which led to an animated discussion as to the
efficacy of high and low doses', a point on which homeopaths are evidently
willing to meet allopaths 'half-way'. Wonders what counts as half-way between
the infinitesimal doses of homeopathy and a 'common dose', and considers this
to be an insoluble question.
Agriculture, Public Health, Internationalism, Politics,
Engineering
Believes that the issue of peat connects Ireland and sewage. Reports the
formation of the
Peat Engineering and
Sewage Filtration CompanyPeat Engineering and Sewage Filtration Company
CloseView the register entry >>, which has developed a process for using
peat in the purification of sewage. The venture is regarded as so promising
commercially that the company has contracted to work on Bradford's sewage for
twenty-one years. Reports that the company's remuneration derives from the sale
of peat charcoal in compound with other sewage materials. Considers the
possibility of taking peat from Irish bogs, using it to treat the sewage of
English cities, and then using the resulting compound of English sewage and
Irish peat to improve Irish and English crops. Thinks the exchange of these
agricultural 'presents' would improve Anglo-Irish relations.
Exhibitions, Animal Development, Evolution, Zoology, Descent, Human
Species
Reports the opening of a sea-water aquarium at the
Crystal
PalaceCrystal Palace
CloseView the register entry >>. Assuming that people are descended from marine ascidians,
speculates that the aquarium will witness the birth of water babies and their
development into humans. Thinks those sea urchins will develop human features
and later be taken to school. Believes certain men are already like fish:
gudgeons exist in human form, 'shoals of sharks' move in lawyers' circles,
'drinking like a fish' is a common human attribute, and some men are very fishy
and cannot 'keep their head above water'. Suggests that the affinity of the
English for the sea proves their marine descent.
Punch, 61 (1871), 153.
Man and Goose. (Song by a Student of Social Science)
Describes the noise and scampering of women motivated by some cause unknown
to the author. Notes the noise of the 'dirty men and boys' who rush forward on
the street, force the author to stand aside, and track 'each others' heels like
geese'. Accordingly wonders whether geese are kindred species to man and thus
thinks that
Charles R
DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> may be right.
Punch, 61 (1871), 154–55.
My Health[31/45][Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 101 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 111–12 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 149 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 163–64 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 173–74 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 195 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 227–28 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 242 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 246, 251 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 17 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 27–28 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 132–33 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 180–81 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 183–84 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 237 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 260–61 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 62 (1872), 9–10 Anon, 'My Health', Punch, 62 (1872), 29–30
Confused by a report about the
International Prehistoric
CongressInternational Prehistoric Conference
CloseView the register entry >>. Claims that, if prehistoric man is 'aught more than an
hypothesis', it is 'represented only by the Neanderthal Skull'. Wonders whether
congress members are prehistoric men and whether they derive from the 'Drift'
where their flints, 'copper caps', and 'cartridges' may one day be found.
Discusses an item of news claiming that under the Patent Law Amendment Act
of 1852, 'provisional protection has been allowed to the inventor of an
improved construction of the Governor'. Taking governors to mean employers,
agrees that they have improved 'since the old days'.
A series of reports of bizarre physical phenomena, including a 'shower of
monkeys in Monmouth', the discovery, by a Massachusetts woman, of a live
pterodactyl in a piece of coke she was splitting for the stove, and the report
of the shrimp eating a large craw-fish in the
Crystal
PalaceCrystal Palace
CloseView the register entry >> aquarium. The report on the pterodactyl explains that
although the animal was subjected to the high temperature by which coal is
converted into coke, it had sufficient vitality to survive. Adds that the woman
discoverer of the reptile is 'an eminent geologist' and a 'believer in the
Darwinian theory of descent'. Taking the pterodactyl to be one of her 'primeval
ancestors', she gives it pin money.
Discusses news of the worrying tendency of British ironclads to roll
exceedingly 'during the late cruise of the combined squadrons'. Laments the
fact that the ships cannot be used as steam-rollers to squash sharp flints and
granite on roads.
Compares members of 'Social Science gatherings' to rooks who caw in concert
'with the clack / Of many a garrulous jackdaw'. Notes their 'sere and brown'
caucus on foliage. Likens the prating of social science gatherings to the noise
at the 'Parsons' Congress' — an 'annual parley' that sounds like a
meeting of rooks and jackdaws. Notes that once a year the jaws of members of
these gatherings 'o'erleaps all bounds'. Thinks the 'Sage and Divine and
likewise Bird' are united in their 'common noisiness' and their common interest
in 'hearing and being heard'. Concludes that musical ears prefer the chorus of
birds to the talk of sages and divines.
Darwinism, Hypothesis, Theory, Descent, Evolution, Human
Species
Comments on a report in the
Morning
PostMorning Post and Daily Advertising Pamphlet
(1772–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> that a Carlisle man drowned himself after learning that
man descended from monkeys. Thinks he must have been insane, but warns of the
large number of people, many of them 'credited with being scientific as well as
in their senses, who imagine that
MR.
DARWIN'SDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> mere theory proves itself'. Wonders
whether Darwin or his 'disciples' can provide any cases of anthropoids going
mad. Cites the story of a monkey who, imitating its owner's actions, cut its
owner's throat.
Punch, 61 (1871), 180–81.
My Health[33/45][Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 101 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 111–12 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 149 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 163–64 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 173–74 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 195 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 227–28 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 242 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 246, 251 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 17 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 27–28 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 132–33 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 154–55 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 183–84 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 237 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 260–61 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 62 (1872), 9–10 Anon, 'My Health', Punch, 62 (1872), 29–30
Discusses an extract describing how the provincial council of Brabant in
Belgium has asked landowners to clear their trees and other foliage of
caterpillars and other insects. Explains that British farmers might do the same
using insecticide on sale from druggists' shops and small bellows for spraying
the insecticide. Suggests that 'idle boys' could do this work and considers
that this is better than farmers encouraging sparrow clubs that destroy birds
and thereby remove one of the chief deterrents of pests.
Points out the failure of the government to finance
Charles
Babbage'sBabbage, Charles
(1792–1871)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> calculating machine. Complains that the cost of securing
'the completion of that marvellous instrument' is a small fraction of the money
that has been 'squandered through
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>
mismanagement' since the funding for Babbage's invention ended.
A brief review of an unidentified new book on phrenology. Reproduces the
book's phrenological interpretation of
Kate J BatemanBateman, Kate Josephine
(1842–1917)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>,
a 'distinguished and delightful' actress much admired by Mr Punch. Agrees with
the interpretation but is mystified by discussion of an organ of 'Eventuality'.
Impressed that a phrenologist, who knows nothing of the actress, 'should be
able to hit out a character so accurately'.
Reflects on the astronomical expedition, under the direction of
J Norman
LockyerLockyer, Sir Joseph Norman
(1836–1920)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, to observe a solar eclipse. Wishes the party's telescopes
well and hopes 'a Vision sublime' will greet the expedition ship
HMS
MirzaporeHMS Mirzapore CloseView the register entry >>. Regrets the 'foe to the "Government"' who
believed astronomers would 'get into holes, and fall through'. Thinks the
prospects of the expedition are good given that 'there is not one
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> laggard on
board' the ship.
Laments the death of three 'Landmarks of Science and War': the military
general
John F
BurgoyneBurgoyne, Sir John Fox, 1st Baronet
(1782–1871)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the geologist
Roderick I
MurchisonMurchison, Sir Roderick Impey, 1st Baronet
(1792–1871)
DSBODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and the inventor and mathematician
Charles
BabbageBabbage, Charles
(1792–1871)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>. Believes they 'shaped our words and deeds' and were 'lights
to guide through darkling ways'. Describes Murchison's early career as a
soldier and his subsequent exchange of 'hammer for the sword'. Notes that he
'left, mapped and mastered, what he found untranslated in Earth's book' and
taught the lessons he had gleaned from examining the earth. Notes his
soldier-like mood and 'campaign with Nature' and the way 'men's loves subdued,
/ As though Silurian slates he cloved his way'. After noting his successful and
busy career, wishes he had lived to see
David
LivingstoneLivingstone, David
(1813–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> return from Africa. Considers that Babbage stood under
the 'dark / Of Destiny', and that he was the first to 'range / Lone Analytic
heights [...] By lettered sign and symbol quaint and strange'. Notes the
'grudged means and room' he was given to build his machine for 'making wheel /
And crank and lever ply the toil of the mind'. Cannot blame him for feeling
outraged at those who considered his calculating engine to be a 'toy'.
Describes how he subsequently lived a life of comparative obscurity, except for
the occasional 'sharp stir of strife'. Thinks his 'sore' but strong brain
'warred for truth', although the 'great dreams of his youth' were 'unachieved,
in brain and breast'. Does not doubt that he has gained his late reward of
immortality.
Praising the 'marvels of Electricity' and the 'triumphs of Telegraphy', the
author claims that the 'magic wire that encircles the globe' has 'achieved
another victory over the impossible' with news that £10,000 was 'remitted
to New York on Wednesday by Atlantic Cable'. Wonders whether travel by
telegraph will be possible in the future.
Suggests that the 'instinct which drives the moth and the daddy-longlegs to
fly into the light of a candle, is perhaps an impulse engendered in such
insects under such natural law tending to make them limit their own numbers'.
Wonders whether the same impulse actuates crowds of people to rush towards the
scene of a fire.
Laments the wreck of the
HMS MagaeraHMS Magaera CloseView the register entry >>.
Does not think this ironside was worthy of its crew who were 'The same stuff'
that manned 'Hearts of oak'. Explains that the ship sent to sea 'by a lot / Of
incapable duffers' and had rotten plates and holes in its hull.
Observations on various species found in London, whose characteristics are
related to humorous interpretations of their names. For example, the mudlark is
'principally seen towards nightfall on the shores of the river' and 'flits from
place to place in quest of anything worth picking up', and oysters' tendency to
cast their shells in 'courts and back streets' during August proves their
amphibious nature. Supposes that the decline in white mice and 'monkeys dressed
as soldiers' indicates a 'progressing civilisation', and invites naturalists to
observe that the 'Learned British Pig' has become virtually extinct. Observes
that rum-shrub, which was overlooked by
Carl LinnaeusLinnaeus (or von Linné), Carl
(1707–78)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, is
readily found where 'dram-drinkers do congregate'.
Spiritualism, Darwinism, Descent, Evolution, Human Species, Animal
Development, Proof
Responds to criticisms levelled at the
Report on Spiritualism by the
Committee of the London Dialectical SocietyLondon Dialectical Society 1871.
Report on Spiritualism by the Committee of the London Dialectical Society:
Together with the Evidence, Oral and Written, and a Selection from the
Correspondence, London: Longmans, Green and Co.
CloseView the register entry >> by supporters of
Charles R
Darwin'sDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>Descent of ManDarwin, Charles
Robert 1871a. The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to
Sex, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>.
Considering himself a 'Spiritualist and a Darwinist', the author considers that
spiritualism and Darwinism 'illustrate and confirm each other'. Argues that,
since Darwinists hold that man is descended from anthropoid apes, they should
agree with the spiritualist claim that 'disembodied simious spirits' also
exist. Believes the latter claim to be supported by the fact that spiritual
communications are often absurd and purport to come from apes impersonating a
'poet, philosopher or man of science'. 'The Ape-spirit imitates human speech,
being in a state of Darwinian development, which is as possible for a monkey in
the spheres as in this world'. Ascribes the 'ludicrous' incidents associated
with the medium Daniel D
HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to 'the monkey's tricks of tricksy spirits'. Deflects the need
to prove his theory by arguing that 'proof is an anachronism in science' and by
noting that his theory, like Darwin's, 'is the best we have to account for the
facts'. Believes his theory shows that 'the Descent of Man is no reason against
his Destiny' and denies that 'Darwinism and Spiritualism, respectively, are but
opposite poles of scientific and superstitious credulity'.
Discusses a report in the
ScotsmanScotsman
(1817–1900+)
BUCOP CloseView the register entry >>
describing how the Austrian government gives brandy to cattle being transported
to other countries. Wonders how this would be received by those upholding
England's liquor laws and the temperance movement. Suggests that giving brandy
to cattle may improve the quality of their meat and avert the
cattle-plague.
Entomology, Animal Behaviour, Morality, Religious Authority
Notices publication of
John G Wood'sWood, John George
(1827–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>Insects at HomeWood, John George
1871. Insects at Home: Being a Popular Account of British Insects, Their
Structures, Habits, and Transformations, &c., London: Longmans
CloseView the register entry >>. Notes
that insects have found ways of making themselves 'at home' in the home and
records a number of 'unspeakably unpleasant' insects contemplated by the book's
author. Believing the book to have been written by some 'literary Bedfellow
Destroyer', is surprised to learn that its author is a 'Clergyman and a
Naturalist'.
Describes how the 'gallant'
Capt.
ThruppThrupp, Capt.
(fl. 1871)
PU1/61/21/0 CloseView the register entry >>, commander of the recently wrecked ironclad,
HMS MagaeraHMS Magaera CloseView the register entry >>,
sent a diver overboard to examine the ship's hull. Notes that the hull was so
weak that the diver could thrust his knife through its plates. Describes how
Thrupp steered the vessel ashore but was later imprisoned and court-martialled
for 'saving his crew'. Points out that 'all England' was a witness to his
bravery and suggests that Whitehall has some leaks in its 'bottom'. Concludes
by suggesting that divers be sent to examine the hulls of ironclads before they
are launched.
Following the completion of the
Mont Cenis
TunnelMont Cénis Tunnel
CloseView the register entry >>, the author suggests some further engineering schemes for
which 'Companies are about to be started' and in which money can be
advantageously invested. These include the removal of the Pyrenees, the
'irrigation of the Great Desert', the 'transfer of the Great Pyramid to the
South
Kensington MuseumSouth Kensington Museum
CloseView the register entry >>', and the raising of the temperature of the polar
seas by artificial means.
The illustration depicts an 'experienced night nurse' complaining to a
sleeping patient in a hospital ward. She asks the patient to stop his 'wheezing
and snoring' since such a 'horrid noise' is keeping her awake.
Zoology, Disease, Medical Treatment, Ornithology, Taxonomy, Animal
Behaviour
Reports of a series of bizarre incidents, some of which concern natural
phenomena. One report claims that 'A splendid specimen of the bald-headed
golden eagle (the Aquilla chrysaëtos of
LINNEAUSLinnaeus (or von Linné), Carl
(1707–78)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>)' has been shot a
Scottish peer's gamekeeper. The bird measured 'four feet six inches and a half
across the chest, and the rest of its limbs and tail were in proportion'.
Begins with an extract from the
EchoEcho
(1868–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> describing a
report in an 'American Journal' of a woman who invented a machine for
preventing her husband from snoring. Suggests a number of other inventions from
America that will get rid of 'petty annoyances'. These include 'A machine to
prevent babies crying', 'A machine for parting the hair, particularly the back
hair, with mathematical precision and nicety', and 'An instrument for opening
oysters easily and expeditiously'.
Discusses an extract from an article in the
Court
JournalCourt Journal
(1829–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> describing how a fashionable New York woman will
illuminate her hair with 'little gas jets, the reservoir of which is to be
concealed amidst a wilderness of false braids, puffs and curls'. Plays on the
similarity of words describing the power of gas jets and those referring to
courtship. For example, suspects that with a 'fire in her eye, and a taper
waist', the woman will 'kindle a consuming passion in many a combustible
bosom'.
Discusses an advertisement in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> for
a medical officer to the
Honiton
Poor Law UnionHoniton Poor Law Union
CloseView the register entry >>, a position paying the meagre salary of £9 per
annum. Suggests several reasons for the smallness of this salary, including the
argument that the poor-law guardians wish to treat their medical officer as one
of the pauper inmates.
Societies, Sanitation, Public Health, Ornithology, Comparative
Philology, Archaeology, Human Species, Extinction
Spoof digest of proceedings at London's scientific societies. Reports that
'scientific circles' are discussing the possibility of thwarting London's
worsening sanitary condition by means of 'mountain breezes conveyed fresh
through silicated tubes from healthy districts direct to the Metropolis'.
Reports Professor Ospray's paper at the Oological Society, on the amount of
albumen in the Kittiwake's egg, and the 'sharp discussion' following an
exhibition at the 'Acumenical' of some flint toys 'found in the lake nurseries
of the ancient Hyperboreans'. Reports that the Cosmoramic Society will present
news of an extinct human race, lately encountered in the 'heart of the
Sunderbands', whose members have no ear-lobes.
Relishes news that
William R
GroveGrove, Sir William Robert
(1811–96)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> has been made a judge. Believes he 'is an honour to the
ermine' and advises him not to let off 'the next rascally incendiary' as easily
as some judges.
Punch, 61 (1871), 268.
Sparrows for Canada (A Ballad for British Farmers)
Challenges the decision by the English government to send sparrows to Canada
where they will be used as a deterrent against agricultural pests. Mocks the
claim made by 'sciencers' that what 'the good sparrers does [...] Is ten
thousand times wuth all their damage to grain'. Concludes by insisting: 'the
moor I be argy'd that sparricide's wrong, / Shall stick to my Sparrer Club all
the moor strong'.
Positivism, Religious Authority, Astronomy, Miracle
Depicts a parson asking a boy to define a miracle. The parson asks the boy
to respond to the claim that the sun shone at night, and the boy answers that
he would take such a claim to mean that the sun was in fact the moon. The
parson asks the boy to interpret the same claim having been 'told' that
the bright object was the sun, and the boy answers that he would then interpret
the claim as a lie. The parson insists that he is not a liar but the boy claims
that he would think that the parson 'wasn't sober' were he to insist that the
sun appeared at night.
This poem marks the death of the 'Railway King', George Hudson, by
describing the mania for buying shares in his railway schemes: even
'Archbishops put their croziers down, / To write to him for shares, / Great
ladies by his smile or frown / Were changed to bulls or bears' (272). Describes
how the 'fairy treasures' of 'our Great King' turned to 'dust' 'When all the
bubbles we had blown / Burst with a swift collapse', and that people heaped
blame on Hudson for their financial misfortunes. However, notes that some who
'said it is a sorry thing / A Beggard King to see' bought the penurious Hudson
an annuity, a gift which Hudson clutched gratefully. Concludes by claiming that
Hudson now 'rests, where Kings and churls are one'.