Andrew Crosse

Andrew Crosse ( born June 17, 1784 in Broomfield, Somerset, † July 6, 1855 ) was a British naturalist who dealt particularly with experiments on electricity. Crosse was an early pioneer in the practical applications of electricity field and became known especially by press reports about his 1836 experiments performed on electric crystallization, apparently in the running as well as developed from scratch insects, but which turned out to be cheese mites in retrospect, probably his instruments were contaminated.

Childhood and youth

Crosse was the eldest son of Richard Crosse and Susannah Porter. In 1788 he accompanied his parents to France, where he went to school for a time in Orléans. From his sixth up to the age of eight he was taught by a private tutor, Reverend White, in Dorchester, where he learned Greek. On 1 February 1792, he was sent to Bristol to continue to go to school there. Around the age of twelve he persuaded one of his teachers, to take part in scientific presentations. One of these lectures dealt with the electricity, which led to Crosses lifelong interest in this area. His first experiments during his school days were in the construction of a Leyden jar. After school Crosse attended Brasenose College, Oxford.

Life and work

After Crosse had finally lost both parents at the age of 21 years - his father died in 1800, his mother in 1805 - he took over the handling of family matters. After he had given up his job for the barrister, he devoted his free time more and more to the study of electricity in Fyne Court, his mansion, where he established his own laboratory. He also dealt with mineralogy and was interested in crystalline deposits in caves. Around 1807, he combined his interests and experimented with electric crystallization, especially with calcium carbonate from a cave near Holwell. He established from about 1817 back to work on this and produced a total of 24 electro- crystallized minerals.

One of Crosses experiments consisted of an apparatus to investigate the electrical properties of the atmosphere ( " to extensive apparatus for examining the electricity of the atmosphere" ). It was a about two kilometers long cable ( to around 550 meters later shortened ), which was supported by pillars and trees, with the help of which he could determine the polarity of the atmosphere with different weather conditions. His results were published by his friend George Singer in 1814 as part of the work " Singers Elements of Electricity and Electro- Chemistry".

Together with Humphry Davy, who visited later ( 1827) Fyne Court, Crosse was one of the first researchers who produced large Volta columns. Although Crosse also built larger, Henry Minchin NoAds "Manual of Electricity" describes one of his batteries was 50 Leyden jars composed with a total surface area of ​​6.8 m². Using its cable Crosse was able to load and unload up to 20 times per minute, accompanied by a bang like a cannon shot was almost as loud ( " Accompanied by reports almost as loud as Those of a cannon " ). Because of such experiments it was known locally as "the thunder and lightning man" ( " Thunder and Lightning Man "). 1836 Richard Phillips reported on a wide variety of Volta columns in Crosses laboratory, a total of 2500, of which 1500 were in operation when he was present.

While little of his work was published and widely researched Crosse private interest, he was persuaded in 1836 to participate in a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Bristol. After he had told in the privacy of a friend in Bristol by his discoveries, he was also invited to present to both the chemical and the geological section of the meeting, where they met with keen interest. This included his research on the electrocrystallization, the electricity of the atmosphere and its improvements in the Volta a column with.

Crosse isolated by electrolysis successfully copper from its ores, experimented with the electrolysis of sea water, wine and brandy, to clean them, watching the effects of electricity on vegetation and went after several other interests. He also dealt with the practical applications of electricity and magnetism. He pioneered work on the development of the speaker and of telegraphy, even he was not concerned with the development of these technologies, however.

Controversy

A few months after the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science Crosse was busy with another experiment to electrocrystallization as he watched something on the 26th day of the experiment, which he described as "the perfect insect, standing erect on a few bristles Which Formed its tail " ( " the perfect insect that erect on a few bristles which formed its tail, stands " ) described. The aim of the experiment was actually the production of artificial quartz crystals on the surface of a stone under an electric voltage, the Crosse constantly beträufelte with an acid solution. Appearing more and more of such creatures, and two days later she moved her legs. During the next few weeks appeared hundreds of these little creatures, they climbed over the table, and hid themselves as soon as they found an opportunity to do so. Crosse identified them as members of the genus Acarus.

Irritated by these results Crosse mentioned the incident to some friends and shared his results of the London Electrical Society with. A local newspaper found out, published an article about the "extraordinary experiment" and called the insects " Acarus crossii ". The article was picked up in the subsequent period in the British Isles and in continental Europe. Some of the readers seemed to get the impression Crosse have created the insects somehow or at least it claims. He received angry letters in which he became the blasphemy and the attempt to try to take the place of God as the creator of accused; some of them contained even death threats. Local farmers pushed Crosse to blame for the blight on their wheat and gave an exorcism in order. The opposition Crosses was so fanatical that he had to retire to the solitude of his residence Fyne Court.

Other scientists tried to repeat the experiment. WH Weekes operation some effort to ensure that the experiment proceeded under closed conditions by the experimental setup placed under a glass dome. According to his own statements were also used for his experiment, not hundreds, but at least five of the enigmatic insects to light, but because of the controversy that had triggered Crosse, Weekes were never published results. In February 1837, many newspapers reported that Michael Faraday as well Crosses experiment had successfully adjusted. However, this was not true, Faraday had not even tried it. Later researchers, such as Henry Noad, Alfred Smee, John George Children and Golding Bird, were unable to repeat Crosses experiment successfully. Crosse himself never claimed to have created the insects; Instead, he suspected that in his sample hidden insect eggs that would have been. Later commentators agreed that the insects were probably cheese mites and Crosses instruments were contaminated.

It was erroneously thought that this episode was the inspiration for the story of Frankenstein, although the could not be so, since Crosses experiment took place almost 20 years after the publication of the novel. The idea that Crosses experiment was a model for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, probably Man was created by the 1979 published book The who what Frankenstein by Peter Haining. However, Mary Shelley knew Crosse fact, namely, through a mutual friend, the poet Robert Southey. She and Percy Shelley lived in December 1814 at a lecture Crosses in London, in which he described his experiments on electricity of the atmosphere. Edward W. Cox wrote in the autumn of 1836 a report in the Taunton Courier about the visit of the two in Fyne Court to examine Crosses work.

Other Interests

Crosse also wrote a lot of poetry and enjoyed walks on the Quantock Hills, where Fyne Court is, "at all hours of day and night, in all seasons " ( " for both day and night, in all seasons "). He had a passionate interest in nature and the local geology.

Politically advocated Crosse access of disadvantaged people to financial education, argued against emigration and supported the campaign of local farmers against falling food prices and high taxes during the 1820s. He was also active for friends who aspired to political office. Crosse followed the Battle of Waterloo, boarded a ship at Exeter and was able to see the captured Napoleon Bonaparte on the deck of HMS Bellerophon at Plymouth.

Crosse also served as a local magistrate.

Private

Crosse married 1809 Mary Anne Hamilton, and together they had seven children, of whom but three died very early. Mary Hamilton himself died in 1846, four days after the death of Andrew Crosses brother after she had been ill for several years. On July 22, 1850, at the age of 66 years, married a second time Crosse, namely the 23 -year-old Cornelia Augusta Hewett Berkeley; the couple had three children together.

Andrew Crosse suffered on the morning of May 26, 1855 from a stroke, the consequences of which he eventually on 6 July of the year in the same room in which he had been born, died.

Memory and estate

Crosses bench is in the aisle of the church of St. Mary and All Saints in Broomfield; in the cemetery, an obelisk was erected to his memory.

The majority of Crosses mansion Fyne Court burned down in 1898, the garden and the 260,000 m² associated grounds are open today owned by the National Trust and for visitors. A number of documents relating to Crosse and his works are preserved in the Somerset Record Office. In December 2008, the Somerset County Council bought for 400 pounds two letters to add them to the collection.