The Wonderful Century: Its Successes and FailuresThe Wonderful Century, originally published in 1898, is a unique book, offering a retrospective of the grand scope of the 19th century. In it, British biologist and explorer ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE (1823-1913) discusses what he considers the successes of the last hundred years, including advances made in modes of travel, mechanization, photography, the analysis of light, physics, the study of dust, chemistry, astronomy, glaciers, geology, evolution, and medicine. He also covers those areas of study that have not been advanced as much as he believes they should have been. Among the curious topics in the "Failure" section of the book are phrenology, hypnotism, and the fallacy of vaccination. It will be amusing to modern readers that many of the areas that Wallace thought needed to be elucidated better in the future have since been proven false. History buffs as well as readers wishing to be entertained by the skewed views of the past will find this book a joyous and engaging read. |
Contents
1 | |
12 | |
17 | |
24 | |
31 | |
NEW APPLICATIONS Of LightSpECTRUM ANALYSIS | 42 |
THEORETICAL DISCOVERIES IN PHYSICS | 51 |
MINOR APPLICATIONS OF PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES | 59 |
EVOLUtion and Natural Selection | 135 |
POPULAR DISCOVERIES IN PHYSIOLOGY | 143 |
THE NINETEENTH AS COMPARED with Earlier CENTURIES | 150 |
CHAPTER | 159 |
THE OPPOSITION TO HYPNOTISM AND PSYCHICAL | 194 |
VACCINATION A DELUSIONITS PENAL ENFORCE | 213 |
TEENTH CENTURIES | 316 |
XIX | 325 |
THE IMPORTANCE OF DustA Source of Beauty AND Essential to Life | 69 |
A FEW OF THE GREAt Problems of Chemistry | 86 |
ASTRONomy and CosmIC THEORIES | 93 |
THE GLACIAL EPOCH AND THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN | 110 |
XX | 343 |
XXI | 369 |
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Common terms and phrases
admitted alleged amount animal Animal Magnetism Army and Navy asylum atomic atomic weights average brain cause cent centre cination clairvoyance color Commissioners compared conclusion continuous death-rate decrease diagram diphtheria discovery dust early earth effect England enormous epidemic equally especially evidence facts Final Report give given glacier greater heat important improvement increase indicated Ireland last century Leicester less light living London Mathilde Blind matter means measles ment meteoritic meteors miles million motion nature nineteenth century observed official organs particles patients period persons phenomena phrenology planet population portion probably produced proof proportion proved rays render result revaccinated Royal Commission scarlet fever scientific Scotland shown Sir Charles Lyell small-pox deaths small-pox mortality solid stars statement statistics surface Table theory tion unvaccinated vaccinated Ireland vaccination various wealth whole wholly zymotic diseases
Popular passages
Page 13 - Work - work work Till the brain begins to swim! Work - work - work Till the eyes are heavy and dim! Seam , and gusset , and band , Band , and gusset , and seam , Till over the buttons I fall asleep, And sew them on in a dream! "O men with sisters dear! O men with mothers and wives! It is not linen you're wearing out , But human creatures
Page 25 - Put out the light, and then put out the light. If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore, Should I repent me: but once put out thy light, Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume.