John William Draper

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John William Draper.

John William Draper (born May 5, 1811 in St. Helens near Liverpool , † January 4, 1882 in Hastings-on-Hudson near New York ) was an Anglo-Saxon natural scientist , historian and pioneer of photography .

Life

His father, John C. Draper, was a science cleric . He himself began studying mathematics and chemistry in London. After their father's death, the family emigrated to the United States in 1832. In 1833 he continued his studies at Pennsylvanian University, where he received his doctorate in 1836. Shortly thereafter he was appointed professor of chemistry, natural philosophy and physiology at Hampden Sidney College in Virginia; three years later he was appointed professor of physiology at the newly established New York University, where he and other professors founded the University Medical College. Since 1844 he was an elected member of the American Philosophical Society . In 1865 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , in 1877 to the National Academy of Sciences . During the American Civil War he was a member of the commission that inspected the hospitals after the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg . In 1850 he became President of New York University, in 1868 he resigned his professorship, but held lectures until 1881.

He died on January 4, 1882 at the age of 70 in his home in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Services

John William Drapers daguerreotype of his sister Dorothy Draper (June 1840)
The first secured daguerreotype from the moon (1840)

Draper's investigations into the effects of light on chemical substances and processes led him to photography early on. It is alleged that he made recordings two years before Daguerre's publication. The picture he took of his sister in 1840 is one of the oldest extant photographic portraits. In 1840 he took the first secure picture (a daguerreotype ) of the moon . In 1843 he recorded the first spectrogram - also a daguerreotype - of a celestial body (the sun) and discovered unknown spectral lines in the ultraviolet .

His special achievements related to the research of radiation energy. In 1847 he published the monograph " Production of light by heat ", in which he already set out the principles that Gustav Robert Kirchhoff could subsequently confirm. Draper's studies of the spectra of glowing substances led to the development of spectral analysis , which his son Henry used with great success in astronomy. The Grotthuss-Draper law is named after Draper and Theodor Grotthuss .

He also dealt with the practical application of electricity: he worked with Samuel Morse and carried out a series of tests in his laboratory, which showed that his principle of transmitting messages over long distances by means of electrical impulses worked.

Draper was a member of many scientific societies in Europe, including the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.

He published over 100 writings including:

  • " On the process of Daguerreotype and its application to taking portraits from the life " (1840)
  • " Memoirs on the chemical action of light " (1843)
  • " Treatise on the forces, which produce the organization of plants " (1844)
  • "Textbook of chemistry " (1846); " Textbook on natural philosophy " (1847)
  • " Treatise on human physiology " (1856)
  • " History of the intellectual development of Europe " (1863), a witty work in the manner of the Englishman Buckle
  • " Thoughts on the future civil policy of America " (1865)
  • " History of the American civil war " (1869–1871), for which the War Secretary Stanton gave him all official documents for use, * " Evolution, its Origin, Progress, and Consequences " (1877)
  • " Scientific memoirs: experimental contributions to a knowledge of radiant energy " (1878).

The history of the conflict between religion and science (1875) appeared in over 20 editions, was translated into many languages, and quickly landed on the " Index Librorum Prohibitorum ". German edition: History of the Conflicte between Religion and Science (1875).

His sons Henry and Daniel also became influential scientists.

Web links

Wikiquote: John William Draper  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Member History: John W. Draper. American Philosophical Society, accessed July 21, 2018 .
  2. ^ New York Times, January 5, 1882.
  3. ↑ See also Klaus Hentschel: Mapping the Spectrum , Oxford 2002 and Why not one more Imponderable ?: John William Draper and his "Tithonic" rays , Foundations of Chemistry 4,1 [2002], 5-59.
personal data
SURNAME Draper, John William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Anglo-Saxon natural scientist and historian
DATE OF BIRTH May 5, 1811
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Helens
DATE OF DEATH January 4, 1882
Place of death Hastings near New York