The Atmosphere of Heaven: The Unnatural Experiments of Dr. Beddoes and His Sons of Genius - Couverture souple

Jay, Mike

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0300168918 ISBN 13 : 9780300168914

Editeur : Yale University Press, 2010

Synopsis

The Atmosphere of Heaven At the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, founded in the closing years of the eighteenth century, dramatic experiments with gases precipitated not only a revolution in scientific medicine but also in the history of ideas. This book tells the story of Dr Beddoes and the brilliant circle who surrounded him. Full description

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

At the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, founded in the closing years of the eighteenth century, dramatic experiments with gases precipitated not only a revolution in scientific medicine but also in the history of ideas. Guided by the energy of maverick doctor Thomas Beddoes, the Institution was both laboratory and hospital - the first example of a modern medical research institution. But when its members discovered the mind-altering properties of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, their experiments devolved into a pioneering exploration of consciousness with far-reaching and unforeseen effects. This riveting book is the first to tell the story of Dr. Beddoes and the brilliant circle who surrounded him: Erasmus Darwin, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey, who supported his ideas; James Watt, who designed and built his laboratory; Thomas Wedgwood, who funded it; and his dazzling young chemistry assistant, Humphry Davy, who identified nitrous oxide and tested it on himself, with spectacular results. Medical historian Mike Jay charts the chaotic rise and fall of the Institution in this fast-paced account, and reveals its crucial influence - on modern drug culture, attitudes toward objective and subjective knowledge, the development of anaesthetic surgery, and the birth of the Romantic movement.

Revue de presse

'Magnificent!' --Oliver Sacks. 'Enthralling. This is exactly the kind of cross-cultural biography we need. Lively and sympathetic, it restores the renegade Dr Thomas Beddoes to his rightful place in scientific history, but also to his revolutionary circle of literary friends.' --Richard Holmes --Oliver Sacks; Richard Holmes

Enthralling. This is exactly the kind of cross-cultural biography we need. Lively and sympathetic, it restores the renegade Dr Thomas Beddoes to his rightful place in scientific history, but also to his revolutionary circle of literary friends. --Richard Holmes

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Yale University Press
• Date d'édition: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0300168918
• ISBN 13: 9780300168914
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 294