Synoptic series of objects in the United States national museum, illustrating the history of inventions / by Walter Hough.

  • Hough, Walter, 1859-1935.
Date:
1922
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Synoptic series of objects in the United States national museum, illustrating the history of inventions / by Walter Hough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In this paper 41 series are illustrated. The series are intended to lead the reader to the threshold of the inventive period which marks the. present day. The modern inventions are thus beyond the scope of this paper and should la' taken up in another publication. The preparation of the series, with its accompanying literature, is the work of Prof. Otis T. Mason. Prof. W. H. Holmes, and the writer. Hastily gathered together in the press of exposition work, it was scarcely a finished product, and despite careful review and edit¬ ing for publication no doubt inaccuracies will be found and, it is hoped, condoned. It is confidently believed that the publication of this work will greatly extend its usefulness in the educational system of the United States through its stimulation of thought and especially by the simplicity of its teaching. The development of invention is like the unfolding ol the human mind. It shows the connection of the present with the past and attains one of the chief objects of science, which is to reveal the structure of our civilization. HISTORY OH FI UK MARINO \NI> TI.KFMINATIoN'. At some early period man had a knowledge of fire in nature, de¬ rived from the volcano, from lightning, or from the friction of branches in the wind, but he made no more use of it than did the animals. At a later period he began to use fire from some one of these sources, carefully preserving it. Later he discovered that by rub¬ bing two sticks together fire could be produced at will, and In- knocking together pieces of flint and pyrites sparks capable of ignit¬ ing tinder could be had. In the iron age this became the familiar flint and steel, which gave way, after a number of chemical inven¬ tions, to matches. The use of fire also marks the beginning of artifi¬ cial illumination, which has developed along the lines of the torch and the lamp. The beginnings of metallurgy', ceramics, and other arts that have reached a high degree of development in this centurv are found in this fij’st use of fire. nchiks l.-—i n:r: mwki.m;. Plates 1 and 2. The. illustrations of specimens in the United States National Mu¬ seum show the implements used in making tire through friction of wood, percussion of minerals, compression of air, focusing of the sun's rays, through chemistry, and terminating with the electric lighter. The series is preceded by three drawings, the first two illustrating presumptive sources in nature, namely, the volcano and lightning.