ANGELO SALA
(1576 - 1637)
Self-educated chemist that experimented with silver salts. In 1614 published that the paper containing silver nitrate reacted with sunlight causing it to darken. Same observations were made by Robert Boyle, who unfortunately gave the wrong explanation by stating that the above reaction occurred due to air and not by sunlight.
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Saturday, February 7, 2009
ANGELO SALA
MEGHNAD SAHA
MEGHNAD SAHA
Meghnad Saha was born on the 6th of October, 1893 in a village named Shaoratoli near Dhaka in Bangladesh. His father Jagannath saha was a grocer in the village. Meghnad was acquainted with extreme poverty from his early days. He was admitted in the primary school of the village and had to attend the family shop and manage time to go to school. After primary education he got admitted into a middle school which was seven miles away from his village. He started staying in a doctor's house near the school and had to work in that house to maintain the cost of living. He stood first in the Dhaka middle school test. Got admitted into Dhaka Collegiate school. He got involved with the turbulent political situation of the country. During this time protests were going on against the British plan of dividing Bengal. Fuller was the Governor of East Bengal. One day he came to visit the Collegiate school. Along with other students Meghnad also went in the agitation and as a result he was suspended from the school and his scholarship was terminated. He got admitted into Kishorilal Jubili School. Meghnad passed Entrance exam from this school and stood first in Eastern Bengal region with highest marks in Mathematics, English, Sanskrit and Bengali. In 1909 he was admitted in Dhaka College and in 1911 he stood third in the ISc exam. In the same year the first position in ISc exam was taken by another famous personality , Satyendranath Bose. Both of them took admission in Presidency College with Mathematics honours. In those days Presidency college was a center of academic talents. Among his teachers were Jagadishchandra Bose, Prafulla Chandra Roy etc. His batch mates include S.N.Bose, Jnanchandra Ghosh and P.C.Mahalanbis was one year senior. In Presidency College Meghnad met Subhash Chandra Bose. In 1913 he graduated from Presidency College with Mathematics major and got the second rank in the University of Calcutta whereas the first one was taken by S.N. Bose. In 1915 , both S.N.Bose and Meghnad ranked first in M.Sc. exam, Meghnad in Applied mathematics and Bose in Pure Mathematics. During 1913 through 1915 , while studying in Presidency College, Meghnad got involved with Anushilan Samiti to take part in freedom fighting movement. Bagha Jatin, a famous freedom fighter, was used to visit his hostel for building student organization. Meghnad decided to do research in Physics and Applied Mathematics. But there was no proper infrastructure in Calcutta University for higher research. In 1916, Sir Asutosh Mukherjee requested Meghnad and Satyendranath to teach in the newly established Science College. There was pressure from students for including new sections in higher studies curriculum in science subjects. Most of the new development in Physics were being done in European countries like Germany. Meghnad's duty was to teach Quantum Mechanics. Within few days of starting teaching, Saha and Bose translated the papers published in German by Einstien and Minkowski on relativity into English versions. Later on this was published as a book from Calcutta University. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanbis wrote the preface for this book. In 1919 American Astrophysical Journal published - "On Selective Radiation Pressure and it's application" - a research paper by Meghnad. Slowly his expertise became astrophysics. And "Saha ions theory" was published. By 1920, Meghnad Saha established himself as one of the leading scientist in physics. Saha went abroad and stayed for two years. He spent time in research at Imperial College, London and at a research laboratory in Germany. In 1927, Meghnad was elected as a fellow of London's Royal Society. He wanted to set up a modern research laboratory in Calcutta University, but was not very successful. He moved to Allahabad University and in 1932 Uttarpradesh Academy of Science was established. He returned to Science College, Calcutta in 1938. During this time Saha got attracted to Nuclear Physics. In 1947, he established Institute of Nuclear Physics which later was named after him as Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. He took the first effort to include Nuclear Physics in the curriculum of higher studies of science. For the sake of development of science he joined politics and in 1951 was elected as a member of the Parliament. This great scientist died in 1956.
Leia Mais…
ANDREAS VESALIUS
ANDREAS VESALIUS
( 1514 - 1564)
Dr. Vesalius was a Flemish anatomist and physician. He was born into a family long associated with the medical care. He obtained his medical degree from the university of Padua. Then he worked there and teached surgery and anatomy. In 1559 he moved to Spain on an invitation to the Spanish court. He became physician at the court of Philip II. He had left Padua disgusted. He was condemned and people including his professor Jocobus Sylvius called him a madman who is poisoning Europe.
Vesalius’s surgical skills were extraordinary. He dissected. He dissected every sort of animal to improve his skill. He studied the anatomical structure of them. Once he wrote; “I could not even lay my hand upon a dried skull, much less take the chance of making a dissection. He overlooked every dissection he performed. He studied the bones perfectly.
After his enemy Sylirus died, Vesalius was invited back to Padua to take the chair of anatomy. But Vesalius decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and then go to Padua. On the return journey, in 1564, he was ship wrecked during violent storm, and died on a small island off the Greek coast. He was buried there only.
‘De human corporis fabrica’ is vesalins great work got published in 1543.
Leia Mais…
Vesalius’s surgical skills were extraordinary. He dissected. He dissected every sort of animal to improve his skill. He studied the anatomical structure of them. Once he wrote; “I could not even lay my hand upon a dried skull, much less take the chance of making a dissection. He overlooked every dissection he performed. He studied the bones perfectly.
After his enemy Sylirus died, Vesalius was invited back to Padua to take the chair of anatomy. But Vesalius decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and then go to Padua. On the return journey, in 1564, he was ship wrecked during violent storm, and died on a small island off the Greek coast. He was buried there only.
‘De human corporis fabrica’ is vesalins great work got published in 1543.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794)
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier is considered by many to be the "father of modern chemistry". He may not be remembered for grandiose experiments, but he is responsible for having forced the evolution of a world which was firmly ensconced in the doctrines of alchemists.
Another interesting fact is that Lavoisier's wife, Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze was also instrumental in bringing his experiments to fruition, and more importantly, to publication, being well educated and a talented artist herself, she translated documents and illustrated his scientific texts with incredible competence.
We hope this website, which contains a biography and important facts about Antoine Lavoisier will help you better understand the importance of his contribution to the field of chemistry, and the world of science in general.
It is only fitting that we conclude our introduction with the words of Justus von Liebig, who in Letters on Chemistry, No. 3, has this to say about Lavoisier:
“He discovered no new body, no new property, no natural phenomenon previously unknown; but all ‘the facts established by him were the necessary consequences of the labours of those who preceded him. His merit, his immortal glory, consists in this—that he infused into the body of the science a new spirit; but all the members of that body were already in existence, and rightly joined together.”
Leia Mais…
Another interesting fact is that Lavoisier's wife, Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze was also instrumental in bringing his experiments to fruition, and more importantly, to publication, being well educated and a talented artist herself, she translated documents and illustrated his scientific texts with incredible competence.
We hope this website, which contains a biography and important facts about Antoine Lavoisier will help you better understand the importance of his contribution to the field of chemistry, and the world of science in general.
It is only fitting that we conclude our introduction with the words of Justus von Liebig, who in Letters on Chemistry, No. 3, has this to say about Lavoisier:
“He discovered no new body, no new property, no natural phenomenon previously unknown; but all ‘the facts established by him were the necessary consequences of the labours of those who preceded him. His merit, his immortal glory, consists in this—that he infused into the body of the science a new spirit; but all the members of that body were already in existence, and rightly joined together.”
JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE
Jagadishchandra Bose was born on the 30th of November 1858 in Faridpur in Dacca District. Faridpur was a part of India until 1947; now it is in Bangla Desh. His mother Abala Bose was a tenderhearted and affectionate woman. His father Bhagawanchandra Bose was a man of excellent qualities. Bhagavanchandra Boise was the Deputy Magistrate of Faridpur. He helped very generally the poor and the needy. He would comfort people in sorrow. There was a famine in Bengal in the year 1880.Bhagavanchandra Bose spent his own money to help the poor villagers. In the year 1874 hundreds of families suffered because of wide spread malaria. Thousands of children lost their parents and became orphans. Bhagawanchandra Bose helped these orphans. He spent money from his pocket to start a factory and provided had to spend a lot of money on these. By the never regretted doing so. In the days of Jagadishchandra Bose’s boyhood, the well educated and the well to do. ; People wee attracted by Western culture. A man was proud if he had learnt English. But Jagadishchandra Bose’s education was really remarkable; it was dye to his father. As long back as a hundred year ago, Bhagawanchandra Bose started schools in which children were taught in Bengali. Jagadishchandra also received his early education in this school. Jagadish mixed with the poor boys freely and played with them; so he gained first hand knowledge of the sufferings of poor people. He learnt much more. He learnt how the fisher folk moved on the broad rivers in their boats, how the fishing rod was cast in the flowing water, how ploughing the land and sowing seeds in it grew the crops and how the cattle were taken to graze on the distant hills. He was all ears when the fishermen and the farmers gave such accounts. He was thrilled by their adventurous life and it made him more courageous in life. There was another interesting person in his early life. This was a servant who used to take Jagadishchandra to school every day. He had been a dacoit in the past Bhagawanchandra Bose as a judge had sent him to prison. After some time the dacoit came out of prison. But how was he to live? Bhagawanchandra Bose was a very good-natured man. So he employed him as a servant. The dacoit used to tell little Jagadishchandra. events of his past life the robberies he had committed and his cruel deeds
Jagadishchandra began a new chapter in his life at the age of nine. He had to leave his hometown. He went to the big city of Calcutta for further education. He was admitted to Saint Xavier School there. There was a world of difference between the previous school and this one. . In Faridpur he had studied everything in his own language. But here in Calcutta his schoolmates knew only English. The city boys, especially the English boys, teased him. One of them even hurt Jagadish chandra in a bout of boxing. Jagadish was provoked and he taught the boy a well- deserved lesson. That was the end of any teasing. While he was studying at Saint Xavier's, Jagadishchandra was staying in a boarding house. He had no friends and was lonely here. But he was a born scientist. Even as a boy he had many hobbles which showed his scientific interest. He used to breed frogs and fishes in a pond nearby. He would pull out a germinating plant and observe its root system. He had also a number of pets like rabbits, squirrels and non-poisonous snakes. Even in Calcutta he continued these hobbies to get over his solitude. He grew flower-bearing plants and had animals and birds as pets. He did well in his studies and was in the forefront.
Jagadishchandra Bose was back in India. He joined the staff of the Presidency College, Calcutta. There was a peculiar practice in that college. The Indian teachers in the college were paid one third of what the British teachers were paid! So Jagadishchandra Bose refused his salary but worked for three years. He could not even get the scientific instruments he needed for research. He was not shown the respect due to him. This did not continue for long. His deep knowledge zest for work and cultured behavior won over those in charge of the college. They saw to it that he was given the full salary of the post and not one-third. Teaching the same lessons year in and year out was very tedious to Bose. His was an alert mind, always on the look out for new ideas. He wanted to do research, to widen his knowledge and discover new things. A laboratory is necessary for research. Many scientific instruments are required. Jagadishchandra Bose had no laboratory and he did not have the instruments. But he was not disheartened. For eight or ten years he spent as little out of his salary as possible, lived a very strict life, saved money and bought a laboratory! Generally Marconi's name is associated with the invention of wireless.
In Paris he gave a lecture on this similarity between the living and the non-living world. Have you heard of 'radar`? This is a very wonderful scientific device. Sailors on the sea use it; it is also used to get information about aeroplanes coming towards a place. So you see how useful it is during a war. If the aeroplanes of the enemy try to attack a city, the radar shows their movement. J.C. Bose worked out some details of very great importance; these are being used in the working of the radar. When Jagadish chandra Bose again visited England, Cambridge University honoured him as a Professor. Generally, when a man invents something new he declares that nobody can make use of it without his permission. If anybody desires to, make use of it, he will have to pay him money, Why? Because the inventor has worked hard and he has used his time and brains for his invention.
Jagadishchandra Bose did remarkable work, - and scientists outside India had honoured him. Yet there were people who opposed him. As a result even the Royal Society delayed publishing his valuable work in its publications, But nothing could make him give up his work. He was sure that years of research had led him to the truth. So he did not feel that it was very necessary to depend on scientific journals only. He wrote books and published them on his own. By this time Bose had made a name for himself as a great scientist. The instruments he had developed were being used in some Western countries too. He visited Europe and America in 1907 and 1914; scientific institutions invited him to explain his discoveries. He visited Japan also.
Jagadishchandra Bose was famous as a scientist. He brought laurels to his motherland. But his interests were many-sided. He was especially interested in literature and fine arts. The great poet Rabindranath Tagore and Jagadish chandra Bose were very good friends. The first time Tagore visited Bose, he was not at home. Tagore left a bunch of champak flowers. This was the beginning of their friendship. Tagore invited Bose to stay with him for some time. Bose agreed to do so on one condition. The condition was that Tagore should narrate a story to him every day. This is how a number of Tagore's stories came to be written. Have you read the story 'The Cabuliwallah'? It is very fine story; it narrates how a deep and strange friendship grew up between a rough pathan and a tine Bengali girl. This has been translated into several languages and is well known in a number of countries. Tagore wrote this story when Bose was staying with him. And Bose, the great scientist , was also President of the Bengali Sahitya Parishat. We have already seen how Bose honoured the Indian sages of the past. Scientists of other countries praised Bose's important dicoveries; Bose used to say, "The sages of India knew all this long ago".
Jagadishchandra Bose was not a proud man. He was simple, affectionate and warm. It is not surprising that many great persons of the day were his friends. Prafulla Chandra Ray, another famous scientist, was one of his close friends. Eminent men like Gopalakrishna Gokhale and Mahatma Gandhi knew and respected him. Sister Nivedita was another good friend. She was an Irish lady; her name was Margaret Nobel. She was the disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She settled down in India and spent her life in the service of the people of this country. She recognized the genius in Bose. Bose toiled hard to educate the people about the importance of science, and Sister Nivedita admired his efforts. So she was keenly looking forward to the birth of the Bose Research Institute. In memory of her, Bose placed in front of the Institute the statue of a woman stepping forward with a light in her hand. He had another good friend, one Mrs.Bull. While touring America he was her guest. She had taken care of him as a mother. When he fell ill in Paris, she traveled to Paris, made arrangements for his treatment and personally looked after him. There were two other friends of his, two giants of the literary world. They were George Bernard Shaw, the English dramatist and Romain Rolland, the French writer. Both of them dedicated one book each to Jagadishchandra Bose. Jagadishchandra Bose was very busy throughout his life. He had no time to think of the problems of the household.
Jagadishchandra Bose had to repay the debts. So Abala Bose was very, very careful in spending money, and saved as much as possible. Unfortunately the Bose couple had only one child, which did not live long. They looked after the students as-their children. Abala Bose started girls' school in Calcutta and took upon herself the responsibility of maintaining it. She went with her husband when he went to foreign countries, and even helped in his scientific work. Jagadishchandra Bose has a permanent place in the world of science, especially in Botany. He began the Age of Modem Science in India and deserves honour for this. He had all the qualities that research requires. He had keen powers of observation and he was patient. He was also a very good lecturer. His students loved his lectures. He did not teach only for the sake of the examination. Students should study books and study what the teacher teaches; but this is not enough; they should use their brains and think for themselves; they should be eager to discover new knowledge - this is what he taught his students. He encouraged them to observe, to experiment and to think, without depending only on books and teachers. Jagadishchandra Bose died in November 1937. To the very end he was busy with research.Wealth and power never attracted Jagadishchandra Bose. He toiled for science like a saint, selflessly. This great scientist is a great example to all.
Leia Mais…
Jagadishchandra began a new chapter in his life at the age of nine. He had to leave his hometown. He went to the big city of Calcutta for further education. He was admitted to Saint Xavier School there. There was a world of difference between the previous school and this one. . In Faridpur he had studied everything in his own language. But here in Calcutta his schoolmates knew only English. The city boys, especially the English boys, teased him. One of them even hurt Jagadish chandra in a bout of boxing. Jagadish was provoked and he taught the boy a well- deserved lesson. That was the end of any teasing. While he was studying at Saint Xavier's, Jagadishchandra was staying in a boarding house. He had no friends and was lonely here. But he was a born scientist. Even as a boy he had many hobbles which showed his scientific interest. He used to breed frogs and fishes in a pond nearby. He would pull out a germinating plant and observe its root system. He had also a number of pets like rabbits, squirrels and non-poisonous snakes. Even in Calcutta he continued these hobbies to get over his solitude. He grew flower-bearing plants and had animals and birds as pets. He did well in his studies and was in the forefront.
Jagadishchandra Bose was back in India. He joined the staff of the Presidency College, Calcutta. There was a peculiar practice in that college. The Indian teachers in the college were paid one third of what the British teachers were paid! So Jagadishchandra Bose refused his salary but worked for three years. He could not even get the scientific instruments he needed for research. He was not shown the respect due to him. This did not continue for long. His deep knowledge zest for work and cultured behavior won over those in charge of the college. They saw to it that he was given the full salary of the post and not one-third. Teaching the same lessons year in and year out was very tedious to Bose. His was an alert mind, always on the look out for new ideas. He wanted to do research, to widen his knowledge and discover new things. A laboratory is necessary for research. Many scientific instruments are required. Jagadishchandra Bose had no laboratory and he did not have the instruments. But he was not disheartened. For eight or ten years he spent as little out of his salary as possible, lived a very strict life, saved money and bought a laboratory! Generally Marconi's name is associated with the invention of wireless.
In Paris he gave a lecture on this similarity between the living and the non-living world. Have you heard of 'radar`? This is a very wonderful scientific device. Sailors on the sea use it; it is also used to get information about aeroplanes coming towards a place. So you see how useful it is during a war. If the aeroplanes of the enemy try to attack a city, the radar shows their movement. J.C. Bose worked out some details of very great importance; these are being used in the working of the radar. When Jagadish chandra Bose again visited England, Cambridge University honoured him as a Professor. Generally, when a man invents something new he declares that nobody can make use of it without his permission. If anybody desires to, make use of it, he will have to pay him money, Why? Because the inventor has worked hard and he has used his time and brains for his invention.
Jagadishchandra Bose did remarkable work, - and scientists outside India had honoured him. Yet there were people who opposed him. As a result even the Royal Society delayed publishing his valuable work in its publications, But nothing could make him give up his work. He was sure that years of research had led him to the truth. So he did not feel that it was very necessary to depend on scientific journals only. He wrote books and published them on his own. By this time Bose had made a name for himself as a great scientist. The instruments he had developed were being used in some Western countries too. He visited Europe and America in 1907 and 1914; scientific institutions invited him to explain his discoveries. He visited Japan also.
Jagadishchandra Bose was famous as a scientist. He brought laurels to his motherland. But his interests were many-sided. He was especially interested in literature and fine arts. The great poet Rabindranath Tagore and Jagadish chandra Bose were very good friends. The first time Tagore visited Bose, he was not at home. Tagore left a bunch of champak flowers. This was the beginning of their friendship. Tagore invited Bose to stay with him for some time. Bose agreed to do so on one condition. The condition was that Tagore should narrate a story to him every day. This is how a number of Tagore's stories came to be written. Have you read the story 'The Cabuliwallah'? It is very fine story; it narrates how a deep and strange friendship grew up between a rough pathan and a tine Bengali girl. This has been translated into several languages and is well known in a number of countries. Tagore wrote this story when Bose was staying with him. And Bose, the great scientist , was also President of the Bengali Sahitya Parishat. We have already seen how Bose honoured the Indian sages of the past. Scientists of other countries praised Bose's important dicoveries; Bose used to say, "The sages of India knew all this long ago".
Jagadishchandra Bose was not a proud man. He was simple, affectionate and warm. It is not surprising that many great persons of the day were his friends. Prafulla Chandra Ray, another famous scientist, was one of his close friends. Eminent men like Gopalakrishna Gokhale and Mahatma Gandhi knew and respected him. Sister Nivedita was another good friend. She was an Irish lady; her name was Margaret Nobel. She was the disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She settled down in India and spent her life in the service of the people of this country. She recognized the genius in Bose. Bose toiled hard to educate the people about the importance of science, and Sister Nivedita admired his efforts. So she was keenly looking forward to the birth of the Bose Research Institute. In memory of her, Bose placed in front of the Institute the statue of a woman stepping forward with a light in her hand. He had another good friend, one Mrs.Bull. While touring America he was her guest. She had taken care of him as a mother. When he fell ill in Paris, she traveled to Paris, made arrangements for his treatment and personally looked after him. There were two other friends of his, two giants of the literary world. They were George Bernard Shaw, the English dramatist and Romain Rolland, the French writer. Both of them dedicated one book each to Jagadishchandra Bose. Jagadishchandra Bose was very busy throughout his life. He had no time to think of the problems of the household.
Jagadishchandra Bose had to repay the debts. So Abala Bose was very, very careful in spending money, and saved as much as possible. Unfortunately the Bose couple had only one child, which did not live long. They looked after the students as-their children. Abala Bose started girls' school in Calcutta and took upon herself the responsibility of maintaining it. She went with her husband when he went to foreign countries, and even helped in his scientific work. Jagadishchandra Bose has a permanent place in the world of science, especially in Botany. He began the Age of Modem Science in India and deserves honour for this. He had all the qualities that research requires. He had keen powers of observation and he was patient. He was also a very good lecturer. His students loved his lectures. He did not teach only for the sake of the examination. Students should study books and study what the teacher teaches; but this is not enough; they should use their brains and think for themselves; they should be eager to discover new knowledge - this is what he taught his students. He encouraged them to observe, to experiment and to think, without depending only on books and teachers. Jagadishchandra Bose died in November 1937. To the very end he was busy with research.Wealth and power never attracted Jagadishchandra Bose. He toiled for science like a saint, selflessly. This great scientist is a great example to all.
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