A Brief History of Geomagnetism and a Catalog of the Collections of the National Museum of American History by Robert P. Multhauf, Gregory Good

Abstract

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 681 curator of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science at Cam­ bridge, and many of his examples are taken from that excellent collection. Unfortunately, while strong on European instruments, this book is unreliable for those made in America. Written primarily for collectors—hence its publication by a noted auction house—this book contains much of interest to scholars. It has an excellent bibliography, but the lack of footnotes will prove a hindrance to those not already familiar with the literature. Deborah Jean Warner Ms. Warner, curator, history of physical sciences at the National Museum of American History, is interested in the question of what a scientific instrument is and when and w'hy it became one. A Brief History of Geomagnetism and a Catalog of the Collections of the National Museum of American History. By Robert P. Multhauf and Gregory Good. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987. Pp. iii + 87; illustrations, notes, bibliography. Paper. The scientific study of geomagnetism may be said to begin with William Gilbert, who used compass and dip-needle to plot lines of force with the idea that global coordinates might be found to plot the course of a ship traversing the Atlantic. After the early practical needs, there were to develop much more exacting scientific needs to advance geomagnetic theory, and during the 19th century some of the finest scientific minds became involved. Alexander von Humboldt started his 9,000-mile journey around Russia and Siberia in 1829, and, because he was already famous and influential, his proposals for a series of geomagnetic and meteorolog­ ical observatories were surprisingly quickly adopted. His enthusiastic interest in terrestrial magnetism led him to persuade learned societies and governments to his way of thinking, and between 1829 and 1834 there existed a Humboldtian “magnetische Verein.” The British, having already a tradition in such investigations, soon established similar observatories. Persuaded by Edward Sabine, the British Asso­ ciation made a feature of promoting the study of terrestrial magne­ tism from 1831, and the territories of Canada, South Africa, and India were brought in to strengthen the data bank. In the United States, Alexander D. Bache, president of Girard College in Philadelphia, made a survey of Pennsylvania during 1840—43, and from then on he was superintendent for twenty-six years of the U.S. Coast Survey. With Joseph Henry at the new Smithsonian Institution, which opened in 1846, Washington had two enthusiasts for geomagnetic work. It is fitting, therefore, that the Smithsonian Institution should now publish this study of the survey observatories and a catalog of the remaining instruments. 682 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE It need hardly be said that the inspired ideas of Humboldt and others could not have been realized without the highly skilled instrument makers in England, Germany, and New York. In fact, since the instruments were so highly specialized, there was a close interaction between the scientists and the makers, producing a miniature science-based industry. The special instruments involved include the magnetometer, earth inductor, variometer, and dipneedle or inclinometer. The catalog places, rather than describes, fifty-six items, about half in the 19th century and half in the 20th. They come mostly from the U.S. Coast Survey, the Carnegie Institute, and the U.S. Navy, while a few are from universities. Nearly all are illustrated. There is scarcely any literature devoted to the history of such instruments. They are also very complicated to describe fully, as is generally the case for modern instruments. Robert Multhauf and Gregory Good have adopted an arrangement for dealing with this. There is a four-page list of the principal information a user requires, namely, catalog and figure numbers, name, type identification, date, source, and museum number. This is followed by photographs of each instrument, with a note of its source and use, comments on its design success, and a reference. With a three-page bibliography and the historical introduction, a satisfactory impression is given of an intriguing group of instruments that are too often disregarded because they look unfamiliar, are obviously fiddly to use, and are incomprehensible without some sort of guide. Multhauf and Good are to be thanked for...