Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1856 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX. RICHTER. During the disputes as to Dalton's priority of discovery, it was frequently asserted that his atomic laws were not new, and they were, as is usual in such cases, attributed to various persons. Of these persons, Higgins, in this country, and Richter, in Germany, have been the most prominent. I have endeavoured to show exactly the position of Higgins; I shall do the same with Richter. Higgins came first with clearness and simplicity, uttering a beautiful idea which he failed to follow up; Richter came close after him, with great labour and enthusiasm, filled with a great idea of the study in which he was engaged, and obtained a law which he failed to follow up; he lost himself in complicated theories, having no idea how simple was the truth he sought for. Both were neglected, as happens when men fail to give completeness to their inquiries, even in the eyes of those who study and are willing to learn. Richter's books are--" Anfangsgriinde der Stoechyometrie oder Messkunst Chymischer Elemente." 3 vols. Bresslau und Hirschberg, 1792-4; and " Ueber die Neuern Gegenstiinde der Chymie," 1791-1802. I shall give rather copious extracts from his works, shewing the direction of his inquiries, and the ends he attained. Richter, Vol. I., Preface. " Mathematics includes all those sciences which refer to magnitude, and consequently a science lies more or less in the province of mathematics (geometry), according as it requires the determination of magnitudes. In chemical experiments this truth has often led me to the question, whether and how far chemistry is a part of applied mathematics; and especially in considering the well-known fact, that two neutral salts, when they decompose each other, form again neutral compounds. The...
