A Syllabus of a Course of Lectures on Mineralogy (Cambridge Library Collection - Earth Science) - Softcover

Henslow, John Stevens

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1108002013 ISBN 13: 9781108002011

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2009

Synopsis

John Stevens Henslow (1796–1861), a student of Adam Sedgwick, became Professor of Mineralogy at Cambridge in 1822. He soon moved to a chair in Botany, and became a teacher and mentor to Charles Darwin. This book on mineralogy was first published in 1823. It was intended to save time in class by providing an easily accessible reference to the composition of various minerals according to the principles of atomic theory, which was then entering the scientific mainstream. In that paradigm, analysis and examination of any mineral's composition involved first ascertaining the mineral's elementary molecules, both 'essential' and 'accidental', and second, determining the proportions in which the essential ingredients combined to form the integrant molecule of the mineral. Henslow's book will interest historians of science tracing the development of atomic theory, and those working more broadly in the history of university education and the intellectual climate of the nineteenth century.

About this title

Book Description

Darwin's mentor John Stevens Henslow published this textbook analysing the compositions of various minerals in 1823, soon after he became Professor of Mineralogy at Cambridge. It followed the principles of atomic theory, which had only recently entered the scientific mainstream, and was intended to be an accessible reference tool.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108002013
• ISBN 13: 9781108002011
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 148