PRESENTATION-COPY

COLDING, LUDVIG AUGUST.

Naturvidenskabelige Betragtninger over Slaegtskabet mellem det aandelige Livs Virksomheder og de almindelige Naturkraefter. [i.e. "Scientific Reflections on the Relationship between the Intellectual Life's Activity and the General Forces of Nature"].

Copenhagen, 1856. 8vo. Bound with the original blank glitted front wrapper in contemporary boards with cloth back-strip. Stamp to title-page. A bit of overall wear and minor brown-spotting. 15 pp.

Rare first edition, presentation-copy, of colding's highly interesting first work on the philosophical and religious aspects of his discovery of the principle of conservation of energy, which is of importance for his discussions of joule's experiments and for his priority dispute with mayer, independently of and simultaneusly with both of whom he discovered the principle of conservation of energy. Presentation inscription from the author ("Hr. Generalmajor v. Schlegel / ærbødigt fra A. Colding") [i. e. "Mr. General Major v. Schlegel / Yours faithfully A. Colding"] to verso of the original front wrapper.

Ludvig August Colding (1815 - 1888) was a famous Danish engineer and physicist. He was originally educated as a carpenter but graduated as mechanical engineer in 1841. In 1845 he became water-inspector in Copenhagen and in 1847 he was also given the responsibility of the gas- and waterworks. Together with the famous chemist Julius Thomsen, he proved that the cholera spread throughout Copenhagen through the drinking water (1853) - a most significant discovery. After this he was responsible for replacing much of the sewer-system of Copenhagen. In 1857 he became state engineer. During this period he overhauled the desperately inadequate water and sanitation system. He articulated the principle of conservation of energy contemporaneously with, and independently of, James Prescott Joule and Julius Robert von Mayer though his contribution was largely overlooked and neglected.

"The Philosophical and religious side of Colding's thesis was first elaborated in his cumbersome treatise of 1856, "Naturvidenskabelige Betragtninger over Slaegtskabet mellem det aandelige Livs Virksomheder og de almindelige Naturkraefter" ("Scientific Reflections on the Relationship between the Intellectual Life's Activity and the General Forces of Nature"), his last paper on this topic to the Danish Society of Sciences; it was published on the occasion of his being elected member of the Society. It stressed his own philosophical conviction and dwelt at length on the relationship between the material and the spiritual in nature, clearly echoing the intellectual and aesthetic influence of Oersted and in a tone reminiscent of Kant and Schelling. This paper is also of interest for Colding's discussions of Joule's experiments, with which he was acquainted by then, and for his passionate priority dispute with Mayer." (Dictionary of Scientific Biography, 15 & 16, s. 86)

Order-nr.: 42140