Charles Daubeny facts for kids
Charles Giles Bridle Daubeny (born February 11, 1795 – died December 12, 1867) was an important English scientist. He was a chemist, a botanist (someone who studies plants), and a geologist (someone who studies Earth's rocks and history). He made many discoveries about volcanoes, plants, and the Earth.
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Early Life and Learning
Charles Daubeny was born in a place called Stratton, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England. His father was a reverend. Charles went to Winchester College when he was 13 years old. Later, in 1810, he joined Magdalen College, Oxford.
From 1815 to 1818, he studied medicine in London and Edinburgh. In Edinburgh, he also learned about geology from Professor Robert Jameson. He earned his M.D. degree (Doctor of Medicine) at Oxford.
Exploring Volcanoes
In 1819, Charles Daubeny traveled through France. He spent a lot of time studying the volcanic area of Auvergne. He wrote about his findings in The Edinburgh Journal.
He was chosen to be a member of the Royal Society in 1822. This is a very old and respected group for scientists.
He continued his journeys to places like Hungary, Transylvania, Italy, Sicily, France, and Germany. These trips helped him learn even more about volcanoes. In 1826, he shared what he had learned in a book called A Description of Active and Extinct Volcanos. He believed that underground heat and volcanoes might be caused by water mixing with certain metals deep inside the Earth.
Life at Oxford University
In November 1822, Daubeny became a professor of chemistry at Oxford University. He held this job until 1855. Later, in 1834, he also became the professor of botany, which is the study of plants. He also taught about farming.
At the Oxford botanical garden, he did many experiments. He studied how changes in soil, light, and air affected plants. In 1830, he wrote a paper about special chemicals found in mineral waters.
In 1831, Daubeny helped start the first meeting of the British Association. This group brings scientists together. He even asked them to hold their next meeting in Oxford. In 1836, he gave a report to the group about mineral and hot springs.
Teaching Challenges
Even though he was a brilliant scientist, Daubeny wasn't the best at giving lectures. Between 1822 and 1854, about 618 people attended his chemistry classes. Many of them were religious leaders or other academics.
People said his lectures were not very exciting. Students would just sit and write down what he read. They only watched the experiments. Sometimes, his science demonstrations didn't work as planned!
One time, an experiment failed. He turned to his assistant, John Harris, and said, "John, when we tried this experiment before the lecture, the results were so-and-so." John agreed. Then Daubeny told the audience, "You see, gentlemen!"
Another story tells of a time he held up a container and said it had a dangerous gas. He warned that if he dropped it, everyone would suffocate. The container slipped and crashed, but nothing happened. Daubeny asked his assistant, "John, why aren't we all suffocated?" John had to admit he had replaced the gas with distilled water before the lecture!
Because of these issues, fewer and fewer students came to his lectures. He even had to cancel some because he paid for the experiments himself.
Later Discoveries and Legacy
In 1837, he visited the United States. There, he gathered information for papers about hot springs and the geology of North America. These papers were published in 1839.
In 1856, he became the president of the British Association. The plant collection (herbarium) at Oxford is named after him. Also, a type of plant called Daubenya is named in his honor. Charles Daubeny was also an early supporter of natural selection, an idea developed by Charles Darwin.
Works
Charles Daubeny wrote many important books and papers during his life, including:
- A Description of active and extinct volcanos (1826)
- Introduction to the Atomic Theory (1831)
- On the Action of Light upon Plants, and of Plants upon the Atmosphere (1836)
- Sketch of the Geology of North America (1839)
- Lectures on Agriculture (1841)
- Journal of a tour through the United States, and in Canada, made during the years 1837–38 (1843)
- Lectures on Roman Husbandry (1857)
- Essay on the Trees and Shrubs of the Ancients (1865)
See also
- Volcanoes of the World
