PROBLEMS OF MODERN SCIENCE 



useless by alluding to one or two occurrences in 

 the past. 



It was an experiment made by nature an 

 apple falling from a tree that led Sir Isaac 

 Newton to the discovery of that great physical 

 law of the universe known as gravitation. Similar 

 accidents have also been the indicators which have 

 pointed out to thoughtful people practical work, at 

 first undertaken with no ulterior object, but merely 

 as a means of gratifying their desire for research, 

 which has sometimes been called curiosity. 



Towards the end of the eighteenth century 

 there was in Bologna, in Italy, a man, destined for 

 the Church of Rome, but subsequently turned 

 out for his heretical opinions, who then happily 

 applied himself to Science and became the Professor 

 of Anatomy and Physiology at the university of 

 his native city. His name, which has reverberated 

 down the ages, was Galvani. Those were not the 

 days of palatial laboratories we have not got a 

 very palatial one here ; we are hoping to get one 

 when we move to Bloomsbury and, so far as one 

 can gather from what we know of Galvani's work, 

 his arrangements were somewhat primitive, and he 

 either used his laboratory as a kitchen, or, what 

 seems much more probable, he used his wife's 

 kitchen as his laboratory, and Mrs Galvani had 

 her share in the accidental discovery which took 

 place during the preparation of a midday meal. 

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