100 History of Luminescence 



on luminescence in the Philosophical Translations, a translation in 

 the May 7, 1666 issue (No. 12, page 208) . The second article on 

 luminescence in the Phil. Trans., observations on shining fish by 

 Dr. Beal, appeared shortly after (p. 226) . 



In Germany, the Collegium Naturae Curiosorum, of physicians, 

 with no fixed home, was founded in 1652 and later (1687) became 

 the Academia Caesarea-Leopoldina. Its publications, the Miscel- 

 lanea Curiosa or Ephemerides started publication in 1670. This 

 series contains many references to luminescent phenomena. 



It is hardly possible to overestimate the importance of these 

 groups in the history of scientific thought. Thus the Atti, the 

 Commen. Bonon., the Phil. Trans., the Memoires, and the Ephe- 

 merides have become precious records of early work on lumines- 

 cence. Much was published in the seventeenth century, only to be 

 rediscovered in modern times. When the various academies or socie- 

 ties had become firmly established, they offered prizes for the best 

 paper on particular subjects. Many prizes were announced for 

 essays on the subject of luminescence early in the eighteenth (see 

 Chap. V) and early in the nineteenth (Chap. VI) centuries. 



Scientific Museums and Luminescence 



Just as scientific societies began in the sixteenth century with 

 private gathering of friends to discuss scientific subjects, so the scien- 

 tific museimi,^^ a collection of various objects of natural or philo- 

 sophical interest, can be traced to the same period. The material 

 was assembled in a special room by important learned individuals, 

 and became a permanent display. One of these remarkable collec- 

 tions belonged to Olaf Worm (1588-1654) , the physician and pro- 

 fessor at Copenhagen. The contents of his collection was described 

 in Museum Wormianum, sen Historia Rerum Rariorum (Lugduni 

 Batavorum, 1655) . This book, published posthumously by his son, 

 Willum Worm, was no mere catalogue of specimens, but a summary 

 of the scientific opinion of his day, a real contribution to knowledge. 

 It included an essay on the Bolognian phosphor. 



One of the earliest museums in Italy was started by Francesco 

 Calceolari in the sixteenth century and continued by his son. The 

 book. Museum Francisci Calceolari Junioris, etc. (Veronae, 1622) 

 gave a detailed description of the contents, which included dactyli 

 but no lapis Bononiensis. The contents of the museum passed into 



^^ See the remarkably complete and erudite three-volume work of David Murray, 

 Museums, their history mid their use (Glasgow, 1904) . The Latin word Museujn 

 and the French Cabinet literally refer to a place of study, and later became a " reposi- 

 tory of learned curiosities " or a " chamber of rarities," in Ben Jonson's time. 



