160 History of Luminescence 



wood, decayed [gaste] fish, eyes of the cat, etc. Tlie Bolognian stone 

 imbibes the Hght of day and emits it in darkness. ... It is a necessary 

 condition for a light to appear blue that it be discontinuous, such as the 

 flame of sulphur or spirit of wine, as contrasted with a bright strong 

 light which appears white. Rotten wood, glow-worms, scales of certain 

 marine fish emit light that borders on blue on account of the subtlety 

 of their emanations, from some volatile salts or some sulphureus ma- 

 terial which is abundant in them. They are not inflammable materials 

 because they are not extinguished by water, nor consumed nor sensibly 

 hot. 



Under the word " Phosphore," Furetiere mentioned particularly 

 " Pierre de Boulogne or ardoise de Botilogne or aimant de la 

 lumiere." He then wrote that Jean Elhoz in 1676 distingtiished four 

 kinds of phosphors, the Bolognian, the Balduinian, the Phosphorus 

 smaragdinus, and the phosphorus of Kunckel, also known as " feu 

 perpetuel " and " feu froid." The words " luminescence " or " phos- 

 phorescence " do not appear, but the treatment in this early dic- 

 tionary is extraordinarily comprehensive. No wonder that Furetiere 

 placed " Sciences " before " Arts " in his title. 



Harris's lexicon technicum 



The first English technical dictionary, the Lexicon Technicum, 

 a Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences Explaining not 

 only the Terms of Art but the Arts Themselves, was published in 

 London (1704) by John Harris ^^ (ca. 1667-1719), a clergyman. In 

 a later edition (1736) , the subjects were arranged in alphabetical 

 order. It was more than a dictionary. " Phosphorus " was defined 

 as a " Chymical Preparation, which being exposed to the Light or 

 Air, will shine in the Dark." He told how to prepare the phos- 

 phorus of human urine, the Bolognian phosphorus and Balduin's 

 phosphorus and quoted Mr. Boyle and Dr. Slare's experiments. 



The word " Light " was used to signify three things (1) sensa- 

 tion, (2) cause of that sensation, (3) medium between light source 

 and object. Harris wrote: 



Light is undoubtedly produced by Motion; but yet 'tis not every Motion 

 that will produce Light. The Learned Dr. H [R. Hooke] in his Micro- 

 graphy p. 55 judges the Motion that produces Light ought to have 

 these Requisites: 1. That it be exceeding quick, like the Motions of 

 Fermentation and Putrefaction; (as you see in Shining Pickels and 

 Rotten Wood) . (2) It must be a Vibrative Motion, and also have its 

 vibrations exceeding short. This he concludes from the shining of Dia- 

 monds, when chafed or rubbed. . . . 



^" Harris delivered the Boyle lectures in 1698, and became Secretary of the Royal 

 Society in 1709. 



