176 History of Luminescence 



of osmotic pressure and to physicists as an electrical experimenter 

 who engaged in a famous controversy with Franklin. One of his 

 earliest luminescence contributions in 1750, was concerned with 

 observations on small annelids, designated as the cause of the sea 

 phosphorescence in the lagoons of Venice. When in Italy, he experi- 

 mented with fireflies. 



Nollet's interests were indeed broad, for he published a four- 

 volume work, Legons de Physique Experimentale, in 1745, and a 

 six-volume edition in 1753-1764. Volume IV (1753) is largely con- 

 cerned with the nature and properties of fire and contains a section 

 dealing with the Phosphore of Kunckel (the element phosphorus) , 

 with an experiment to demonstrate its ability to set fire to paper. 

 The fifth volume (1755) is devoted entirely to light. After describ- 

 ing the ideas of Descartes and Newton on this subject, Nollet cited 

 the behavior of the element phosphorus to show that light comes 

 from a material which is present both within and without bodies, 

 and he used the Bolognian phosphore to prove that the light ma- 

 terial which resides at the surface of bodies can be set into action by 

 the light of day alone, 



A section of volume V contains the " Histoire des phosphores tant 

 naturels qu'artificiels." Nollet defined a phosphore or porte-lumiere 

 as a substance, either natural or artificial, which glows in the dark 

 without taking fire. The natural phosphores, such as the glowworm, 

 animals of the Venice canals, meat observed at Orleans, luminous 

 fish, cat's or horse's hair when stroked, luminous wood, esprits folets 

 or the ignis lambens, were substances glowing in the dark with- 

 out any special preparation. The artificial phosphores, such as the 

 Bolognian or Balduinian variety, required some treatment known 

 to the arts. Nollet described the various bioluminescences men- 

 tioned above without being able to explain them. It is interesting 

 to note that certain electroluminescences, classed as ignis lambens, 

 were included among the natural phosphores. Nollet had ample 

 opportunity to observe artificial electroluminescences from electrical 

 discharges in evacuated tubes, described in his books on electricity.^^ 

 The studies on these phenomena, so obviously similar to ignis 

 lambens, were collected in volume VI (1764) of the Legons. 



^'Nollet also wrote short treatises on electricity (Essai, 1747; Recherches, 1749, 1754; 

 Recueil des lettres, 1753) in which electroluminescences were mentioned but no special 

 emphasis laid on this subject. Many other textbooks on electricity appeared in the 

 eighteenth century, by F. U. T. Aepinus (1759) , G. B. Beccaria (1753, 1769, 1772, 1775) , 

 G. M. Bose (1738, 1743, 1744, 1745, 1746), T. Cavallo (1777, 1795), J. Ferguson (1770). 

 J. Jallabert (1748) , J. Lyon (1780) , C. Stanhope (Lord Mahon) (1779) , J. P. Marat 

 (1782) , J. B. Secondat (1746, 1748) , and W. Watson (1745) , but none of these authors 

 went into such details regarding the electric light as in the History and present state 

 of electricity (1769) , by Joseph Priestley, reviewed in Chapter VII on Electrolumi- 

 nescence. 



