194 Difficult nature of Scientific Research. 



researches, or devoted less than the stipulated amount 

 of time to such labour in the Institution, without 

 reasonable cause, he should be removed. 



Many persons fancy that " it must be very nice to 

 be always making experiments," and that they " should 

 be delighted with such an occupation" if they " could 

 only spare the time." But such an idea is only 

 another illustration of the general ignorance of the 

 subject, and it is only expressed by those who have 

 never made a laborious and difficult research. Pure 

 research is by far the most difficult of all scientific 

 occupations, and this is another chief reason why 

 discoverers are few, and why they will probably 

 remain so. 



To succeed in research, a man must set aside all 

 human pride, and approach the subject with perfect 

 humility ; and this is not an easy task, men cannot so 

 readily abandon preconceived and cherished notions. 

 Many researches are moreover extremely dangerous. 

 Thilorier was killed by the explosion of a vessel of 

 liquefied carbonic anhydride ; Dulong lost an eye and 

 finger, and Sir Humphrey Davy was wounded by an 

 explosion of chloride of nitrogen. Faraday was near 

 being blinded by an experiment with oxygen. Nickles 

 of Nancy, and Louyet of Brussels, lost their lives, and 

 two other chemists were seriously injured in health by 

 exposure to the excessively dangerous fumes of 

 hydrofluoric acid. Bunsen lost the sight of an eye 

 and was nearly poisoned by an explosion whilst an- 

 alysing cyanide of cacodyl.* Hennel was killed by an 



*See '''Nature" No. 600, p. 597, April 28th, 1881. 



