Perhaps I may be allowed to refer to this discovery as a further illustration of the views I have offered in the Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences respecting the Connexion of Co-existent Polarities. (B. v. Chap. ii.)]
CHAPTER XII.
Sequel to the Epoch of Young and Fresnel. Reception of the Undulatory Theory.
WHEN Young, in 1800, published his assertion of the Principle of Interferences, as the true theory of optical phenomena, the condition of England was not very favorable to a fair appreciation of the value of the new opinion. The men of science were strongly pre-occupied in favor of the doctrine of emission, not only from a national interest in Newton’s glory, and a natural reverence for his authority, but also from deference towards the geometers of France, who were looked up to as our masters in the application of mathematics to physics, and who were understood to be Newtonians in this as in other subjects. A general tendency to an atomic philosophy, which had begun to appear from the time of Newton, operated powerfully; and [112] the hypothesis of emission was so easily conceived, that, when recommended by high authority, it easily became popular; while the hypothesis of luminiferous undulations, unavoidably difficult to comprehend, even by the aid of steady thought, was neglected, and all but forgotten.
Yet the reception which Young’s opinions met with was more harsh than he might have expected, even taking into account all these considerations. But there was in England no visible body of men, fitted by their knowledge and character to pronounce judgment on such a question, or to give the proper impulse and bias to public opinion. The Royal Society, for instance, had not, for a long time, by custom or institution, possessed or aimed at such functions. The writers of “Reviews” alone, self-constituted and secret tribunals, claimed this kind of authority. Among these publications, by far the most distinguished about this period was the Edinburgh Review; and, including among its contributors men of eminent science and great talents, employing also a robust and poignant style of writing (often certainly in a very unfair manner), it naturally exercised great influence. On abstruse doctrines, intelligible to few persons, more than on other subjects, the opinions and feelings expressed in a Review must be those of the individual reviewer. The criticism on some of Young’s early papers on optics was written by Mr. (afterwards Lord) Brougham, who, as we have [seen], had experimented on diffraction, following the Newtonian view, that of inflexion. Mr. Brougham was perhaps at this time young enough[96] to be somewhat intoxicated with the appearance of judicial authority in matters of science, which his office of anonymous reviewer gave him: and even in middle-life, he was sometimes considered to be prone to indulge himself in severe and sarcastic expressions. In January, 1803, was published[97] his critique on Dr. Young’s Bakerian Lecture, On the Theory of Light and Colors, in which lecture the doctrine of undulations and the law of interferences was maintained. This critique was an uninterrupted strain of blame and rebuke. “This paper,” the reviewer said, “contains nothing which deserves the name either of experiment or discovery.” He charged the writer with “dangerous relaxations of the principles of physical logic.” “We wish,” he cried, “to recall philosophers to the strict and severe methods of investigation,” describing them as those pointed out by Bacon, Newton, and the like. Finally, Dr. Young’s speculations [113] were spoken of as a hypothesis, which is a mere work of fancy; and the critic added, “we cannot conclude our review without entreating the attention of the Royal Society, which has admitted of late so many hasty and unsubstantial papers into its Transactions;” which habit he urged them to reform. The same aversion to the undulatory theory appears soon after in another article by the same reviewer, on the subject of Wollaston’s measures of the refraction of Iceland spar; he says, “We are much disappointed to find that so acute and ingenious an experimentalist should have adopted the wild optical theory of vibrations.” The reviewer showed ignorance as well as prejudice in the course of his remarks; and Young drew up an answer, which was ably written, but being published separately had little circulation. We can hardly doubt that these Edinburgh reviews had their effect in confirming the general disposition to reject the undulatory theory.
[96] His age was twenty-four.
[97] Edin. Review, vol. i. p. 450.
We may add, however, that Young’s mode of presenting his opinions was not the most likely to win them favor; for his mathematical reasonings placed them out of the reach of popular readers, while the want of symmetry and system in his symbolical calculations, deprived them of attractiveness for the mathematician. He himself gave a very just criticism of his own style of writing, in speaking on another of his works:[98] “The mathematical reasoning, for want of mathematical symbols, was not understood, even by tolerable mathematicians. From a dislike of the affectation of algebraical formality which he had observed in some foreign authors, he was led into something like an affectation of simplicity, which was equally inconvenient to a scientific reader.”
[98] See Life of Young, p. 54.
Young appears to have been aware of his own deficiency in the power of drawing public favor, or even notice, to his discoveries. In 1802, Davy writes to a friend, “Have you seen the theory of my colleague, Dr. Young, on the undulations of an ethereal medium as the cause of light? It is not likely to be a popular hypothesis, after what has been said by Newton concerning it. He would be very much flattered if you could offer any observations upon it, whether for or against it.” Young naturally felt confident in his power of refuting objections, and wanted only the opportunity of a public combat.