Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.15210

    Instrument for mercury experiment

    Date
    4 December 1666
    Creator
    Unknown, Artist
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p1
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (page): 312mm
    width (page): 194mm
    Subject
    Physics
       > Vacuum physics
          > Pneumatics
    Content object
    Description
    A line drawing of a glass instrument used in Nicolaus Steno's mercury experiments. The letter, dated 4 December 1666, Florence, was sent to William Croone, who presented it at the meeting of the Royal Society on 16 January 1667. Croone and Steno also shared an interest in the structure and motions of muscles.
    Object history
    At the meeting of the Royal Society on 16 January 1667, ‘Dr. Croune produced two letters written to him by Mr. Steno from Florence, Dec. 4, 1666; one of which signified, that he had written elements of the structure and motion of the muscles, demonstrating, that the construction of the muscles is performed by thrusting; The other mentioned two experiments made with mercury, one to shew, that the cane containing the water and quicksilver being inverted, there issued something out of the mercury, that enters into the void space in the top of the cane; the other, to make appear the equilibrium of the air with the mercury, by a way different from that, which is ordinary. To which was added an account of an experiment of freezing with a mixture of ice and brandy. An extract was ordered to be made of these letters’ (Birch 2:140).
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > Italy
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