Andrew Crosse (June 17, 1784 – July 6, 1855) was a British
poet, naturalist, local magistrate, and "
gentleman scientist" who may or may not have
created life in an electrocrystallization experiment.
[Post inspired by TheophileEscargot on MetaChat]Crosse spent much of his life at
Fyne Court, in the English countryside. Cross was a child prodigy with a wealthy family, and he had been fascinated with electricity from a young age. His fascination became the topic of folklore, as
the superstitious locals would watch the forks of lightning dancing about on the copper cables that Crosse had spread out from his laboratory, in an effort to power his electrical experiments.
One such series of experiments was in the creation of crystals, which interested Crosse after had visited
Holwell Cave and marveled at the proliferation of
aragonite crystals, which he first thought were drawn upward by "electric attraction," according to
his memorial (written by himself and his wife). He tried to capture the cave
in poetry, and in his laboratory.
His goal of forming artificial minerals through "prolonged electric action" was successful as he created 24 electrocrystallized minerals. For these works,
Crosse gained renown as an outstanding scientist, to the point becoming an interesting subject for the local paper. A local printer and publisher visited Crosse around the time of an unusual result from his electrocrystallization experiments. The publisher printed news of this miracle, both for publicity of the paper, and to give Andrew Crosse credit for his creation or discovery. That unusual finding was
officially presented in 1838 in the Annals of Electricity, Magnetism, & Chemistry:
On the 14th day from the commencement of the experiment, I observed, through a lens, a few small white excrescences or nipples projecting from about the middle of the electrified stone, and nearly under the dropping of the fluid above. On the 18th day, these projections enlarged, and 7 or 8 filaments, each of them longer than the excrescence from which t grew, made their appearance on each of the nipples. On the 22nd day, these appearances were more elevated and distinct, and on the 26th day, each figure assumed the form of a perfect insect, standing erect on a few bristles which formed its tail. Till this period I had no notion that these appearances were any other than an incipient mineral formation; but it was not until the 28th day, when I plainly perceived these little creatures move their legs, that I felt any surprise, and I must own that when this took place, I was not a little astonished.
With this discovery or creation of life, Crosse found unwanted fame and
a place amongst "modern Frankensteins" (though
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was first published in 1818). Crosse was called many names and assumed to be playing God, but
his comments to a reporter clarified his view of his actions as mere chance, and only "the Almighty" can truly create or annihilate something. People have attempted to re-create the experiment, and
Michael Faraday claimed he saw similar appearances in his experiments, and
surgeon and natural philosopher William Henry Weekes reportedly repeated the experiment, though Weeke's attempt took over a year before insects appeared.
Crosse had effectively been cut off from the scientific community due scrutiny over the experiment that brought
Acari crossi (also named
Acari electricus) to life, but he continued to experiment.
The day before his death, he tried his final experiment. He died at his life-long home, with his wife by his side.
Related:
Song for Andrew Cross, "for when the salt sprouts legs and walks away" -- a song by MeFite
at the crossroads
posted by Naberius at 3:07 PM on March 10, 2011