Consolations in Travel by Humphry Davy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I discovered this English chemist and inventor, best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine. accidentally. Reading that he traveled in his final days and wrote his final musings to completion days before his death compelled me to read this interesting little work. I see it in three acts.
Act I: A stunningly imaginative tour of the solar system populated by fantasy beings and led by a supernatural
"Genius"
Act II: Italy travelogue and discussions of natural wonders like land-forming calcium deposits, Roman ruins, volcanoes, and the mysterious olm ( or proteus ) salamander.
Act III: Some fumbling grappling with the question of "what is time?" that descends into a lauding of the powers of chemistry and applied physics for improving and understanding the world.
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