Who: Adrien Green and Arabella Ward What: Scholarly correspondence When: 2nd September - 18th September, 1888 [slight backdate] Where: Mostly in the bags of mail carriers Rating: G
Dear Miss Ward,
I was gratified to process and receive approval for your application for membership to the Institute’s reading room. Enclosed, you will find a collection of texts I believe may be of use regarding your ongoing research queries.
Berelius, J., On Meteoric Stones
Bessel, F. W., Über Sternshnuppen
Chladni, E. F. F., Ueber Fuerer, Meteore und über die mit denselben herabgefallenen Massen
Pipson, T., Meteors, Aerolites and Falling Stars
Metchnikoff, E., Leçons sur la pathologie comparée de l’inflammation
Froude, J. A., A brief treatise on the medical history of the Royal Family
Babbit, J., A Collection of Fairie Stories
The texts are due for return within three weeks. Should you require an extension, I would appreciate a notification before the three weeks are up.
I hope this letter finds you well.
Sincerely, A. Green
~
Mr Green,
The inaccurate naming of a substance by those ignorant of its properties is common - Nickel silver and German silver share the color but none of the attributes of true silver - but I have not found in these books any distinction between chemical iron and meteoric iron. Is it possible that 'meteoric iron' refers commonly to another compound distinct from the iron found in meteors?
I do not recall asking for the medical history, although if your intent was to show a connection between certain allergic sensitivities and family members, I have read Mendel's work on heredity and his proofs of inheritance. I will keep it in mind during my case studies, although it will not serve as a working theory, as in my own case my father shows no reaction to iron or ferrous alloys, and he assures me that my late mother did not share my sensitivity.
I appreciate your thoroughness, but in pursuing a scientific study, I see no reason to take folklore and mythology into account. If you included the final volume to call my attention to the claim of intolerance by the fairy folk to iron, as a theory that this belief arose due to a shared intolerance among some percentage of the native population of England, then I acknowledge your theory has merit but do not belief it has any bearing on my research. Without further details I cannot pursue the subjects of these stories or their relations. Please inform me if I am mistaken about your reason for their inclusion.
I greatly appreciate your efforts and look forward to speaking with you again on my next visit.
Arabella Ward
~
Miss Ward --
I believe the Chladni text offers direct comparison between meteoric iron and chemical iron, and determines the substances are, as far as can be determined, the same. His treatment is far more thorough, of course, and I trust you to just as thoroughly examine his evidence and come to your own conclusions.
I am reminded of Lucretius’ treatment of the building blocks of the universe -- it appears as though iron is iron is iron, regardless of whether it falls from the sky, or springs from the earth, a thought which I find strangely comforting.
I would direct you to the thorough treatment the Froude text gives of King Henry VIII’s leg injury as a point of interest, and remind you of recessive genes, where when both parents serve as carriers, but do not exhibit traits themselves, it is possible (although less probable than the alternative) for a child to exhibit the recessive trait.
The Babbit stories are indeed written for a certain audience, and tend to strike one as fanciful upon first glance, but her work fares better on a closer, more careful read, and with your scientist’s eye, you may find worth in it yet. I find it interesting you attribute some kernel of truth to it, however indirectly -- your notion of a shared intolerance among the early English does hold some intriguing merit. There is much about the universe we do not yet comprehend, or are not made privy to, and often treat as mythology as a result -- as the Baron de Montesquieu once said, ‘Tous les savants étoient, autrefois accusés de magie. Je n’en suis point étonné. Chacun disoit en lui-même: J’ai porté les talents naturels aussi loin qu’ils peuvent aller; cependant un certain savant a des avantages sur moi: il faut bien qu’il y ait là quelque diablerie.’
Sincerely,
A. Green
~
Mr Green,
It is interesting that you mention science being taken as sorcery. I believe alchemy is the science that can be most often interpreted as such, and it seems we see progress every year that expands our library of knowledge and rewrites the books shelved on it. I wonder if the substance intolerance I'm studying might be caused by another incident or circumstance, impossible to identify without correlation between subjects of such an event. Early childhood exposure to meteoric iron, for instance, would be rare, but might somehow create a sensitivity in adulthood. This is only an example, of course, and not a practical theory. Alternately, your position on recessive traits is accurate and worth pursuing. I will expand my personal family medical history.
I have read the Chladni since your last letter, and agree with his findings, although that being the case I cannot understand how or why someone would claim to be intolerant to native iron but not meteoric iron when they are formed of the same element. I will try to acquire some samples for study.
Perhaps it is a case of our scientific knowledge not yet being able to understand the sorcery of how two elements can appear to be the same on the surface and yet cause different reactions in the human body. We have only just determined the asymmetry of crystal formation, after all; there are still mysteries left to be discovered. Perhaps, as well, meteoric iron and native iron have sprung from the same source, and have diverged subtly upon their respective courses, as Darwin claims for the beasts of the earth.
I find that in mythology and folklore there is frequently a logic at work, however distorted the result; folk remedies often have success, not because the method employed is sound, but because there is some aspect of the treatment that is medically and scientifically sound. I will read the fairy book on your recommendation with a closer eye for what is between the lines.
Your expertise and perspective are appreciated as always.
Arabella Ward
~
Miss Ward --
I seem to recall a discovery of a particular type of what is known as ‘telluric’ iron in Greenland that had Widmanstätten patterns on it similar to those seen in meteoric iron, and there was some debate as to whether the iron in question was meteoric -- Steenstrup was quite certain it was not, but rather was native. I might humbly recommend that as a possible addition to your classifications thus far.
I agree with your notion of an underlying logic -- and to expand the metaphor to your question at hand, there are undoubtedly times when a clear pattern is present, but the reason for it is obscured due to our lack of understanding, or capacity to measure it -- there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, and so on.
I shall await your judgment upon a closer reading of Babbit with interest.
Have any persons with metal allergies volunteered as yet for your experiments? I hope you have at least a few curious souls who’ve answered your advertisements.
Sincerely,
A. Green
~
Mr Green,
You seem to be concerned with elevating my reputation while reducing your own. If this is for my benefit, I hope you know that I value your contributions and find you a worthy colleague and correspondent. Successful scientists are rarely humble ones, and I suspect the same might hold true for librarians. I hope you will not take this as a reproval, but as a compliment to your skills and expertise.
Do you have any available studies on telluric iron? I will pick them up at my earliest convenience if so.
I have had a few volunteers, most of which suffered from an unrelated condition or allergy they believed might be caused by a metal. There was one whose experience closely matched my own, a matronly woman who claimed to have come into contact with meteoric iron and been unaffected, but who shared my reaction to iron and ferrous alloys. It was she who suggested we might be distantly related--indeed, she sounded certain of it, but we parted ways when my father returned home and I have not pursued the matter.
Perhaps I should look into her family history to see if there is any obvious connection to my own. I would ask for your assistance in this matter, but have promised confidentiality to all of my research subjects.
Arabella Ward
~
Miss Ward,
While I have a limited knowledge of yourself and your work, I do know that you do not tend to be prone to hyperbole, or unnecessary flattery. In that light, I appreciate your assessment -- I am no expert in chemistry, alchemy, or metallurgy, and would not claim to be, but I do have a certain advantage when it comes to finding information, and providing it where it would be of best use. I am pleased my expertise should be of use to someone such as yourself.
Your volunteer sounds indeed like an intriguing mystery -- but I understand your wanting to keep the identity of your subject confidential. Was there another reason given for the strong belief that you two were related somehow beyond the shared sensitivity to iron?
Your query regarding meteoric iron makes far greater sense in that context -- I would be curious to hear of your progress once you have obtained a sample of the stuff and can better assess first-hand whether you have a similar lack of a response.
Steenstrup has a treatment of Telluric iron in Volume 6 of The Mineralogical magazine and journal of the Mineralogical Society. I shall set it aside for you. Please do let me know when you plan to come by to pick it up, as I should enjoy continuing this conversation in person if possible.
Sincerely,
A. Green
~
Mr Green,
There was no reason given beyond shared iron sensitivity by the subject, but she seemed to have another reason, which she proposed to tell me before the arrival of my father at home forestalled the conversation. She may have genealogical knowledge of our two families which I do not; I intend to ask her when next I write, hopefully with some news or progress.
I will visit on Thursday if you are available then, and will bring the books due and a report of my findings thus far. I hope that in relating it to you, we will uncover new directions of research to pursue.
Arabella Ward
~
Miss Ward,
I look forward to seeing you this Thursday, and shall ensure my availability during your visit. The afternoon would be ideal. I consider any opportunity to uncover new directions of research a most worthy task, and yours in particular to be a most interesting continued conversation that shall I anticipate with pleasure.