The Divine Fire Crosses the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

There is a story to the effect that a mutual friend introduced the young Franz Schubert to the aging and deaf Beethoven. The former showed him some sheets of music. Beethoven perused them carefully and then said, “Young man, you possess the Divine Fire.” The Divine Fire—what a glorious term! According to Greek mythology, Prometheus stole it from the gods and gave it to mankind to provide it knowledge and wisdom, an act for which he was severely punished. Of all the forms which the Divine Fire can take, and the great forms of artistic achievement are one, there has been none more important than the gift mankind has received through the development of basic science. Today, the torch that represents that aspect of the Divine Fire bums brightly in North America. How did the transition across the Atlantic ocean take place? Did it come with the initial colonists or was it a much slower and more laborious process? The facts make it clear the second route was followed. The divine fire did not glow brightly at first. Many dedicated scientists had to struggle before recognition finally came.

This chapter, strongly influenced by the author’s Washington years, does not do justice to the development of science in neighboring countries in North America, particularly Canada. As is evident from the discussion in Chapter 9, McGill University in Canada, founded in 1821, was an important center for science in the 19th century. In fact, nuclear physics had its birth there as a result of the work of Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy at the turn of the century. The University of Toronto, founded in 1827, has an excellent record of scientific achievement, particularly in the 20th century. For example, the importance of insulin in the treatment of diabetes was discovered there in the 1920’s. Science in Canada was stimulated initially by its close links to the United Kingdom.