Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/355

NAME DRAPER 333 DRAPER wards natural philosophy and chemistry drew him away, and at sixteen he became one of the first students at the newly-opened London University, to which flocked men of high learning from all parts of the world. The next year, on the death of his father, he bravely took his father's place as the head of a large family, yet went on with his studies, his first original work being accomplished while he labored with Dr. Turner in the analysis of a fossil hydrocarbon. His mother's uncle. Commodore Ripley, United States Navy, had settled in Virginia, and in 1833 young Draper joined him there and continued his scientific pursuits and studied at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating M. D. in 1836, his thesis on "Absorption" winning so high an opinion from the faculty that they had it published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. After prac- tising a short time in Mecklenburg, Virginia, he became professor of chemistry at William and Mary College, Virginia, and soon after occupied the same chair at Hampden Sidney College. Here a fine library and the valuable instruments collected by Pres. Cushing enabled Draper to labor joyfully from early dawn far into the night, his papers on "Absorption," "Glandular Action," and equally valuable ones on "Solar Light" and "Thermo-electricity" at- tracting attention throughout Europe and being translated into German. Almost immediately after taking his diploma, he was made professor of chemistry, natural philosophy and physiology in the University of New York. In company with Paine, Mott, Bedford, Pattison and Revere, he inaugurated the New York University Medical College, in 1841, himself occupying the chair of chem- istry. Although he practised as a physician in Virginia and New York, it may be said of him that he spent much time and patience in perfecting hygiene, as the result of ex- perimentation. During his chemical experi- ments he did much for photography, in the way of original processes, and he was the first in the state to take a daguerreotype portrait. When the news of Daguerre's photographic discovery came to New York, Draper fitted an ordinary spectacle lens into a cigar case, and began his experiments, first by taking views out of a window, and afterwards, by tak- ing portraits. To shorten the time of ex- posure, he whitened the faces of his sitters. He had a most original theory, which must be styled pantophotography. He believed that no action at any time or place, goes unrecorded ; in other words, that an action done in a room or court, would be permanently photographed on the surrounding sides, the ne.xt deed being photographed over this. So, if the tombs of the Pharaohs could be opened, Draper believed that by a proper series of actions a funeral procession of over 4,000 years ago could be brought to view. In May, 1866, his fine library, his extensive notes and apparatus were all burned, a severe loss to such a book-lover and writer. Physiology and chemistry, botany and natural history took the greater part of his Janeiro, and had six children. Two of his sons, John Christopher (q. v.) and Henry (q. v.) became distinguished in science. Daniel was a meteorologist of New York, and had the degree of Ph. D. Physiology and chemistry, botany and nat- ural history took the greater part of his time. As a lecturer he was concise without being ambiguous, calm and unimpassioned in utterance. "He would explain the phenomena of lightning or manufacture prussic acid in the same tone and way in which he lectured on milk, and having told his story left enthu- siasm to his hearers." His biographer gives as two of Draper's vir- tues, first that he considered smoking "a dirty practice" and second that he "belonged to the Protestant Episcopal faith." He died at Hastings-on-the-Hudson Jan- uary 4, 1882. Dr. Draper's numerous and valuable ex- perimental researches were published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, London and Edinburgh Philosophical Journal and the American Journal of Science and Arts. He was likewise the author of many literary works and reviews : "A Treatise on the Forces which produce the Organization of Plants" (1844) ; "A Text-book on Chemistry" (1846) ; "A Text-book on Natural Philosophy" (1847); and one on "Human Physiology" (1856), which passed through numerous editions. His "History of the Intellectual Development of Europe" appeared in 1852, and was almost im- mediately afterwards republished in England and translated into French, German, Italian,. Polish and Russian, and has passed through: many editions in this country. In some re- spects, his most important work was the "Con- flict between Science and Religion," which at- tracted great attention, and was translated into all the principal languages. He was also the author of "A History of the American Civil