Abstract
AMONG the Danes whose names are inscribed as men of science on the eternal bead-roll of fame, that of Julius Thomsen stands pre-eminent—linked indeed with that of Oersted. It is significant of the position which Thomsen cquired in physical science, and of the respect which that position secured for him in the eyes of his countrymen, that his statue should have been erected during his lifetime and placed in the vicinity of that of Oersted in the courtyard of the Polytechnic High School of Copenhagen. Thomsen, in fact, played many parts in the intellectual, industrial, and social development of Denmark. To Europe in general he was mainly known as a distinguished man of science. By his fellow-citizens he was further recognised as an educationist of high ideals, actuated by a strong common sense and a stern devotion to duty; as an able and sagacious administrator; as a successful technologist and the creator of an important and lucrative industry based upon his own discoveries; and as a man of forceful character, who brought his authority, skill, and knowledge of men and affairs to the service of the communal life of Copenhagen.
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The Thomsen Memorial Lecture 1 . Nature 82, 501–505 (1910). https://doi.org/10.1038/082501b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/082501b0