The Atmosphere of Heaven: The Unnatural Experiments of Dr Beddoes and His Sons of Genius

by Mike Jay

The stranger-than-fiction story of the Enlightenment visionaries who discovered the unexpected effects of inhaling nitrous oxide

At the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, England, founded in the closing years of the eighteenth century, dramatic experiments with gases precipitated not only a revolution in scientific medicine but also in the history of ideas. Guided by the energy of maverick doctor Thomas Beddoes, the institution was both laboratory and hospital—the first example of a modern medical research institution. But when its members discovered the mind-altering properties of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, their experiments devolved into a pioneering exploration of consciousness with far-reaching and unforeseen effects. This riveting book is the first to tell the story of Dr. Beddoes and the brilliant circle who surrounded Erasmus Darwin, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey, who supported his ideas; James Watt, who designed and built his laboratory; Thomas Wedgwood, who funded it; and the dazzling young chemistry assistant, Humphry Davy, who identified nitrous oxide and tested it on himself, with spectacular results. Medical historian Mike Jay charts the chaotic rise and fall of the institution in this fast-paced account, and reveals its crucial influence—on modern drug culture, attitudes toward objective and subjective knowledge, the development of anesthetic surgery, and the birth of the Romantic movement.

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 2009

About the author

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Reviews

[Trace Reddell]

Spellbinding history more exciting than most of the novels I've recently read. Fascinating mixture of science, philosophical, and social history in which the complexity of human character really comes through. As should be the case in a Romantic-era tale, we both soared into the stratosphere of elevated thought and spirit and plunged into the depths of languor and melancholy.

Several parallels to our own historical moment made this an unexpectedly illuminating read, none more than the embattled political climate branding as radical those who advocate for civil liberties and individual rights, equitable and fair trade, an educational paradigm that will respect, not brutalize children, and a universal healthcare system dedicated to preventive medicine. Stewardship and care for the poor was a consistent theme of Beddoes' vision. I also appreciated the worldview of those experimental philosophers who understood that materialism and vitalism didn't have to be at odds with one another.

I was struck by Jay's approach to Beddoes and Davy's experiments with nitrous oxide as a philosophical, mind-expanding gas. In my read, this was a proto-psychedelic experience, evident in the way that both individual and collective set and setting shaped the experiments and co-determined their outcomes.

Anyone interested in the Romantic era in the UK, chemistry, philosophy, and medicine in culture should find this book an exhilarating read!

[LuisJ]

An easy read and well-paced. Enagaging.
Covers medicine, creativity, some philosophy, politcs and history- weaving them together in a natural way.
Thoroughly recommended, even if the subject matter isn't your thing (as it wasn't to me, at first).

[Elizabeth]

More late 18th C, and another look at the science of Joseph Priestley's times... when science was in a growth spurt, and modern chemistry was being born. Through Beddoes story, we are immersed in the life of a late 18th C man of science at a time of high ideals. Freethinkers wanted fair and free society, so abolition of slavery was a rising concern. The ideals of the French Revolution inspired these men to hope for justice. And Beddoes' own commitment to the betterment of the human condition allowed the author to illuminate the relationship between the state and the individual. It was a revelation to me that the English would actually fear French invasion, and for so many years it was its own era of "Homeland Security" with laws about sedition being regularly enacted.
I was horrified though, at the immediacy of the men's involvement with their pneumatic sciences. Can you imagine inhaling various gases unsure of their impact, short or long term?! Humphry Davy, who went on to the Chair of the Royal Society, was a self educated young man who arrived at Beddoes Pneumatic Institute in the Bristol area and did just that! Isolating various 'airs' and then inhaling them and noting their effects.
This is a wonderful telling of how single minded earnest inquiry, no matter the limitations of understanding, is the way to develop knowledge.

[Edward Grigoryan]

As an enthusiast of the history of medicine and science, this is one of the best books I have read in recent memory. Very colorful cast of characters caught in the sweep of revolutionary fever that permeated everything from politics to science and social reform. Very erudite with regards to research and writing. The author cites almost exclusively original sources and is thus bringing a lot of original thinking and analysis on the subject. Researching and writing this must have involved an immense amount of work. I applaud Jay for producing a work which elaborates in great detail the interesting era in the late 18th/early 19th centuries and puts it into context within the grand sweep of the evolution of scientific and medical thinking. This book will likely be mined for information and cited by those interested in this era of science for some time to come.

[Sean Patrix]

I love quirky, well-written science books. This is a fun read. It's about Dr Beddoes of England who discovers the properties of laughing gas. He is surrounded by the foremost men of science from 18th Century England, such as James Watt. He lives during a time of great political turmoil -- when bloody ripples of the French Revolution are cascading across Europe, and he finds himself on the "wrong" side of the British political establishment. Combines science and history, two of my book-reading loves.

[Fraser Sherman]

A look at the 1790s as England grappled with the radical ideas of the French revolution and the equally astonishing theories coming out of modern chemistry. The book focuses on a particular scientist, Beddoes, who while wrong in most of his theories (he believed the right combination of gas would cure tuberculosis) embodies the scientific curiosity of the era, and successfully inspired "sons of genius" such as chemist Humphrey Davies and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

[Gyrus]

This story of the unfolding of new scientific vistas, some harnessed for present benefit, some curiously mismatched with the times and destined for the future, is told with unflagging energy and intelligence by Jay. More: http://dreamflesh.com/library/mike-ja...

[Jenn]

This is another engaging history of Romantic-Era science, and an instructive window on the relationship between knowledge and application of knowledge. Well worth reading.