In the book The
Works of Thomas Lovell Beddoes, 1935 by H. W.
Donner, there is an inventory of the possessions of
Beddoes at the time of his death. Listed among these
possessions is "Albert'sches Kleines Microscop"
(small microscope; the word "Albert'sches" is of
unknown meaning and cannot be translated). The
Schiek drum microscope would certainly be
characterized as small compared to other types of
microscopes available at the time.
Evidently, this
may not be the first microscope that belonged to
Dr. Beddoes. In a letter to T.F. Kelsall dated May
1837, he writes: "Without any such risk, however,
I can tell you how I employ, or abuse, my time. You
must know that I am an M.D. of the U. of Würtzburg,
and possess a very passable knowledge of anatomy and
physiology, &c.: that I narrowly escaped becoming
professor of comparative anatomy in the University of
Zurich, (having been recommended unanimously for that
chair by the medical faculty here,) by means of a
timely quarrel in which I engaged, more solito, with
several members of the government. Now, being
independent, and having all the otium if not the
dignitas eines privatis irrenden-gelehrten, sometimes
I dissect a beetle, sometimes an oyster, and very
often trudge about the hills and the lakes, with a
tin box on my back, and “peep and botanize” in
defiance of W.W. Sometimes I peep half a day through
a microscope: sometimes I read Italian (in which I am
only a smatterer,) or what not: and not seldom drink
and smoke like an Ætna."
It must be noted that
in the book Thomas Lovell Beddoes: The
Making of a Poet, 1977 by H. W. Donner, it is
stated that Thomas Lovell Beddoes' cousin William
Minton Beddoes (1817-1870) was also in Berlin during
this time period where he was examined for the degree
of Doctor of Medicine on August 11, 1842. Thus, one
cannot, at this time, rule out the possibility that
it was W. M. Beddoes who purchased this microscope.
(I thank Prof. Richard Geyer for his help in
gathering some of these facts)
This microscope was
obtained for this collection from the estate of a
chemist who worked at the University College in
London.
The Thomas
Lovell Beddoes Website
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Thomas Lovell Beddoes