Samuel Reynolds House of Siam, pioneer medical missionary, 1847-1876Feltus, George Haws
History
Samuel Reynolds House of Siam, pioneer medical missionary, 1847-1876
Feltus, George Haws
House, Samuel Reynolds, 1817-1899
The first to respond was Prince Ammaruk, the favourite son of the
king, who requested the privilege of watching the doctor create the
wonderful “winds.” On the day appointed for the special experiment,
Chao Fah Yai sent a request for Dr. House to accompany him that
evening to call upon a brother prince who was quite ill. In reply
the doctor explained his engagement for the evening, but offered
to make the call after the demonstration, and suggested that
the Priest-Prince might himself like to witness the experiment.
To the doctor’s surprise, the Priest-Prince came early in the
afternoon to take the doctor to see the patient, so that they might
have the whole evening free for the experiments. At the palace,
Chao Fah Yai explained the evening’s entertainment to the royal
physician (a brother of the king) who promptly invited himself. By
arrangement with Prince Ammaruk several others were to come, so
that at the appointed time the small house was filled with nobles
and princes, and the verandah with their servants. Fortunately the
experiments went off successfully; oxygen was generated and iron
was burned in the oxygen; hydrogen was generated from water and
exploded in combination with oxygen. Chao Fah Yai was particularly
enthusiastic, and called in from the verandah some of his men to
see the wonders, and himself volunteered to explain the facts to
them.
The series of lectures awakened widespread interest among the
progressive nobles. Dr. House became a notable in their esteem.
Nearly all of the group who were present on that evening were
amateur scientists; they had the air pump, the electric machine
and other physical apparatus, but of chemistry they had no idea.
Shortly after this Chao Fah Noi, who had been keeping aloof
from foreigners, sent a request for Dr. House to spend the
evening at his palace and instruct him in the making of gases.
How long the series of lectures continued is not apparent; the
journal continues reference to them while they are novel, but
they apparently continued throughout that winter. Other subjects
named were “The Weight of the Atmosphere,” “The Barometer,”
“Heat,” “The Oxyhydrogen Blow Pipe,” “Carbon and Carbonic Gas,”
“Electro-magnetic Telegraph,” and “Electricity.” The original
purpose of instruction for the servants was outgrown, and week
after week one or more of the nobles who were dabbling in science
were present with their ubiquitous train of servants. From this
time on the journal indicates that the doctor’s instruction in the
Bible classes took the form of “Evidences of Natural and Revealed
Religion.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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