noumeno

Chandra Bose and the crescograph

 Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose(1858–1937) was a Bengali polymath, physicist, biologist, botanist,archaeologist, as well as an early writer of science fiction. Hepioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made verysignificant contributions to plant science, and laid the foundationsof experimental science in the Indian subcontinent.

A crescograph is a devicefor measuring growth in plants and it was invented in the early 20thcentury by Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. The Bose crescograph uses aseries of clockwork gears and a smoked glass plate to record themovement of the tip of a plant (or its roots) at magnifications of upto 10,000. Marks are made on the plate at intervals of a few seconds,demonstrating how the rate of growth varies under varying stimuli.Bose experimented with temperature, chemicals, gases and electricity.

Bose made a number ofpioneering discoveries in plant physiology. He used his owninvention, the crescograph, to measure plant response to variousstimuli, and thereby scientifically proved parallelism between animaland plant tissues.

His major contribution inthe field of biophysics was the demonstration of the electricalnature of the conduction of various stimuli (e.g., wounds, chemicalagents) in plants, which were earlier thought to be of a chemicalnature. These claims were later proven experimentally.

Bose's place in historyhas now been re-evaluated, and he is credited with the invention ofthe first wireless detection device and the discovery of millimetrelength electromagnetic waves and considered a pioneer in the field ofbiophysics.

Many of his instrumentsare still on display and remain largely usable now, over 100 yearslater. They include various antennas, polarisers, and waveguides,which remain in use in modern forms today.

Fabricio Unti