Abstract
THE death of William Du Bois Duddell on November 4, at forty-five years of age, leaves a gap in the ranks of our men of science which it will be difficult to fill. His was a rare and precious gift, for he had, in the highest degree, extraordinary patience and scientific instinct. When a problem was set him, however difficult, however insoluble it might appear to be at first, he was never satisfied until he had obtained a solution. It was an inspiration for anyone to have the privilege of helping him in a piece of scientific work. I shall always remember the development of his oscillograph. We were working together on the study of the alternate j current arc and were using a laborious “point by point” method for obtaining the curves of current and potential difference. He had set his mind on the production of an instrument that would record the curves instantaneously, and at this problem he worked continuously. He made the first instrument in his workshop at home and brought it along to test; the damping was unsatisfactory, and we set to work to find a method of damping that was efficient. In the end he made a separate channel, with incredibly thin walls, for each strip, and succeeded. It was remarkable that, although the first instrument was designed by eye, the final form of the oscillograph, so far as the vibrator was concerned, did not differ very much in its principal dimensions from the original instrument. Theory enabled the best conditions to be determined, but a full understanding of theory did not lead to a very great improvement. Duddell's instinct as a designer gave the right dimensions from the start. No one who saw it will forget the demonstration that was given by Duddell before the Institution of Electrical Engineers of his instrument, perfect in every detail. There is no doubt that its production marked an epoch in the experimental investigation of alternating current phenomena. If genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains, then Duddell had genius of the very highest kind, for his patience was boundless. His gift as an instrument-maker was hereditary, for he was connected with the great Du Bois family, famous in that home of watchmaking, Switzerland, for its products.
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MARCHANT, E. W. Du Bois Duddell, C.B.E., F.R.S. Nature 100, 207–208 (1917). https://doi.org/10.1038/100207a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/100207a0