CHEMISTS A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Davy, Humphry (1778-1829) British experimental chemist who invented the Davy miner's safety lamp and discovered calcium. Davy joined the Royal Institution in London and became a pioneer of electrochemistry. He was appointed president of the Royal Society in 1820, and gave much encouragement to Michael Faraday. Davy's widely-read book, Consolations in Travel, or The Last Days of a Philosopher, revealed some extraordinary personal beliefs concerning extraterrestrial life. Published posthumously, Consolations in Travel recounts a vision, based partly upon dreams, in which Davy describes a universe full of every conceivable kind of life and in which souls migrate from one world to another as they acquire knowledge (see transmigration of souls). It presents a philosophy akin to that of Swedenborg and so impressed Flammarion that he arranged for it to be translated and published in France (1868). Related category    • CHEMISTS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP