SODDY FREDERICK: (1877-1956) English Radiochemist, Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, 1921. A.N.S., F Soddy, one ...

SODDY FREDERICK: (1877-1956) English Radiochemist, Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, 1921. A.N.S., F Soddy, one page, 4to, n.p., n.d. (c. June 1951). Soddy's note is written in response to a question posed by a researcher making a 'World Scientific Inquiry', the question handwritten at the head of the page, ''In a brilliant article entitled ''An Epoch in Science''……Jules Romains writes 'The exploration of the real knows no ''pre-determined bounds''; it seems, however, that of all discoveries, those of major importance are of the same order numerically as the important discoveries at the present time…..Pure science has already probed into the inmost secrets of the universe: Our time has little chance of living outclassed' - Is Jules Romains right? What is your opinion from a physical point of view?' Soddy responds with a testy note, in full, 'I do not understand! You have a double set of '' '' Neither do I find the topic amusing', further adding a postscript signed with his initials ('FS'), 'Are you French taking yourselves too seriously?' Together with a slightly irregularly trimmed oblong 8vo fragment bearing a different question from the same researcher, 'If you had to end up your life on one word, what word would it be?', Soddy responds with the word Eureka, and adds his signature ('Frederick Soddy') and date, 5th December 1949, in his hand beneath. The latter piece is accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Soddy. G to VG, 2