Aleksandra Cieślar

Władysław Natanson (1864–1937)

ładysław Natanson was born on the 18th of June 1864 in , the Wson of Ludwik Natanson and his second wife, Natalia Epstein. Th e Natansons were a family of Warsaw bankers and industrialists of Jew- ish heritage, who exerted sizeable infl uence within the Kingdom of . Members of the family had been, among other things, co-founders and presi- dents of the Trade Bank in Warsaw, had headed the Warsaw Stock Exchange, run publishing businesses, and played an important role in the development of the town of Konstancin-Jeziorna, to where they transferred the Mirkowska Paper Plant. Some of them emigrated to France, where they equally conduct- ed fi nancial activities as well as becoming patrons of the arts. Th e founder of the Natanson family’s fi nancial might was Samu- el (equally Seelig or Zeelig) Natanson (1795–1879), the son of Natan of Leszno (also called Leski) and his wife Franciszka Izraelowicz. Initially he involved himself in trade, running a clothes shop and later trading in cloth and materials. He was also actively involved in the soap industry and sugar manufacture. In 1866, together with his two sons (Henryk and Jakub), he opened the banking house Samuel Natanson and Sons, which was to exist until 1932 and became the basis of the family’s fortune. Samuel married Leokadia Weinreb, with whom he had twelve children (four of whom died in childhood or infancy).

— 153 — One of the sons was Ludwik (1821–1896), the father of Władysław. Ludwik was not only a well-known, highly committed practicing medical doctor, but also a meritorious social activist. From 1871 right up until his death he was the president of the Warsaw Jewish community. Th anks to his eff orts Orthodox hospitals and the Great Synagogue at Tłomacki were built, work was also com- menced on the Central Judaic Library and the start of the construction of the headquarters for the Jewish community in Warsaw at Grzybowska Street. In addition Ludwik Natanson was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the jour- nal Tygodnik Lekarski [Medical Weekly] as well as being the author of a series of works on medicine and pedagogy. Th e rich intellectual tradition of the Na- tanson family is best conveyed in the words of Władysław Natanson, which appear in his autobiography written a few years before his death (in 1933):

In my family, a middle-class one, of industrial traditions, a love and adoration of the natural sciences had existed for a long time. My father was to graduate in 1838 from the Medical Academy in Vilnius and the University of Dorpat [...]. My uncle Jakub was from 1862 a professor at Szkoła Główna [Th e Main School] in Warsaw making his name in the history of organic chemistry. My fi rst cousin Józef committed himself at the University to Zoology; he wrote about bacteriology while in exile in Volgograd Province; for many years he was a member of the Mianowski Bank committee and on the Editorial Board of the (former) Wszechświat [Th e Universe]. My brother Edward in youth devoted himself to research into physics; the fi rst of my and his works were jointly published and worked on. (W. Natanson, Autobiography, p. 118)

In 1874 W. Natanson started to attend the III State Classical Secondary School in Warsaw. He did not retain the most positive of recollections of his time at the school – in his autobiography he writes about the inadequacies inherent in the teaching system as well as the physical and mental bullying of pupils (‘In the said secondary school, where the inspector was the infamous Troickij, we were poorly and inadequately taught, yet relentlessly tormented and picked on; but I was not taught to hate merely I learned a deep-rooted abhorrence of brutal violence; a disgust for foolishness; adoration for the ide- as of justice and freedom; pain and sorrow with regard to parochialism and anger’). Despite all of this as a result of his overwhelming talents and the love of knowledge he had taken with him from home, Władysław fi nished the school in 1882 with marks of distinction. Aft er passing his school leaving certifi cate he entered the University in St. Petersburg, starting his degree programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. During his studies he had the opportunity to hear the lecturers of many eminent academics of the day, such as Andrei Markov (the mathematician), Orest Khvol’son (the physicist) as well as Dmitri Men- deleev. Aft er four years of study Natanson was awarded the degree of candi- date in mathematics and the natural sciences (a Ph.D. equivalent) and left

— 154 — for Great Britain with the aim of continuing his education at Cambridge and Glasgow. In the following two years (1887 and 1888) he twice left for Dorpat (at present Tartu in Estonia). At the university in Dorpat he was to obtain another master’s degree (on the basis of the dissertation A kinetic theory of imperfect gases) and a Ph.D. in Physics (for the thesis On a kinetic theory of the Joule phenomenon). In the intervening years he spent time at the universities in Strasbourg and Graz, where he studied the theory of gases. As he was unable at the time to fi nalise his post-doctoral thesis he returned to Warsaw in 1888. Natanson’s exceptional talents for the sciences had manifested themselves at an early age. Already as a fi ft een-year-old together with his older brother Edward he submitted his fi rst popular-scientifi c article entitled Th e Sun and Carbon for publication. A year later at a sitting of the Society for the Scienc- es in Paris the brothers presented their next extensive work entitled Chem- ical value and its changeability. From the age of nineteen onwards works by Władysław were to appear annually. In the years 1885 and 1886 there were to appear the following pieces by the brothers – Research into the dissociation of nitrogen dioxide and Further investigations into the dissociation of nitrogen dioxide – based on the research conducted by them (these works were to be- come classics in physical literature and were to be oft en cited by subsequent researchers). In certain periods W. Natanson even published a dozen or so works, which appeared in various scientifi c journals both Polish and foreign. His articles were the most oft en published in the Cracow based Reports of the Polish Academy of Learning. Th e Polish Academy of Learning was an institu- tion with which Natanson closely cooperated. Th e years 1888 to 1889 saw the appearance of one of Natanson’s great- er works – An introduction to theoretical physics, in which he expounded his views on the subject of the development of the basic fi elds of physics: dynamics, and the kinetic theory of gases. Th is textbook, written in beautiful Polish with a clear presentation of matters, was awarded a prise by the Mianowski Bank, and was to mean that this young academ- ic came to the interest and attention of Prof. August Witkowski (rector of the for the academic year 1910/1911), who proposed a post-doctoral degree course of study for the post of assistant professor in Th eoretical Physics at the Jagiellonian University (UJ). Following the defence of his post-doctoral thesis in June 1891 W. Natanson was to associate himself permanently with the Jagiellonian University. Until 1893 he was an assistant professor at the Department of Mathematical Physics, while in 1893 he was awarded the title of professor, with full professorial status being granted two years later (at the turn of 1903). In 1907 he was elected for the post of dean of the Philosophy Faculty. From 1913 to 1930 he was the head of the Depart- ment of Mathematical Physics, while in 1930 he took over the running of the

— 155 — Department of Th eoretical Physics. He fulfi lled the function of rector of the University for the academic year 1922/1923. Professor W. Natanson’s extensive academic output covers 240 works, of which 82 are purely scientifi c. Many of the works concern matters of ther- modynamics. Th e pinnacle of his research into this fi eld are the two disserta- tions: On the laws of irreversible phenomena (1896) and On the thermokinetic properties of thermodynamic potentials (1897). Natanson included in these the fundamental concepts of the contemporary thermodynamics of irrevers- ible phenomena, generalised Hamilton’s variation principle for irreversible phenomena and formulated a general principle which he called ‘thermoki- netic.’ Fascinated by the electron theory of matter Natanson was for several years to involve himself also in the hydrodynamics of viscous fl uids and the theory of diff usional phenomena. Th e results of his research in this area was the work An electromagnetic theory of dispersion and extinction, published in 1907. Two years later, in the French scientifi c journal Journal de Physique Th éorique et Appliquée there appeared a subsequent work in this fi eld – On the polarisation of elliptic light in an environment absorbing and twisting the plane of polarization, in which the author presented his theory later called ‘Natanson’s rule.’ Professor Natanson also involved himself in the newly cre- ated fi eld of physics – wave mechanics. Th e fruit of his studies in this fi eld was the monographic work published in 1930 – Th e fi rst principles of undulatory mechanics. In the last years of his life Natanson devoted himself to research into optics (particularly geometrical optics). He researched questions of the transfer of light through gases. He is the author of several general theorems, a particular case for which being Fermat’s principle. He also studied atomic optics, quantum mechanics and the theory of elementary particles. One may venture the claim that there was almost no discipline of physics which did not interest Natanson. Professor Natanson range of interests was immense. Th is academic of ge- nius, recalling in the universality of his interests the great thinkers of the Re- naissance, through his knowledge and wisdom extended himself far beyond the borders of his own academic milieu. Besides scientifi c works his output included several literary pieces. Th is ‘mathematician amongst humanists’ in- volved himself in numerous areas of academia, ones most distinct from each other. He proclaimed a cult of learning without borders, of a living science, one genuine, and united with everyday life. He was fascinated by literature, history and philosophy. He possessed an exceptional talent for writing, while his speeches, readings and literary sketches (which he himself called ‘trifl es’ or ‘baubles’) were characterised by a beauty in form and impeccable style. Na- tanson’s literary works were collected in 5 volumes: Odczyty i szkice [Readings and sketches] (1908), Oblicze Natury [Th e Faces of nature ] (1924), Porządek

— 156 — Natury [Th e order of nature] (1928), Widnokrąg Nauki [Th e horizon of sci- ence] (1934) and Prądy umysłowe w dawnym Islamie [Intellectual currents in old Islam] (this work was published a few weeks before the author’s death in 1937). Th ese works, currently out of print, contain chiefl y monographic es- says on the subject of the history of scientifi c thought and the lives of its crea- tors – Polish and foreign academics (including Persian and Arabic thinkers). Professor Natanson also wrote textbooks for schools. Cooperating with the National School Council he had already published in 1894 in Lvov Knowl- edge about Physics for Secondary Schools. Despite the fact that many teach- ers considered it to be too diffi cult this textbook was to see many reprints and editions. During the period 1921–1925 in conjunction with Konstanty Zakrzewski, W. Natanson worked on a three-volume textbook entitled Th e Science of Physics, intended for the senior forms of high schools. Władysław Natanson also involved himself in the study of Shakespeare, Alexandrian culture, he wrote about the lives of the great nature researchers such as Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Henry Cavendish, Antoine Lavoisier, studying their biographies in depth, their achievements and fail- ures. In the years 1935 and 1936 he was appointed to the Board of the Polish Biographic Dictionary, for which he drew up a list of Polish physicists. About physics itself he spoke with immense enthusiasm and passion, promoting friendship between humanists and naturalists and instilling in the former a desire for a greater knowledge of the natural sciences. ‘Professor Natanson talked about physics in such a suggestive, colourful and interesting way that even if one had no idea whatsoever about modern physics one listened to his lecturers as if hearing a marvellous fairy tale, a revealing analogy of the struc- ture of the micro universe and the macro universe and the mystery of the structure of matter as it was known to contemporary science.’ He was an ad- herent of the close cooperation of scientists representing various disciplines of knowledge, something that he gave clear expression to in all disputes. He especially valued the importance of non-scientifi c disciplines, claiming that not merely should the Faculty of Philology be humanistic but the entire Jagiel- lonian University. His decisive stance on this issue resulted in a renuncia- tion of the plan to administratively separate the Humanistic Faculty from the Mathematical-Science Faculty at the Jagiellonian University, thanks to which the Faculty of Philosophy was to retain its uniformity until 1939. In a similar way to his father, Ludwik W. Natanson was involved not only in science and research but equally in teaching activities, being actively in- volved in the social and organisation matters of the Jagiellonian University. In 1919 together with Stanisław Kutrzeba he produced a memorial on the university’s needs for the fi rst years aft er Poland’s gaining of independence. In this document he expressed his dissatisfaction with the fi nancial polices em-

— 157 — ployed by Austria in relation to the University. Conscious of the investment necessities Prof. Natanson, already as rector of the Jagiellonian University, bought from the Cracow authorities three extensive plots designated for con- struction. Th e fi rst of these situated between Mickiewicz Avenue and Jordan Park was to have been for the Faculty of Philosophy, the second – situated in the immediate vicinity – for the new building for the Jagiellonian University Library, while the third, situated somewhat further way – between Coper- nicus Street and Grzegórzecka Street – for the Medical Faculty. Besides this, thanks to the endeavours of Natanson several smaller plots were acquired for the university’s needs, on which were planned halls of residence for students and housing for professors. Th ere were also instigated certain changes in the structural organisation of the Jagiellonian University involving the separating and creation of a fi ft h independent Faculty of Agriculture. Although W. Natanson tried his utmost not to involve himself in politi- cal matters, in 1932, when minister Janusz Jędrzejewicz submitted plans for a new act on institutions of tertiary education, he was not to stand indiff er- ent. In November of the same year the Senate of the Jagiellonian University called into existence a Secret Committee (also referred to as the Confi dential Committee) to combat the proposed act. Th e Committee composed besides Władysław Natanson four other professors: Stanisław Estreicher, Emil God- lewski, Stanisław Kot and Konstanty Michalski. Th e intensive work undertak- en by the academic circle to ensure the maintaining of the Jagiellonian Uni- versity’s autonomy, involved fi rst and foremost a successfully conducted press campaign as well as an active lobbying of members of parliament and sena- tors. Th e crowning achievement of the Committee was the publishing of the book W obronie wolności szkół akademickich [In the defence of the freedom of institutions of tertiary education] (Cracow 1933). In 1935 W. Natanson left the department and was bestowed the title of honorary professor by the University (fi ve years earlier he had been awarded an honorary doctorate). As was mentioned earlier for over forty years Natanson was heavily in- volved in the aff airs of the Academy of Learning [AU] (later the Polish Acad- emy of Learning [PAU]), in which he fulfi lled various functions: initially – from May 1893 – he cooperated with the Academy in the capacity of a cor- responding member, later – from May 1900 – as an active member, subse- quently as the secretary and head of the Mathematical-Natural Sciences Fac- ulty, fi nally, twice, for the years 1926–1929 and 1932–1934, he performed the function of Faculty director. From 1926 to 1931 he represented PAU during meetings organised within the Conseil International de Rechersers in Brus- sels, while from 1934 to 1937 he was a delegate to the Conseil International des Unions Scientifi ques in London. Th anks to the fundamental analyses of the needs of the Faculty he headed as worked on by Natanson, Bolesław Ula-

— 158 — nowski (fulfi lling the function of secretary general of the Academy) was able to obtain in the grant funding that had been aimed for. Władysław Natanson also participated in preparing the estimates for the reconstruction of the PAU building located on Sławkowska Street in Cracow, acting in the role of chief expert. In 1901 Prof. Natanson was able to fi ght for the Academy to be recognised as the supra-partition representative of Polish science, something that was an undoubted success on the international arena. In defi ance of the Viennese ministry of education, which identifi ed the activities of AU only with the territory of Galicia, there was in 1910 commenced the publication of the Cat- alogue of Polish Academic Literature, taking into consideration the entirety of national scientifi c output. In 1919 thanks to the endeavours of Natanson the use of German in Bulletin International de l’Académie Polonaise des Scienc- es et des Lettres was curtailed in favour of French and English. It is worth emphasising that in being the editor of the said publication, Natanson paid particular attention not only to the quality of the content of texts therein published but also the language correctness of their translations. He provided the authors with numerous pointers and pieces of advice on the way things should be written. As an academic highly regarded by both Polish and foreign science W. Na- tanson was a member of many academic organisations. Already at the age of 22 he had become a member of the British Physical Society based in London, from 1912 he was a member of the Warsaw Scientifi c Society, in 1914 he entered into the ranks of the Sociéte Francaise de Physique in Paris. In 1920 he was elected the fi rst president of the Polish Physical Society (in 1930 he became an honorary member), in 1925 he fulfi lled the function of vice-pres- ident of the International Physical Union. In 1934 he was appointed to head the National Physics Committee, a post he fulfi lled for life. W. Natanson spent the majority of his life in Cracow, somewhere he felt extremely closely attached to. Twice he turned down an off er to transfer to the capital, Warsaw – for the fi rst time in 1895, when Warsaw Polytechnic was established, and again in 1917 when he was off ered a position at the Universi- ty of Warsaw. Professor Natanson had many true friends in Cracow, creating a so-called ‘clique’; amongst these friends were professors from outside the milieu of physicists. Natanson maintained particularly close contacts with the already mentioned August Witkowski, though also with Karol Potkański, Kazimierz Kostanecki, Konstanty Górski, Jacek Malczewski, Bishop Michał Godlewski, Father Konstanty Michalski, Jan Rozwadowski and Henryk Sienkiewicz. His acquaintances also included foreign academics, including Albert Einstein, Hendrik Lorentz, Max Planck (in 1938 Professor Natanson’s extensive correspondence with Polish and foreign academics was presented

— 159 — by his wife to the Jagiellonian University’s Manuscript Department). Despite his deep involvement in his work Professor Natanson always found enough time to maintain contact with his friends. At home he would conduct private discussion meetings (so-called sym- posiums), during which the representatives of Cracow’s then intellectual elite would gather (amongst whom were , Henryk Sienkiewicz, Father Stefan Pawlicki). Th e participants in the symposium would share their mutual interests and the results of their creative work. Despite the large number of social engagements and relations Prof. Na- tanson was deep down a loner. He loved peace and quiet, could not tolerate noise, felt bad in the company of those he did not know. Modest and shy, he formed new acquaintances with diffi culty. In one of his letters he wrote: ‘I live in a contemplative way within the four walls of my room; the tree opposite the window shuts off the street, the books open up the world.’ As an already mature man of 37 W. Natanson married Elżbieta Tekla Baranowska, the niece of Prof. Ignacy Baranowski (the famous doctor of medicine and social activist), who had brought up the girl following the pre- mature death of her parents. Initially Elżbieta, who was much younger than her spouse, was full of concern as to whether she would fulfi l the demands brought on her by marriage to an eminent academic, yet she was to become a most excellent wife. Being deeply loved, which she reciprocated, she was not only an excellent housewife but a true life companion for the profes- sor, a wedded confi dant to all his problems, oft en the fi rst reviewer of his works. Th e professor highly respected her opinion even though she was not a specialist in the fi eld he studied. Th eir marriage, most successful and happy, was to see four children: a son Wojciech (born in 1904) and three daughters – Julia (born in 1902), Natalia (born in 1906) and Zofi a (born in 1909). It is characteristic that this noble academic, lecturer, writer and speaker, whose thinking went far beyond the mediocre and encompassed wide ho- rizons, was at the same time a most modest man, endearing himself with his personality and high level of manners. He described himself as a self- taught person who never had been able to be a pupil, although he always endeavoured to learn from the greatest masters. Professor Natanson’s pupils (amongst whom the most well-known were Aleksander Ludwik Birkenmajer, Tadeusz Józef Godlewski, Kazimierz Gumiński, Leopold Infeld, Mieczysław Jeżewski, Stanisław Loria, Arkadiusz Piekara) recall him in turn as a great lecturer and fair examiner. He remained in their memories as an extremely punctual man, elegantly dressed, as one who treated his students serious- ly and with respect, conducting his lecturers without notes yet always being able to present the question in hand in a most interesting way. Much could be learnt from his lectures – besides knowledge about physics Natanson in-

— 160 — stilled in young people imperishable moral values, he showed the necessity for a humanistic approach to science as well as respect for the works of others. Władysław Natanson received many prizes and orders. In 1929 he re- ceived the Knight’s Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta, in 1936 – the Gold Cross for Service and the Gold Academic Laurel awarded to him by the Pol- ish Academy of Literature. He died in Cracow on the 26th of February 1937. He was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Cracow. Since 1965 one of the streets on the Górka Narodowa Estate in the Cracow district of Prądnik Biały has been named aft er him. Ludwik Hieronim Morstin claimed:

Władysław Natanson was a huge believer in science, which he called the bulwark and shield, the weapon in the fi ght, the instrument of action, the guardian, a generous teacher and severe mistress, who demands from us impartiality, peace, composure, that leads us to impassive, mature judgements, towards precise and correct thinking. She demands countless victims and sacrifi ces, will order the ideal goal to be loved more than one loves oneself. Th is mistress he was to faithfully serve and persuaded others to do likewise. (L.H. Morstin, Matematyk..., p. 132)

Bibliography

K. Czapla, “Władysław Natanson – fi zyk i fi lozof”, Semina Scientiarum 4 (2005), pp. 63–82; J. Hulewicz, T. Piech, “Natanson Władysław”, [in:] Polski słownik biografi czny, vol. 22, pp. 611–615; L. Infeld, “Moje wspomnienia o Władysławie Natansonie”, Po- stępy Fizyki 9 (1958), no. 2, pp. 130–136; L. Infeld, “Mój profesor – Władysław Natan- son”, [in:] Szkice z przeszłości. Wspomnienia, Warszawa 1966, pp. 27–36; K. Michalski, “Władysław Natanson jako człowiek i humanista”, Acta Physica Polonica 6 (1937), pp. 317–324; L.H. Morstin, “Matematyk wśród humanistów”, [in:] Opowieści o ludziach i zdarzeniach, Warszawa 1966, pp. 117–132; W. Natanson, “Autobiografi a”, Postępy Fizyki 9 (1958), no. 2, pp. 115–119; W. Natanson, Listy do narzeczonej; W. Nat a n s o n , O moim ojcu, oprac. I. Homola-Skąpska, Kraków 2012; W. Natanson, Wspomnienia i szkice, Kraków 1977; T. Ostrowska, “Natanson Ludwik”, [in:] Polski słownik biogra- fi czny, vol. 22, pp. 605–607; A. Piekara, “Wspomnienie o profesorze Natansonie jako myślicielu i humaniście”, Postępy Fizyki 9 (1958), no. 2, pp. 125–129; A. Szklarska- -Lohmannowa, “Natanson Seeling”, [in:] Polski słownik biografi czny, vol. 22, pp. 607– 608; B. Średniawa, “Władysław Natanson (1864–1937), fi zyk, który wyprzedził swo- ją epokę”, Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki 42 (1997), pp. 3–22; J. Weyssenhoff , “Działalność naukowa profesora Władysława Natansona (1864–1937)”, Postępy Fizyki 9 (1958), no. 2, pp. 120–129; J. Weyssenhoff , “Pamięci Władysława Natansona w set- ną rocznicę Jego urodzin”, Postępy Fizyki 17 (1966), no. 2, pp. 95–100.

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