¶ Ninety-Two Elements: Chart of Rate of Acquisition (3)
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Index Entry
"depth of the depression, man made his 92nd isolation of a chemical element. This completed the element table representing the full family now mastered by man-- in the sense of his ability to repeat element isolation and to rearrange elements, as fundamental ingredients of physical environment, in preferred patterns of use. From this point on we may notice something strange. Previous to completion of the table, element isolation occurred irregularly-- for example, element number 19 would be the 43rd element isolated; the 45th isolation would number 30, etc. With the post-uraniums the isolations show an absolute regularity of increase-- they come in by number. Man begins to control consciously the rate of development of his capability.
“We must note this in reviewing the contiguous developments in environment control (as shown at the top of the chart). Just as man is able to go into cold climates by putting on fur skins, or into hot by taking off clothes, he enters more hostile environments by having more control devices. The development of these devices is a fundamental measure of man’s degree of advantage over his environment. The first time, to our knowledge, that he goes around the world in an invention was, as”
