Calcutta, Bose Research Institute, 1918. 8vo (21.4 x 13.8 cm). Title page, xxiv, 259 pp.; 92 text figures. Original quarter linen over printed boards.

Important and very original contribution to the knowledge of plants, in the footsteps of Charles Darwin ( The power of movement in plants). The work describes several experiments, surveying the effects of temperature, chemicals, electrical stimuli, mechanical stimuli, the action of light, etc. Written by the Indian polymath Jagadis Chunder Bose (1858-1937), founder of the Bose Research Institute in Calcutta. Bose had "interests in biology, physics, botany and writing science fiction. He was a pioneer in the investigation of radio microwave optics, made significant contributions to botany, and was a major force behind the expansion of experimental science on the Indian subcontinent. Bose is considered the father of Bengali science fiction. A crater on the Moon was named in his honour. Bose made pioneering discoveries in plant physiology. He used his own invention, the crescograph, to measure plant response to various stimuli and proved parallelism between animal and plant tissues. To facilitate his research, he constructed automatic recorders capable of registering extremely slight movements; these instruments produced some striking results, such as quivering of injured plants, which Bose interpreted as a power of feeling in plants. His books includes The Nervous Mechanism of Plants (1926)" (Wikipedia). Published as Part I of the Institute's Transactions. Part I of two only, but all parts are rare. Well-illustrated. Spine sunned, otherwise a very good, clean copy. Not in Cat. BM(NH).