The last man who knew everything

In the 21st century, it would be quite impossible for even the most learned man to know
everything. However, as recently as the 18th century, there were those whose knowledge
encompassed most of the information available at that time. This is a review of a biography of
one such man.
Thomas Young (1773-1829) contributed 63 articles to the great British encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia Britannica, including 46 biographical entries (mostly on scientists and classical
scholars), and substantial essays on 'Bridge' (a card game), 'Egypt', 'Languages' and ‘Tides'. Was
someone who could write authoritatively about so many subjects a genius, or a dilettante*?
In an ambitious biography, Andrew Robinson argues that Young is a good contender to be
described as 'the last man who knew everything'. Young has competition, however the phrase
which Robinson uses as the title of his biography of Young also serves as the subtitle of two
other recent biographies: Leonard Warren's 1998 life of paleontologist Joseph Leidy (1823-1891)
and Paula Findlen's 2004 book on Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680).
Young, of course, did more than write encyclopedia entries. He presented his first paper, on the
human eye, to the prestigious academic institution, the Royal Society of London** at the age of
20 and was elected a Fellow of the Society shortly afterward.
*dilettante: someone who is not serious about anyone subject
** Royal Society of London: the oldest scientific society in Britain
In the paper, which seeks to explain how the eye focuses on objects at varying distances, Young
hypothesized that this was achieved by changes in the shape of the lens. He also theorized that
light travels in waves, and believes that to be able to see in color, there must be three receptors in
the eye corresponding to the three principal colors' (red, green, and violet) to which the retina
could respond. All these hypotheses were subsequently proved to be correct.Later in his life,
when he was in his forties, Young was instrumental in cracking the code that unlocked the
unknown script in the Rosetta Stone, a tablet found in Egypt by the Napoleonic army in 1799.
The stone has text in three alphabets: Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and something originally
unrecognizable. The unrecognizable script is now known as demotic' and, as Young deduced, is
related directly to Egyptian hieroglyphs. His initial work on this appeared in the Britannica entry
'Egypt". In another entry, Young coined the term 'Indo-European' to describe the family of
languages spoken throughout most of Europe and northern India. These works are the landmark
achievements of a man who was a child prodigy but who, unlike many remarkable children, did
fade into obscurity as an adult.
Born in 1773 in Somerset in England, Young lived with his maternal grandfather from an early
age. He devoured books from the age of two, and excelled at Latin, Greek, mathematics, and
natural philosophy (the 18th century term for science). After leaving school, he was greatly
encouraged by Richard Brocklesby, a physician, and Fellow of the Royal Society Following
Brocklesby's lead. Young decided to pursue a career as a medician. He studied in London and
then moved on to more formal education in Edinburgh, Gottingen, and Cambridge. After
completing his medical training at the University of Cambridge in 1808. Young set up practice as
a physician in London and a few years later was appointed physician at St. George's Hospital.
Young's skill as a physician, however, did not equal his talent as a scholar of natural philosophy
or linguistics. In 1801, he had been appointed to a professorship of natural philosophy at the
Royal Institution, where he delivered as many as 60 lectures a year. His opinion was requested
by civic and national authorities on matters such as the introduction of gaslighting to London
streets and methods of ship construction. From 1819, he was superintendent of the Nautical
Almanac and secretary to the Board of Longitude. Between 1816 and 1825, he contributed many
entries to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and throughout his career, he authored numerous other
essays, papers, and books.
Young is a perfect subject for a biography-perfect, but daunting. Few men contributed so much
to so many technical fields. Robinson's aim is to introduce non-scientists to Young's work and
life. He succeeds, providing clear expositions of the technical material (especially that on optics
and Egyptian hieroglyphs). Some readers of this book will, like Robinson, find Young's
accomplishments impressive; others will see him as some historians have-as a dilettante. Yet
despite the rich material presented in this book, readers will not end up knowing Young
personally. We catch glimpses of a playful Young, doodling Greek and Latin phrases in his notes
on medical lectures and translating the verses that a young lady had written on the walls of a
summerhouse into Greek elegiacs. Young was introduced into elite society, attended the theatre,
and learned to dance and play the flute. In addition, he was an accomplished horseman.
However, his personal life looks pale next to his vibrant career and studies.
Young married Eliza Maxwell in 1804, and according to Robinson, “their marriage was a happy
one and she appreciated his work,” Almost all we know about her is that she sustained her
husband through some rancorous disputes about optics and that she worried about money when
his medical career was slow to take off. Very little evidence survives about the complexities of
Young’s relationships with his mother and father. Robinson does not credit them, or anyone else,
with shaping Young’s extraordinary mind. Despite the lack of details concerning Young’s
relationships, however, anyone interested in what it means to be a genius should read this book.

Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN If there is no information on this
1 Other people have been referred to as the last man who knew everything
2 The fact that Young’s childhood brilliance continued into adulthood was normal
3 Young’s talents as a doctor are described as surpassing his other skills
4 Young’s advice was sought by several bodies responsible for local and national matters
5 All Young’s written works were published in the Encyclopaedia Brittanica
6 Young was interested in a range of social pastimes.
7 Young suffered from poor health in his later years.
Questions 8-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for
each answer.
8 How many life stories did Thomas Young write for the Encyclopedia Britannica?
9 What aspect of scientific research did Young focus on in his first academic paper?
10 What name did Young introduce to refer to a group of languages?
11 Who inspired Young to start his medical studies?
12 At which place of higher learning did Young hold a teaching position?
13 What was the improvement to London roads on which Young’s ideas were sought?