Edmund Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Edmund Duncan Montgomery (March 19, 1835 – April 17, 1911) was a Scottish
philosopher, scientist
and physician
.
relates the possibility that he was the son of Isabella Davidson (or Montgomery) and a prominent Scottish jurist, Duncan McNeill, 1st Baron Colonsay
. He and his mother lived in Paris and Frankfurt, supplemented by a trust fund for him.
By the time he entered his teens, he began to be interested in the philosophical works of Arthur Schopenhauer
. While still living in Frankfurt and only 13 years old, he participated in the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
.
and came under the influence of Christian Kapp, Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach
and Jacob Moleschott
. He later attended lectures by Johannes Peter Müller
at the University of Berlin
during his 1855-1856 enrollment. While studying in Bonn 1856-1857, he attended influential lectures of Hermann von Helmholtz
.
degree from the University of Würzburg
on February 18, 1858.
He interned at Prague
and Vienna
. He served his residency at the London
German Hospital and Bermondsay Dispensary. While doing biological research, he became Curator
of the St Thomas' Hospital
and Demonstrator of Morbid Anatomy. He was elected to the Royal College of Physicians of London
in 1862.
After being diagnosed with tuberculosis
in 1863, he left the Royal College of Physicians of London and established medical practices on the resort island of Madeira
(1863–1865), in Menton
(1866) on the French Riviera
, and also in Rome
(1867) and Munich
(1868), while continuing to do his research. A life annuity
allowed him to retire from medical practice in 1869, and devote the rest of his life to philosophy, scientific research, and writing.
in over sixty journal articles and five books. He was an advocate of humanitarianism
and a "religion of life," focusing on the idea that man must not ignore the potential of his own yet-to-be-completed evolutionary process.
The two most significant papers written by him were his Refutation of Kant From the Standpoint of the Empirical (1870) and The Revelation of Present Experience (1910).
In the former, he convincingly refutes Immanuel Kant's a priori, the lynchpin of Kant's system, and in the latter, he insists that all knowledge (no exceptions) is based on the evidence provided by the senses.
, who was visiting friends in the city. They were married at the British consulate in Madeira on November 7, 1863.
He was diagnosed with tuberculosis
in 1863. By 1870, the Franco-Prussian War
had begun. In the autumn of that year, Ney became pregnant with their first child. Montgomery received a letter from his friend Baron Carl Vicco Otto Friedrich Constantin von Stralendorff of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
who had moved to Thomasville, Georgia
with his new wife Margaret Elizabeth Russell of Boston, Massachusetts, declaring the location "Earth's paradise." On January 14, 1871, Ney and Montgomery, accompanied by their housekeeper Cenci, emigrated to Georgia, to a colony promoted as a resort for consumptives. Son Arthur (1871–1873) was born in Georgia, and son Lorne 1872–1913) was born in Red Wing, Minnesota
during one of their travels. Baron and Baroness von Stralendorff returned to Wismar
Germany
where he died on July 1, 1872.
In 1873, Ney traveled alone to Texas. With the help of German Consul Julius Runge in Galveston
, Ney was shown Liendo Plantation
near Hempstead
in Waller County, Texas. On March 4, 1873, Montgomery and the rest of the family arrived, and he purchased it. While he tended to his research, Ney ran it for the next twenty years. Oldest son Arthur died of diphtheria
in 1873.
He was involved in an advisory capacity in the founding of Prairie View A&M, originally called Prairie View Normal School.
He became a naturalized United States citizen, and thereafter became active in local politics and events. He served two terms as Waller County Road Commissioner and oversaw the building of an iron bridge across the Brazos River
. In 1903, he was elected president of the Texas Academy of Science.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
philosopher, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
Early life
Edmund Duncan Montgomery was born March, 1835, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His parentage is unknown, but the Elisabet Ney MuseumElisabet Ney Museum
The Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. The museum is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of Ney's portrait busts and personal memorabilia on display.Formosa, as...
relates the possibility that he was the son of Isabella Davidson (or Montgomery) and a prominent Scottish jurist, Duncan McNeill, 1st Baron Colonsay
Duncan McNeill, 1st Baron Colonsay
Duncan McNeill, 1st Baron Colonsay FRSE was a Scottish advocate, judge and Tory politician. He was Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session between 1852 and 1867....
. He and his mother lived in Paris and Frankfurt, supplemented by a trust fund for him.
By the time he entered his teens, he began to be interested in the philosophical works of Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal...
. While still living in Frankfurt and only 13 years old, he participated in the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
.
Education
In 1852, Montgomery majored in medicine at the University of Heidelberg, where he did lab work under Robert BunsenRobert Bunsen
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was a German chemist. He investigated emission spectra of heated elements, and discovered caesium and rubidium with Gustav Kirchhoff. Bunsen developed several gas-analytical methods, was a pioneer in photochemistry, and did early work in the field of organoarsenic...
and came under the influence of Christian Kapp, Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach
Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach
Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach was a German philosopher and anthropologist. He was the fourth son of the eminent jurist Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach, brother of mathematician Karl Wilhelm Feuerbach and uncle of painter Anselm Feuerbach...
and Jacob Moleschott
Jacob Moleschott
Jacob Moleschott was a Dutch physiologist and writer on dietetics.Moleschott studied at Heidelberg and began the practice of medicine at Utrecht in 1845, but soon moved to Heidelberg where he lectured on physiology at the university, beginning in 1847...
. He later attended lectures by Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller , was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge.-Early years and education:...
at the University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
during his 1855-1856 enrollment. While studying in Bonn 1856-1857, he attended influential lectures of Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions to several widely varied areas of modern science...
.
Medical practice
Montgomery received his MDDoctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the University of Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
on February 18, 1858.
He interned at Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He served his residency at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
German Hospital and Bermondsay Dispensary. While doing biological research, he became Curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
and Demonstrator of Morbid Anatomy. He was elected to the Royal College of Physicians of London
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1862.
After being diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1863, he left the Royal College of Physicians of London and established medical practices on the resort island of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
(1863–1865), in Menton
Menton
Menton is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Situated on the French Riviera, along the Franco-Italian border, it is nicknamed la perle de la France ....
(1866) on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
, and also in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1867) and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(1868), while continuing to do his research. A life annuity
Life annuity
A life annuity is a financial contract in the form of an insurance product according to which a seller — typically a financial institution such as a life insurance company — makes a series of future payments to a buyer in exchange for the immediate payment of a lump sum or a series...
allowed him to retire from medical practice in 1869, and devote the rest of his life to philosophy, scientific research, and writing.
Philosophy
Mongomery's study of philosophy complemented his work as a physical scientist. He saw life as the ability of certain chemical compounds to resist damage. He commented on conceptions of knowledge and selfSelf (philosophy)
The philosophy of self defines the essential qualities that make one person distinct from all others. There have been numerous approaches to defining these qualities. The self is the idea of a unified being which is the source of consciousness. Moreover, this self is the agent responsible for the...
in over sixty journal articles and five books. He was an advocate of humanitarianism
Humanitarianism
In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...
and a "religion of life," focusing on the idea that man must not ignore the potential of his own yet-to-be-completed evolutionary process.
The two most significant papers written by him were his Refutation of Kant From the Standpoint of the Empirical (1870) and The Revelation of Present Experience (1910).
In the former, he convincingly refutes Immanuel Kant's a priori, the lynchpin of Kant's system, and in the latter, he insists that all knowledge (no exceptions) is based on the evidence provided by the senses.
Personal life
While a student at the University of Heidelberg in 1853, Montgomery began a courtship with sculptor Elisabet NeyElisabet Ney
Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney was a celebrated German-born sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing sculpted works of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi and King George V of Hanover...
, who was visiting friends in the city. They were married at the British consulate in Madeira on November 7, 1863.
He was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1863. By 1870, the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
had begun. In the autumn of that year, Ney became pregnant with their first child. Montgomery received a letter from his friend Baron Carl Vicco Otto Friedrich Constantin von Stralendorff of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
who had moved to Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...
with his new wife Margaret Elizabeth Russell of Boston, Massachusetts, declaring the location "Earth's paradise." On January 14, 1871, Ney and Montgomery, accompanied by their housekeeper Cenci, emigrated to Georgia, to a colony promoted as a resort for consumptives. Son Arthur (1871–1873) was born in Georgia, and son Lorne 1872–1913) was born in Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
during one of their travels. Baron and Baroness von Stralendorff returned to Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he died on July 1, 1872.
In 1873, Ney traveled alone to Texas. With the help of German Consul Julius Runge in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, Ney was shown Liendo Plantation
Liendo Plantation
Liendo Plantation is an historic cotton plantation in Waller County, Texas, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1971.In 1936, Liendo was designated Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 9396...
near Hempstead
Hempstead, Texas
Hempstead is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States. The community, located at the junctions of U.S. Highway 290, Texas State Highway 6, and Texas State Highway 159, is around fifty miles northwest of Downtown Houston. The population was 4,691 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of...
in Waller County, Texas. On March 4, 1873, Montgomery and the rest of the family arrived, and he purchased it. While he tended to his research, Ney ran it for the next twenty years. Oldest son Arthur died of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
in 1873.
He was involved in an advisory capacity in the founding of Prairie View A&M, originally called Prairie View Normal School.
He became a naturalized United States citizen, and thereafter became active in local politics and events. He served two terms as Waller County Road Commissioner and oversaw the building of an iron bridge across the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
. In 1903, he was elected president of the Texas Academy of Science.
Death
Montgomery died on April 17, 1911 after suffering a number of strokes and is buried next to Ney at Liendo.Published works and/or papers housed at Southern Methodist University
- An Address to the People… (date unknown)
- The Corngrowers of Tomorrow (date unknown)
- The Epistemological Task (date unknown)
- Fichte (date unknown)
- The Groundwork of Ethics (date unknown)
- Ethics (date unknown)
- Concerning Psycho-Parallelism (date unknown)
- Stereometrie (1851)
- On the Formation of the So-Called Cells in Animal Bodies (1867)
- Die Kant’sche Erkenntniss Lehre Widerlegt Vom Standpunkt Der Empirie (Munchen: Verlag con C. Ackermann) (1870)
- Die Kant’sche Erkenntnisslehre widerlegt vom Standpunkt der Empirie (1871)
- The Elementary Functions and the Primitive Organization of Protoplasm (St. Thomas’s Hospital Reports IX) (1879)
- The Dependence of Quality of Specific Energies (Mind, Vol. V) (1880)
- The Unity of Organic Individual (Mind) (1880)
- Zur Lehre von der Muskelcontraktion (Pfluger’s Archive fur Physiologie) (1881)
- The Substantiality of Life (Mind) (1881)
- Are We Cell Aggregates? (Mind') (1882)
- Causation and Its Organic Condition (Mind, Vol. VI ) (1882)
- Hunger (The Index) (December 25, 1884)
- The Object of Knowledge (Mind) (1885)
- Transcendentalism and Evolution (The Index) (March 26, 1885)
- Space and Touch (Mind) (1885)
- Our Personality (The Index) (April 2, 1885)
- Uber das Protoplasma Einiger Elemeentarorganismen (Jenaishe Zeitschrift fur Naturwissenschaft) (1885)
- Mental Activity (Mind) (1889)
- True Democracy (New Occasions) (June, 1893)
- The Psychological Significance of Dreams (Religio-Philosophical Journal) (September 30, 1893)
- To be Alive, What is it? (Monist) (1895)
- The Integration of Mind (Mind) (1895)
- Are We Conscious Automata? (Proceedings of the Texas Academy of Science) (1897)
- Molecular Theories of Organic Reproduction (Proceedings of the Texas Academy of Science) (1897)
- The Vitality and Organization of Protoplasm (Austin, Texas: Gammie-Statesman Publishing Company) (1904)
- Neovitalism (Proceedings of the Texas Academy of Science) (1904)
- The Vitality and Organization of Protoplasm (1904)
- Anent Psychophysical Parallelism, (American Journal of Psychology) (April, 1905)
- Philosophical Problems in the Light of Vital Organization (1907)
- The Revelation of Present Experience (1908)
- The Revolution of Present Experience (Boston: Sherman, French & Company) (1910)
- Letters to Religio-Philosophical Journal, The Open Court; The New Ideal; The Conservator; and the Hempstead News, (1887–1911)
External links
- Biography at the Elisabet Ney Museum site