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EMANUEL SWEDENBORG AS A GEOLOGIST*
BY A. G. NATHORST.
Although geolog}’ as an independent science is regarded as having
been first founded by Werner, nevertheless, as is known, tliere were
many investigators long before him, who with interest and success applied
themselves to the study of the geological phenomena and also made
attempts to interpret the same. In this connection Sweden may be proud
of having bad among other sucli pioneers men like Swedenborg,
Lin-naeus and Torbf.rn Bergman, of whom the last two, as I have shown
in another place,1 exercised a direct influence on Werner’s system. That
the contributions of Swedenborg and Linnaeus in the geological field have
been less valned than they deserve, is withont doubt due to this, that
their fame in other fields was so great, that what they produced in
geo-logy in comparison therewith seems relatively unimportant and has
there-fore been mucli overlooked. Besides this, it may be added that their
geological observations and statements are in great part scattered in
writ-ings whose contents are mainly of a different kind, for which reason
it has not been possible to obtain a complete picture of their activity in
the field referred to. And still it may be said without exaggeration, that
what they produced in this field is of such importance, that it would
have been sufficient to secure for them a respected scientific name.
* Translated by Alfred H. Stkoh from the original Swedish in Geol. Fören.
För-handl. No. 243. Bd. 28. Hiift 5, pp. 357—400, Stockholm, 1906, and now reprinted in
revised form, with a few alterations and additions by the author, from the Introduction
to Vol. I. of the edition of Swedenborg’s scientific texts now being published by the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at Stockholm: Emanuel Swedenborg, Opera
quae-dam aut inedita aut obsoleta de rebus naturalibus, nunc edita sub auspiciis Regiae
Aca-demiae Scientiarum Suecicae, I., Geologica et Epistolae, praefatus est Gustaf Retzius,
introductionem adiunxit Alfred G. Nathorst, edidit Alfred H. Stroh. Holmiae, ex
officin a Aftonbladet, 1907.
1 A. G. Nathorst: Jordens Historia. Stockholm, 1894; the chapter on »Geological
Investigation in Sweden», p. 34 et seqq. Reprinted in Sveriges Geologi, p. 1 et seqq.
See also A. G. Nathorst: Carl von Linné såsom Geolog, in Carl von Linnés betydelse
såsom naturforskare och läkare. Skildringar utgifna af Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien.
Uppsala och Stockholm, 1907.
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