Eighteenth century electrostatic measuring devices / W.D. Hackmann.
Abstract:
This monograph traces the development of eighteenth century electrostatic measuring devices, which is related to the progress made in electrostatic theory and influenced by contemporary attitudes towards scientific methodology. We find that most of these instruments were evolved after 1770. The main impetus for this development was the investigation of atmospheric electricity and attempts to measure and compare the output of the different electrostatic generators. By the end of the eighteenth century, the study had switched from large- to small-scale electrical phenomena, and this, too, influenced the design, resulting in very sensitive devices. The various types have been classified in Table I. We find that no really satisfactory electrometric standards or standard measuring techniques were developed during this period, primarily because all the factors that affected the action of these instruments had not yet been isolated. Absolute electrometers were only developed by Kelvin and others after c. 1850, and these became the second generation of electrostatic measuring instruments
Annali dell'Istituto e Museo di storia della scienza di Firenze A. 3, fasc. 2 (1978), p. 3-58