Carlos Albán (March 9, 1844 – January 20, 1902) was a Colombian
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
who specialized in mathematics, chemistry, medicine, and surgery. Albán also practiced as a
political philosopher
Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...
, journalist, and lawyer.
Early life and education
Born in
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian departments of Colombia, department of Cauca Department, Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Western Mountain Range and Cordillera Central (Colo ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, the capital of the department of Cauca. Albán studied at the
University of Cauca
The Universidad del Cauca is a public institution of higher education located in the city of Popayán, capital of the department of Cauca, Colombia. It was created on April 24, 1827, by Decree by the President Francisco de Paula Santander, civ ...
. In 1869, he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery
degree
Degree may refer to:
As a unit of measurement
* Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement
** Degree of geographical latitude
** Degree of geographical longitude
* Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics
...
, and two years later, in 1871, he earned a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
of Law and Political Science, for which he wrote a
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
on the "Constitution of 1863". The thesis declared that the Colombian people could no longer be governed by
liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
, including the Constitution and its laws.
Career
Journalism
After returning from battle in 1865, Albán set about reorganizing the Conservative Party which had virtually disappeared. To achieve this, he founded ''Los Principios'', a newspaper in
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
, in 1870. The newspaper called for political activism and denounced the state of social disorder, which had resulted from the Rionegro and Cauca Constitutions. He believed that there existed a "carte blanche for violence," that the regime of individual liberty had degenerated in favor of the liberal mindset, and that many conservatives "had abandoned the main focus." In 1871, the paper had to be closed due to distribution problems.
Later that year, Albán founded the Principios Político-Religiosos (the Politico-Religious Principles) newspaper in Popayan, with assistance from Fernando Angulo and
Sergio Arboleda
Sergio may refer to:
* Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio
* Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found
* ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass
* ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film
* ''Se ...
, with whom he reorganized the Conservative Party. The newspaper was forced to close after the first term, because the liberals warned that conservative reorganization would lead to war. It reopened in 1873 under the management of Manuel Carvajal Valencia and with the collaboration of Albán, who was also writing in El Tradicionista (the Traditionist) and other conservative newspapers in
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
.
Political activism
Albán began participating in political activities as a youth. In 1865, while still a student, he fought in the Battle of Santa Barbara in defense of the liberal government of the
Sovereign State of Cauca
Cauca State was one of the states of Colombia.
Today the area of the former state makes up most of modern-day west and southern Colombia, with some portion of its vast territories acquired by present-day Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela.
N ...
, which faced a conservative revolution. His most active years were 1875-76 when he took advantage of the division of the liberal camp among radicals and independents and began to work on creating a "Catholic Party". Persons who "support Catholicism with all its consequences, and without restrictions of any kind, regardless of what may happen and also the political party to which they belong" were invited to join.
His journalism expressed the importance of Catholicism as an element of political cohesion. He had noted that the clergy, especially Carlos Bermudez, Bishop of Popayan and Manuel Canuto Restrepo, Bishop of Pasto, were important agitators. A huge image of the Virgin of Lourdes in Cauca was used in processions for political purposes. They formed various Catholic Societies, such as the
society of St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor.
Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...
, Sacred Heart and others.
Despite advances in building the party, the political conditions in
Cauca led to the project being abandoned. Albán led the conservatives into the 1876 war. Although the war bore characteristics of a religious war, they were not enough to ensure Conservative victory. The failure of the military adventure led to the expulsion of the clergy and the main conservatives, but more importantly, Albán's work enabled conservatism to survive as a party, despite liberal reprisals. It was able to help the liberals in the War of 1885, enabling the political period known as the Regeneration and with it Conservative Hegemony.
Government service
From 1886, he was a prominent government figure both nationally and in the State of
Cauca, occupying offices such as the Centre Court judge, State Attorney General and Solicitor General of la Nación. Politically, he aligned himself with the conservative faction known as Los Históricos, through which he aroused opposition to the
Miguel Antonio Caro
Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar (November 10, 1845 – August 5, 1909) was a Colombian scholar, poet, journalist, philosopher, orator, philologist, lawyer, and politician.
Early life
His father, José Eusebio Caro and Mariano Ospina Rodríguez ...
and
Carlos Holguin
Carlos may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Carlos, Alberta, a locality
;United States
* Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County
* Carlos, Minnesota, a small city
* Carlos, West Virginia
;Elsewhere ...
governments. In 1891 Holguin enforced the so-called Law of Horses (Act 61 of 1888) and confined Albán to Cauca.
Military career
Albán participated in the 1895 war to defend his party's hegemony. In 1899, he participated in the
War of a Thousand Days
The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conser ...
. He was appointed civil and military chief in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, canceling a move to Europe where he was to take up the position of Consulate in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, in order to
In 1900 he won the
Battle of Calidonia Bridge with general
Emiliano Herrera during the
War of a Thousand Days
The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conser ...
. Alban died during a naval battle
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
on January 20, 1902, when the ship he commanded, "Lautaro", was sunk.
Work in science
Albán conducted research in the fields of
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
,
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
, areas that were poorly developed in Colombia. He tried to obtain investment to apply to industry.
Chemistry
He tried to make lead lenses for distilling sulfuric acid, a key manufacturing ingredient. His efforts enabled him to create carbon disulphide, rubber's only solvent.
In 1872, his research on the precipitation of metals led him to draw analogies between the forms of the precipitates and certain vegetable forms, and to propose a new classification of metals that were not based on affinity to oxygen but in the laws governing "the formation of absorbency in precipitates."
Physics
He studied the
reflection of
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...
and invented a "trifocal light mirror."
He invented an apparatus for producing a
vacuum
A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often dis ...
without the need for a "pneumo-barometer" machine. This was very successful in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and was recommended in scientific journals.
His other inventions were a
clock
A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...
marking
World Time
A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it is ...
, a device that allowed lifting any weight that was patented in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and an invention called Double Ludion which was patented in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
Airship
His most important invention was "a system of
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
casing Balloon", the patent was requested in 1887 from the Ministry of Industry some years preceding the construction of the airship. He wrote:
Gen. Rafael Reyes, as Minister, granted patent # 58 with a term of 20 years on October 9, 1888.
Other inventions
Other inventions by Alban were patented, in Colombia, in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The Evening Star noted:
''Powerful telescope. -If any scientific reader is placed in a completely flat visual discovered and puts on an object placed at a mile away, clearly distinguishable not only their outlines but minutiae of it. If then the moon would appeal to an apparent distance of a mile of land, which field is open to prospective scientific discoveries! This probability, or rather certainty of discovery, is a distinguished and powerful gentleman in Colombia, South America, it is believed able to bring to fruition, and if success crowns his efforts, there will be universal in the fair reflective telescope such power, that all known until now seem little more than simple binoculars. Mr. Carlos Alban, Colombia, is the sorcerer who attempts to produce these wonders, who is currently in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
conferring with scientists and officials on how best to proceed. Dr. Alban has been attorney general of Colombia and is known as a remarkable scientific man. His plan embraces the principle of telescope reflective glass with several radical changes in old methods. Use a new procedure, first to the crystals themselves and adjusting the focus. So instead of moving the part of the eye, as currently practiced, move the lens itself for convenient adjustment. Dr. Alban has built an instrument of twenty-five inches in diameter, which has been shown in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and has shown great power. An apparatus for four yards in diameter, weighs only 200 pounds, and unless the eminent inventor has committed serious miscalculation, have such great power that will attract the moon at a distance of a mile from the land and will definitively resolve the question of structure and the possibility of life in that luminary. A recent article in the "Courrier des Etats Unis" makes such a relationship of a telescope is planned for the exhibition building of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1900. Important to know that Dr. Alban developed his plan before he thought of the French unit and if success crowns his efforts, the honor of this great advance in astronomy belong to the American continent, whereas the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
will be the field of practice development and action.''
Author
Religious fervor transcended all aspects of his life, but were mainly reflected in his poetry and prose. He began publishing in 1884. In 1898, he sent the sum of fifty gold francs to the
Societe Centrale de Paris which they had paid for the sale of a scientific apparatus. This amount was earmarked for a Mass at the altar of
Our Lady of Lourdes.
Lecturer
His reputation was not confined to the small-town areas of
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian departments of Colombia, department of Cauca Department, Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Western Mountain Range and Cordillera Central (Colo ...
. His contemporaries claimed that he was praised in the European press and that he received awards in the
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
Expo. His travels through Europe allowed him to present lectures in
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
on the convenience of acetylene gas lighting and on taking advantage of the force of the Cauca river: "All that power is lost, he said, and all that force in the industry is wealth (...) I will study hydraulics to prove to engineers that science can take advantage of this treasure in our rivers ".
Like most Cauca politicians, Carlos was also devoted to teaching in the
University of Cauca
The Universidad del Cauca is a public institution of higher education located in the city of Popayán, capital of the department of Cauca, Colombia. It was created on April 24, 1827, by Decree by the President Francisco de Paula Santander, civ ...
where he was known as "El Loco". There he held several positions in the faculties of Arts and Science. He also taught at the College of Mary, for girls, and founded the San Pedro, for men, where he applied the method later called active living school.
References
Bibliography
*
* GROVE, GUSTAVO. Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the former department of Cauca. Bogota: Library Horizons, 1962.
* VERNAZA, JOSE IGNACIO. Doctor Carlos Alban. Cali: Printing Department, 1948.
* VELASCO AND CASTILLO, JOSE MARIA. Homage to the city of Popayan to the memory of Dr. Carlos Alban. Popayán: 1902.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alban, Carlos
Colombian scientists
Colombian inventors
19th-century Colombian mathematicians
Colombian political scientists
1844 births
1902 deaths