The Attaining Gigantick Dimensions
Robert Boyle's wishlist
Welcome to the 56th issue of the Lists of Note newsletter. Each week, a new (old) list.
In 1662, the scientist and philosopher Robert Boyle, a man now known as the “Father of Modern Chemistry,” sat down to write a wish list—a collection of problems he hoped science would one day solve. Some of his dreams were wildly ambitious: perpetual light, and ships that could not sink. Others were eerily prophetic, predicting advances in medicine, transplantation, and even the development of mind-altering drugs. More than 300 years later, many of Boyle’s imagined breakthroughs have become reality.
The Prolongation of Life.1
The Recovery of Youth, or at least some of the Marks of it, as new Teeth, new Hair colour’d as in youth.2
The Art of Flying.3
The Art of Continuing long under water, and exercising functions freely there.4
The Cure of Wounds at a Distance.5
The Cure of Diseases at a distance or at least by Transplantation.6
The Attaining Gigantick Dimensions.7
The Emulating of Fish without Engines by Custome and Education only.8
The Acceleration of the Production of things out of Seed.9
The Transmutation of Metalls.10
The makeing of Glass Malleable.11
The Transmutation of Species in Mineralls, Animals, and Vegetables.12
The Liquid Alkaest and Other dissolving Menstruums.13
The making of Parabolicall and Hyperbolicall Glasses.14
The making Armor light and extremely hard.15
The practicable and certain way of finding Longitudes.16
The use of Pendulums at Sea and in Journeys, and the Application of it to watches.17
Potent Druggs to alter or Exalt Imagination, Waking, Memory, and other functions, and appease pain, procure innocent sleep, harmless dreams, etc.18
A Ship to saile with All Winds, and A Ship not to be Sunk.19
Freedom from Necessity of much Sleeping exemplify’d by the Operations of Tea and what happens in Mad-Men.20
Pleasing Dreams and physicall Exercises exemplify’d by the Egyptian Electuary and by the Fungus mentioned by the French Author.21
Great Strength and Agility of Body exemplify’d by that of Frantick Epileptick and Hystericall persons.22
A perpetuall Light.23
Varnishes perfumable by Rubbing.24
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Partially achieved. Life expectancy has approximately doubled since Boyle wrote this list.
Achieved. Hair dye, dental implants, and anti-aging treatments exist, though full “youth recovery” is still science fiction.
Achieved. We may not fly unaided, but with planes, helicopters, and even jetpacks, human flight is an everyday reality.
Achieved. Submarines, scuba diving gear, and rebreathers allow us to stay underwater for extended periods.
Partially achieved. Not entirely sure what Boyle means here but remote surgery and allows doctors to treat patients at a distance.
Achieved. Organ transplantation is definitely a thing.
Unachieved. Sadly, humans are unable to attain “gigantic dimensions”—unless, of course, he was imagining bodybuilders long before they existed.
Unachieved. Humans still need artificial means (scuba, submarines) to breathe underwater.
Achieved. Genetic modification, fertilisers, and hydroponics have vastly increased crop production.
Partially achieved. Alchemists failed to turn lead into gold, but modern physics can transform elements through nuclear reactions.
Unachieved. Truly malleable glass does not exist. However, he may have been happy with glass-like plastics.
Partially achieved. Selective breeding and genetic modification have altered species, though full transmutation is not yet possible.
Unachieved. The mythical “universal solvent” remains a dream.
Achieved. Advanced optics and telescope lenses fit this description.
Achieved. Modern bulletproof vests, for example, have answered this wish.
Achieved. GPS solved the longitude problem.
Achieved. Pendulum clocks were used in navigation, though they were later replaced by more advanced technology.
Achieved. See: anaesthetics and psychedelics.
Unachieved. True unsinkability (is that a word?) for a ship remains elusive.
Partially achieved. Stimulants like caffeine reduce the need for sleep, though long-term sleep deprivation is still not advised.
Achieved. Psychoactive substances can influence dreams. I’m unsure of the fungus he mentions.
Partially achieved. Performance-enhancing drugs would satisfy this wish, but the fact that they’re so harmful limits their widespread, safe use.
Partially achieved. LED lights last decades, but a truly eternal light source doesn’t exist.
Achieved. Boyle would have been delighted with scratch-and-sniff technology.
Incredible. A genius is a genius.