November 18 2021, 22:26

I am reading Zimmer’s “She Laughs Like a Mother” in binge-fashion. Chapter 10 mentions Francis Galton: “…To better concentrate [on studying mathematics], he purchased a complicated device called the ‘Gumption-Reviver’, from which water dripped onto his head; a servant had to refill it every 15 minutes.” Galton wrote that his teacher recommended it, so it seems the device was popular in Cambridge to prevent falling asleep during the languid nights. “We usually started using this thing around ten in the evening, to stay awake until one or two in the morning; it was very useful,” wrote Galton.