Box Elder News Journal | 1917-12-14 | Page 2 | Talking Machine of 1772

TALKING MACHINE OF 1772 had wooden mouth with lips of soft leather and was invention of erasmus darwin that someone was puzzling over the idea of making a phonograph as early curly as 1772 Is proved by an extract from a hl therlo unpublished letter by dr erasmus darwin grandfather of charles darwin to benjamin franklin quoted by dr L hussakof Hus in science 1 I have heard dr darwin of somebody that attempted to make it a speaking machine pray was there any truth in any such reports and dr L L woodruff of yale university quotes the following interesting paragraph from a note in the temple of nature tu published by erasmus darwin in 1 I have treated with greater confidence on the formation of articulate sounds as I 1 many years ago gave considerable sid Ad erable attention to this subject tor for the purpose of improving shorthand at that time I 1 contrived a wooden mouth with lips of soft leather and with a valve over the back part of it for nostrils both of which could be quickly opened or closed by tho the pressure of the fingers the voc allty was given by a silk ribbon about an inch long and a quarter of au an inch wide stretched between two bits of smooth wood a little hollowed so that when a gentle current of air from bellows was blown on the edge of the ribbon it gave an agreeable tone as it vibrated between the wooden sides much like a human voice this head pronounced the p b m and the vowel a with so great nicety as to deceive all who heard it unseen when it pronounced mamma papa map and pam and had a most plaintive tone when the lips were gradually closed