The idea of what is now called the conservation of energy was beginning to permeate physics, chemistry and biology, but it was still very incompletely realised, and still more incompletely applied.
오늘날 에너지 보존이라고 불리는 개념이 이제 막 물리학, 화학, 생물학에 스며들기 시작하던 시절이었고, 그 개념은 불완전하게 이해되었으며 더욱 불완전하게 적용되었다.