The last of the alchemists

1951 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
White Powder ◽  
Social Standing ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
The University

In the year 1782, while Sir Joseph Banks, the autocrat of the philosophers, who presided so formidably over the Royal Society for no less than forty-three years, was still comparatively new to office, the extraordinary conduct of a learned and popular Fellow involved the Royal Society in a situation of some difficulty. James Price was not only wealthy and of high social standing, he was also a man of considerable reputation as a chemist. In May of the year before, he had been elected to the Society with complete confidence. In the spring of 1782, to the consternation of his fellow chemists, this man whom they held to be not only an authority on chemistry but a man of honour put forward a claim to have achieved the goal towards which throughout the ages the efforts of the alchemists had been directed. He had discovered, he said, a means of transmuting baser metal into gold. He claimed to be in possession of a white powder, capable of converting fifty times its own weight of mercury into silver and a red powder which could convert sixty times its weight of mercury into gold. Between 7 May and 25 May 1782 he conducted in public in the laboratory in his house at Stoke, near Guildford, a series of experiments which appeared to his audience to confirm his claim in every respect. The demonstrations were attended by a distinguished company, including his neighbours Lord Onslow, Lord King and Lord Palmerston, although, as the Royal Society could not but feel, it was not a scientific audience nor one qualified to pass judgement on his claim. The apparent success of his experiments caused an immense sensation and the belief in his powers was strengthened when the gold and silver alleged to have been produced were found genuine on assay and were exhibited to the King. The University of Oxford—Price had been a Fellow-commoner of Oriel—presented him with the degree of M.D. on account of* his chemical labours ’, and two editions of his book,1 describing in great detail the chemical reactions concerned in the process, were quickly sold.

scholarly journals XV. A new demonstration of the binomial theorem, when the exponent is a positive or negative fraction. By the Rev. Abram Robertson, A. M. F. R. S. Savilian Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford. In a letter to Davies Giddy, Esq. F. R. S

1806 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 305-326 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
Mathematical Science ◽  
Binomial Theorem ◽  
Useful Knowledge ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
The University ◽  
The Way

Dear Sir, Being perfectly convinced of your love of mathematical science, and your extensive acquirements in it, I submit to your perusal a new demonstration of the binomial theorem, when the exponent is a positive or negative fraction. As I am a strenuous advocate for smoothing the way to the acquisition of useful knowledge, i deem the following articles of some importance ; and unless I were equally sincere in this persuasion, and in that of your desire to promote mathemati­cal studies, in requesting the perusal, I should accuse myself of an attempt to trifle with your valuable time. The following demonstration is new only to the extent above mentioned ; but in order that the reader may perceive the proof to be complete, a successive perusal of all the articles is necessary. As far as it relates to the raising of in­tegral powers, it is in substance the same with one which I drew up in the year 1794, and which was honoured with a place in the Philosophical Transactions for 1795. If, therefore, you think the following demonstration worthy the attention of mathematicians, you will much oblige me by presenting it to the Royal Society.

Edward Waymouth Reid, 1862-1948

1948 ◽  
Vol 6 (17) ◽  
pp. 212-218
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Classical Scholarship ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
University College ◽  
The University ◽  
Assistant Lecturer

E. Waymouth Reid, who retired from the Chair of Physiology at University College, Dundee, University of St Andrews, in 1935, after forty-six years’ service, died on 10 March 1948 at the age of eighty-five. He was born 11 October 1862 in Canterbury, the fourth son of a surgeon there, James Reid, F.R.C.S. He was educated at Sutton Vallance Grammar School, gaining eventually a Classical Scholarship to Cambridge. He matriculated at Cambridge University in 1879. In 1882 he gained a first class in Part I of the Natural Science Tripos and in 1883 a first class in Part II. During the period 1882-1883 he also acted as one of the demonstrators in the Department of Anatomy. He then decided to qualify in medicine and in 1883 he joined St Bartholomew’s Hospital, graduating in medicine in 1885. He early showed his interest in electrical reactions,, being appointed assistant ‘electrician’ at St Bartholomew’s in 1885. The same year he was elected to a Demonstratorship in Physiology at St Mary’s Hospital under A. D. Waller and in 1887 was promoted to the post of Assistant Lecturer in Physiology. Reid, during the period he was at St Mary’s, carried out in conjunction with Waller a most interesting investigation on the electrical activity of the excised mammalian heart. This investigation must have been one of the earliest pieces of research in electrocardiography in this country. His interest in physico-chemical reactions was also manifested early as in 1887 he devised a useful recording osmometer. In 1889 Reid was elected, at the early age of twenty-seven, as the first holder of the newly created Chair of Physiology at University College, Dundee, where he joined a stimulating and enthusiastic band of colleagues including Geddes, D’Arcy Thompson and Ewing. Reid was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1898 and in 1904 gained the Sc.D. of his old University. The University of St Andrews conferred on him the degree of LL.D. when he retired from his Chair.

XXXII. Observations on the transit of Venus over the sun, on the 6th of June 1761: In letter to the Right Honourable George Earl of Macclesfield, President of the Royal Society, from the Reverend Nathaniel Bliss, M. A. Savilian Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford, and F. R. S

1761 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 173-177 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
State Of Health ◽  
Saturday Morning ◽  
The Public ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University

My Lord, The present bad state of health of my worthy friend and collegue Dr. Bradley, his Majesty's Astronomer, prevented him from making the proper observations of the transit of Venus on Saturday morning last; and consequently, has deprived the public of such as would have been taken by so experienced and accurate an observer.

John Mellanby, 1878 - 1939

1940 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 173-195
Keyword(s):  
Medical School ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Research Student ◽  
Medical Degree ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
The University

John Mellanby was born in 1878 in County Durham. His father was manager of a shipbuilding yard at West Hartlepool. From Barnard Castle School he obtained a scholarship at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1896. He was placed in the first class of the first part of the Science tripos in 1899 and of Part II in Physiology in the following year. A year later he was appointed physiologist in charge of research in the new laboratory of Messrs Burroughs & Wellcome at Brockwell Park. He worked there till he went late in 1904 to Manchester to do the clinical work necessary for his medical degree. He took his M.D. in 1907 and was awarded the Horton Smith Prize for the best thesis presented by candidates for the degree in his year. He then worked as George Henry Lewes research student at Cambridge for two years till in 1909 he was appointed lecturer-in-charge of the physiological department at the Medical School of St Thomas’s Hospital. Here he stayed till in 1936 he was appointed Waynflete Professor of Physiology in the University of Oxford in succession to Sir Charles Sherrington. In 1911 he married Alice Mary, daughter of Joseph Watson, of Barrhead. In 1920 the post that he held at St Thomas’s became a professorship in the University of London. In 1929 he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society and was serving on the Council at the time of his death, which took place after five weeks illness on 15 July 1939. He is survived by his wife and one daughter.

scholarly journals VI. An account of books 1. The mathematical works of Dr. John Wallis, Savilian Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford, and Fellow of the Royal Society, in two large volumes in folio. è Theatro Oxon

1695 ◽  
Vol 19 (216) ◽  
pp. 73-78
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
John Wallis ◽  
The University

2. Tractatus de Salis Cathartici amari in aquis ebeshamensibus & hujusmodi aliis contenti naturInâ & usu. Aut. Nehemia Grew, M. D. utriusque Reg. Soc. Soc. Lond. Impensis S. Smith & B. Walford. In 12º In the former of them are contained, 1. His Inaugural Oration , when he entred upon that Employ­ment, Octob. 31. 1649.

scholarly journals The Path to Perovskite on Silicon PV

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry J. Snaith ◽  
Samuele Lilliu
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Present Status ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cells ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
The University ◽  
Patent Portfolio

Henry J. Snaith is Professor of Physics in the Clarendon Laboratory at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Royal Society. He has pioneered the field of perovskite solar cells and published more than 300 papers. He is the founder and Chief Scientist Officer of Oxford Photovoltaics, which holds the largest perovskite patent portfolio worldwide and focuses on developing and commercialising perovskite PV technology. In this interview, he discusses the present status and future prospects of perovskite PV. The interview is available at https://youtu.be/sbe9Z5oEs5o.

Visits

1961 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-91
Keyword(s):  
History Of Science ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
University Of Cambridge ◽  
Special Collection ◽  
History Of ◽  
University Buildings ◽  
The University

The visit to the University of Oxford took place of Thursday 21 July. The visitors arrived in Oxford by coach where they were met by student guides who took them on short tours of some of the Colleges and University buildings and later to the Colleges where they were entertained to lunch. In the afternoon they went sight-seeing again, some to the Museum of the History of Science to see a special exhibition illustrating the work of the early Fellows of the Royal Society, and some to Blackwells where a display of scientific books had been arranged. At 3.30 the visitors assembled in the Sheldonian Theatre where Honorary Degrees were conferred on five of the distinguished guests (see p. 86). After the Degree Ceremony there was a garden party at Wadham where the visitors were the guests of the Warden, Sir Maurice Bowra, and the Fellows. In the evening the President and Council were entertained to dinner at Wadham together with the Council of the British Academy as guests of Sir Maurice Bowra, President of the British Academy. On Monday 25 July a visit was made to the University of Cambridge. Twelve coaches left Burlington House and arrived at the University of Cambridge Library where the visitors were able to inspect the Library, and in particular, the special collection of exhibits with Royal Society associations.

scholarly journals Sir Edward Penley Abraham CBE. 10 June 1913 — 9 May 1999

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 5-22
Author(s):  
David S. Jones ◽  
John H. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
Structural Elucidation ◽  
Cephalosporin C ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
The University ◽  
Lincoln College

Edward Penley Abraham (Ted Abraham to intimate friends and family, EPA to his students), was a pioneer in antibiotics who made critical contributions to the purification and structural elucidation of penicillin as a young man in wartime, and led the discovery and development of cephalosporin C in his maturity. A kindly, modest and self-effacing private man, he could have amassed great wealth out of cephalosporin patents, but instead chose the path of philanthropy. He established substantial charitable funds in his lifetime for the benefit of medicine and allied subjects, the Royal Society, King Edward VI School, Southampton, and the University of Oxford, especially the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and Lincoln College.

scholarly journals Edmund Brisco Ford, 23 April 1901 - 21 January 1988

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 146-168 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Ecological Genetics ◽  
Emeritus Professor ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
The University

Edmund Brisco Ford, Emeritus Professor of Ecological Genetics in the University of Oxford, Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College and Darwin Medallist of the Royal Society, died on Thursday 21 January 1988 at the age of 86. His body was cremated and, at his request, the ashes were scattered on a grassy Cotswold hillside near Birdlip. In death he returned to the butterfly-meadows that had been the setting for so much of his working life. As the author of what is widely regarded as the best book on butterflies ever written, he progressed through entomology to using his insects as tools for the study of evolution, and finally (as he wrote) to ‘invent and develop the science of ecological genetics.’ 1 * In doing so he became one of the outstanding evolutionary biologists of his generation, famous not only for the quality of his science but also for the individuality, not to say the eccentricity, of his behaviour. ‘Henry’, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was a man about whom tales accumulated. * Numbers in this form refer to entries in the footnotes at the end of the text.

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