Humphry Davy, Poet and Philosopher

Name: Humphry Davy, Poet and Philosopher
Author: T. E. Thorpe

By T. E. Thorpe

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Biographies Science - Chemistry/Biochemistry

About This Book

A biographical account chronicles the scientist's upbringing, experiments, and public career, using memoirs, correspondence, and laboratory journals to reconstruct discoveries and lectures. The author weighs conflicting accounts in earlier biographies, favoring material from family papers while noting exaggerations and omissions elsewhere. The narrative examines claims and controversy surrounding a safety-lamp invention, relations with contemporaries and a famous assistant, and the subject's influence on learned societies, museum collections, and social institutions. Illustrative material and unpublished correspondence are used to illuminate private life, laboratory practice, and the practical as well as social dimensions of scientific work.

About the Author

T. E. Thorpe

T. E. Thorpe was a prominent historian of science, particularly known for his extensive work on the history of chemistry. His notable publications include the two-volume "History of Chemistry," which traces the development of the field from ancient times through the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. Thorpe also contributed biographical sketches of influential chemists, such as "Humphry Davy, Poet and Philosopher" and "Joseph Priestley." His writings provide valuable insights into the lives and contributions of key figures in chemistry, reflecting the evolution of scientific thought during a transformative period.