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Sir Humphrey Davy, Bart. P.R.S., ca. 1825
Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829) was an English chemist and inventor. Davy is credited for identifying some properties of chlorine and iodine. He brought chemistry to the public by holding popular demonstrations of chemical phenomena at the Royal Institute in London. Mary Shelley grew up surrounded by intellectuals like Davy, who were friends of her parents. Shelley recorded in her diary that she was reading Davy's Elements of chemical philosophy when she was writing Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus (1818).
Courtesy National Library of Medicine
Topic:
ChemistryCreator:
James Lonsdale, painter (1777–1839),
James Thomson, engraver (1788–1850)
Related Information
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Conversations on chemistry: in which the elements of that science are familiarly explained and illustrated by experiments and plates: to which are added, some late discoveries on the subject of the fixed alkalies
This book provides an introduction to chemistry meant for middle class women, who typically had limited science education and exposure to chemistry. Davy called upon Marcet, a frequent attendee of his public demonstrations on chemistry, to...
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Elements of chemical philosophy
Davy outlines the basics of chemistry as it was understood in the early 19th century, explaining the laws that govern chemical reactions, detailing the properties of various substances, and classifying chemicals based on their interactions...
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