| Dr Thomas Beddoes: chemistry, medicine, and the perils of democracy. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20027744 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Beddoes lectured on chemistry at Oxford in the years that included the French Revolution, the Terror, and the outbreak of war with France, as well as the success in France of the chemical revolution. The very public dispute between Edmund Burke and Joseph Priestley meant that the latter's study of different kinds of air was politically tainted. Beddoes's democratic beliefs and his support for the new chemistry of Lavoisier meant that as chemist and physician he had to deal with complaints that he was potentially seditious and pro-French. His medical theories, allied to pneumatic chemistry and building on the work of Priestley, were accordingly suspect. In spite of that, he became the physician and friend to several members of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and to members of their family, and they in return became his patrons. His collaboration with James Watt was crucial for his development of pneumatic medicine. The full extent of Lunar patronage, and especially that of James Keir and Thomas Wedgwood, has hitherto not been recognized, but it was the concealed scale of that patronage that made possible the execution of Beddoes's ambitious programme of treatment and research. |
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Authors:
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Trevor H Levere |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Notes and records of the Royal Society of London Volume: 63 ISSN: 0035-9149 ISO Abbreviation: Notes Rec R Soc Lond Publication Date: 2009 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2009-12-23 Completed Date: 2010-01-28 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7505774 Medline TA: Notes Rec R Soc Lond Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 215-29 Citation Subset: QIS |
Affiliation:
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Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Victoria College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1K7, Canada. trevor.levere@utoronto.ca |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Chemistry
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history* Democracy* Dissent and Disputes / history England History of Medicine History, 18th Century History, 19th Century Humans Politics |
| Personal Name Subject | |
Personal Name Subject:
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Thomas Beddoes |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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