Three presidential addresses to the Chemical Section of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow : on the study of the history of chemistry, recent inquiries into the early history of chemistry, eleven centuries of chemistry / by John Ferguson.

  • John Ferguson
Date:
1879
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Three presidential addresses to the Chemical Section of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow : on the study of the history of chemistry, recent inquiries into the early history of chemistry, eleven centuries of chemistry / by John Ferguson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Recent Inquiries into the Early History of Chemislr-y: Introductory Address to the Chemical Section. By John Ferguson, Esq., M.A., Professor of Chemistry in the University of Glasgow. [Read before the Philosophical Society of Glasgow, Nov. 22, 1876.] It seems to me that an apology is due the Society for addressing it to-night, for everything that was open for me to say on the progress of chemistry during the year has been said. A review of scientific advauce was given by Dr. Andrews in his address as President of the British Association, and all the more important manufactures, which have an interest for Glasgow, were reported on in detail by specially qualified members of this Society. 1 hope that the impulse which has been given this autumn to recording progress in the chemical arts may cause the appearance in future years of continuations of these reports to be read to the Society. Anticipated, as I have thus been, in describing the advance in general discovery and technical applications, I shall consider to- night some recent inquiries into early chemical history, a subject of which one hears less than of others. At the conclusion of the remarks with which I opened last session, * I gave a rough classification of the periods into which the history of chemistry falls. The first includes what we know («) of the arts of the ancients involving chemistry; (a) of the arts of the Greeks and Romans, with the theoretical views of the former —that is, the period of classical autiquity from C40 B.C. down to the second or third century a.d. ; and (y) of the era of neopla- tonism, of scepticism, and of mysticism, which prevailed from the second to the fifth century. I also remarked that it was to this third era that the Greek MSS. treating of the sacred art, found in several European libraries, pointed, and it is to these MSS. I purpose directing your attention for a little at the present time. At the beginning of his History of Chemistry, Dr. Thomson refers * Proceedings of the PMoaophkal Society of Gtatgow, vol. x., pp. 37, 38.