Benjamin Moore, FRS (14 January 1867 – 3 March 1922) was an early British

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

. He held the first chair of biochemistry in the UK, and founded the ''

Biochemical Journal The ''Biochemical Journal'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which covers all aspects of biochemistry, as well as cell and molecular biology. It is published by Portland Press and was established in 1906. History The journal was established i ...

'', one of the earliest academic journals in the subject.

Education and career

Educated at

Queen's College, Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

and the

Royal University of Ireland The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the ''University Education (Ireland) Act 1879'' as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A Royal Charter was issued on 27 Apri ...

, Moore's early positions were in the field of

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, United States and

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is an acute general teaching hospital located in Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approximately five miles east, in central Lond ...

, London. The Royal Society: Library and Archive catalogue: Moore; Benjamin (1867–1922)
(accessed 2 October 2007) When the first British department of biochemistry was founded at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

in 1902, after a donation from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

shipowner William Johnston, Moore took up the Johnston Chair, the first chair of biochemistry in the UK.Oliver R, Starley P. A reduced history of the ''Biochemical Journal'' ''Biochemist'' (February 2006) 42–45
(accessed 2 October 2007)
(accessed 2 October 2007) Moore is credited (in The SMA and the Foundation of the National Health Service) by Dr Leslie Hilliard with the first use of the words "National Health Service" and the foundation of the State Medical Service Association. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Moore worked for the Medical Research Council in London. In 1916-1917, together with Guy Alfred Wyon and T.A. Webster, he resolved the issue of potentially-fatal

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

poisoning in British

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

factories, preventing further deaths. The poisonings and method of prevention were censored by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

until 1921 for the sake of public morale. (Text of ''Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology'' article in full, without paywall) Moore became a professor of biochemistry at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1920.

Biochemistry in the UK

Moore was central to the early development of the field of biochemistry in the UK. He founded the ''

'' in 1906, with financial assistance from his research assistant, Edward Whitley. Although the two sold the ''Biochemical Journal'' to the Biochemical Club (later the

Biochemical Society The Biochemical Society is a learned society in the United Kingdom in the field of biochemistry, including all the cellular and molecular biosciences. Structure It currently has around 7000 members, two-thirds in the UK. It is affiliated with th ...

) in 1912, Moore retained his interest in the new journal, remaining on the editorial committee until 1921 and publishing further papers in it. In 1911, he was one of the founders of the Biochemical Society.

Biotic Energy

Moore for many years studied the

molecular physics Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules and molecular dynamics. The field overlaps significantly with physical chemistry, chemical physics, and quantum chemistry. It is often considered as a sub-field of atomic, mo ...

and structure of the

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and ...

, he came to reject mechanist and

materialist Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...

explanations for the organism but also opposed

idealistic In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

and spiritualist explanations. Instead he developed a theory of "biotic energy" which he discussed in his books ''The Origin and Nature of Life'' (1913) and ''Biochemistry'' (1921). Similar to the

vitalists Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things." Wher ...

he claimed that there was an energy in living bodies which could not be described in terms of physics and chemistry.

John Burroughs John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the conservation movement in the United States. The first of his essay collections was ''Wake-Robin'' in 1871. In the words of his bio ...

was supportive of his biotic energy theory.

Awards and honours

Moore was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1912.

Personal life

He married and had three children, but was devastated when his wife died suddenly of appendicitis in 1913. His son

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

(1900–99) was a nutritional biochemist who became the first deputy director of the MRC Dunn Nutritional Laboratory. Bates C. (1999) An appreciation: Thomas Moore ''Proc Nutr Soc'' 58: 751–2
(accessed 2 October 2007) Moore died from pneumonia in Oxford in 1922.

Selected works

*Moore B, Eadie ES, Abram JH. (1906) On the treatment of diabetes mellitus by acid extract of duodenal mucous membrane. ''Bio-Chem J'' 1: 28–38 * Moore B (1910) The Dawn of the Health Age