Edmund James Mills FRS (1840–1921) was a British chemist. He was inventor of the brand-name disinfectant Parozone.

Life

He was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 8 December 1840. He was educated at the Grammar School in

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

then studied at the

Royal School of Mines The Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London. The Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics and parts of the London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Bioe ...

back in London. The chemistry element of his course was taught at the

Royal College of Chemistry The Royal College of Chemistry: the laboratories. Lithograph The Royal College of Chemistry (RCC) was a college originally based on Oxford Street in central London, England. It operated between 1845 and 1872. The original building was designed ...

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...

. His fellow students included

Herbert McLeod Herbert McLeod, FRS (February 1841October 1923) was a English chemist, noted for the invention of the McLeod gauge and for the invention of a sunshine recorder. Biography McLeod was born in Stoke Newington on 9 Feb 1841 and died 3 October 1923 ...

, who became a life-long friend. Mills graduated BSc in 1863 and gained a doctorate (DSc) in 1865. From 1861 he worked under Prof

John Stenhouse John Stenhouse FRS FRSE FIC FCS (21 October 1809 – 31 December 1880) was a Scottish chemist. In 1854, he invented one of the first practical respirators. He was a co-founder of the Chemical Society in 1841. Life John Stenhouse was born ...

, with colleagues also including

William A. Tilden Sir William Augustus Tilden (15 August 1842 – 11 December 1926) was a British chemist. He discovered that isoprene could be made from turpentine. He was unable to turn this discovery into a way to make commercially viable synthetic rubber. L ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of London 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 ...

on 4 June 1874. He moved to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

around 1876 as Professor of Chemistry. He initially lived at 2 Hillsborough Terrace in the

Hillhead Hillhead ( sco, Hullheid, gd, Ceann a' Chnuic) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming the w ...

district. His pupils at Glasgow included

Arthur George Perkin Arthur George Perkin DSc FRS FRSE (1861–1937) was an English chemist and Professor of Colour Chemistry and Dyeing at the University of Leeds. Life Perkin was the second son of Sir William Henry Perkin FRS, who founded the aniline dye indus ...

. In 1891 he discovered and published his creation of a new disinfectant whilst working as a Professor of Technical Chemistry at the

Royal Technical College The Royal College of Science and Technology was a higher education college that existed in Glasgow, Scotland between 1887 and 1964, and is the predecessor institution of the University of Strathclyde. Its main building on George Street now serve ...

at 60 John Street in Glasgow. He was then living at 5 Hillhead Street. This product was named "Parozone" and transformed British domestic life in terms of cleaning clothes and disinfecting kitchens and bathrooms. By 1911 the Parozone Co. Ltd was well-established and had its headquarters at 53 Bothwell Street in Glasgow City Centre. Mills died at home in

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

on 21 April 1921. He was a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

until his death.Dundee Evening Telegraph 27 April 1921 The Parazone Company was bought by

Jeyes Fluid Jeyes Fluid is a brand of disinfectant fluid for external use only. It is predominantly used for removing bacteria, while gardeners have found it effective at cleaning paths, patios, greenhouses, driveways, and drains - particularly of moss. Wit ...

in 1963 but retained its name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Edmund James 1840 births 1921 deaths British chemists Fellows of the Royal Society British Buddhists