Dr John Murray

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FGS (1778–1820) was a 19th century British physician and prominent scientist, working in the fields of physics, chemistry, and geology, and described by Brydges as a "Chemical Philiospher". His first important published work, "Elements of Chemistry", appeared when he was only 23.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh in 1778 and educated at the High School. He studied Medicine at St Andrews University graduating around 1798. He appears in Edinburgh again in 1810 as a lecturer in Chemistry. He later also lectured in Materia Medica, Pharmacy and Natural Philosophy (Physics). In 1812 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

for his contributions to Geology, his proposers being Thomas Charles Hope, Robert Jameson, and Sir

George Steuart Mackenzie Sir George Steuart Mackenzie, 7th Baronet FRS FRSE FSA (22 June 1780–26 October 1848) was a Scottish geologist, chemist and agricultural improver. Life The only son of Major General Sir Alexander Mackenzie of Coul (d.1796), a General in ...

. He was made a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

in 1815 and was also elected a Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

of London. He presented 28 papers to the Royal Society, the most important relating to proposals for a safety lamp for miners. He received his doctorate (MD) in 1814. He lived at 31 Nicolson Street in south Edinburgh and died there on 22 July 1820.

Family

His children included Dr John Murray (1798–1873) who emigrated to Australia and died in Melbourne.

Publications

*''Elements of Chemistry'' (1801) *''A Comparative view of Huttonian and Neptunian Systems of Geology'' (1802) *''Elements of Materia Medica and Pharmacy'' (1804) *''A System of Chemistry'' (1806/7)

References

1778 births 1820 deaths Scientists from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of St Andrews British geologists British physicists British chemists 19th-century British medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh {{Scotland-med-bio-stub