Thomas William Drinkwater
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 ...
LRCPE LRCSE
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...
(1852–1940) was a British physician, chemist and early forensic analyst, acting as assistant to Sir
Henry Littlejohn.
He later served as Public Analyst to
Edinburgh,
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...
,
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
and
Fortrose.
He was described as short, stout and clean-shaven, and was amicably known as "Drinky".
Life
He was born in
Ireland in 1852. His family went to England in his youth and he was educated at
King’s Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, nor ...
Grammar School in
Norfolk. He studied under Francis Sutton and A.J. Bernays at St Thomas’s Hospital in
London, working on analytical medical issues then did further studies in
Germany.
In 1877 he came to
Edinburgh working at
Leith Chemical Works whilst also undertaking analytical work for Prof
Henry Littlejohn. In his early days in Edinburgh he lived at 6 Preston Street and worked at a laboratory at 19 Marshall Street. From 1878 until 1939 he was Lecturer in Chemistry at the
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, an impressive 61 years in a single role, and continuing well into his eighties. In 1928 a Jubilee Dinner was held in his honour marking 50 years in each college. He also acted as Examiner in Chemistry in both colleges, granting the qualification ChB to innumerable surgeons and physicians.
In 1901 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 ...
. His proposers were
Alexander Crum Brown, Hugh Marshall,
Leonard Dobbin and David Hepburn.
In later life he lived at 25 Blacket Place (an attractive house designed by
Sir James Gowans) in southern Edinburgh.
[Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1910-11]
He died on 25 January 1940.
Publications
*''Synopsis of Chemistry, Inorganic and Organic'' (1882)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drinkwater, Thomas William
1852 births
1940 deaths
British forensic scientists
People associated with Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh