The grave of Prof George Wilson, Old Calton Cemetery

George Wilson PRSSA

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 ...

(21 February 1818 – 22 November 1859) was a 19th-century Scottish chemist and author. He was Regius Professor of Technology at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, and the first Director of the Industrial Museum of Scotland.

Life

He was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

at 55 Potterow, the son of Archibald Wilson, a bookbinder, and his wife, Janet Aitken. He was the younger brother of the anthropologist Sir Daniel Wilson. He was first educated at a small private school at 10 George Street in Edinburgh by George Knight,ODNB: George Wilson then from 1828 at the Royal High School and then studied medicine at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

from 1832, studying under

Thomas Charles Hope Thomas Charles Hope (21 July 1766 – 13 June 1844) was a British physician, chemist and lecturer. He proved the existence of the element strontium, and gave his name to Hope's Experiment, which shows that water reaches its maximum density at ...

and

Robert Christison Sir Robert Christison, 1st Baronet, (18 July 1797 – 27 January 1882) was a Scottish toxicologist and physician who served as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (1838–40 and 1846-8) and as president of the British ...

. He was taught chemistry by Kenneth Kemp. From 1835 he undertook practical experience at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

on Drummond Street. In 1837 he became assistant to Christison. He also served as assistant editor on the "Maga" journal under

Edward Forbes Edward Forbes FRS, FGS (12 February 1815 – 18 November 1854) was a Manx naturalist. In 1846, he proposed that the distributions of montane plants and animals had been compressed downslope, and some oceanic islands connected to the mainlan ...

. In 1838 he moved to

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 ...

to join his brother

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

, working (unpaid) under Thomas Graham, working alongside James Young and

Lyon Playfair Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair (1 May 1818 – 29 May 1898) was a British scientist and Liberal politician who was Postmaster-General from 1873 to 1874. Early life Playfair was born at Chunar, Bengal, the son of George Playfair (1782-1846) ...

. Here he formed a lifelong friendship with one of his students:

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

. He completed a doctoral thesis on haloid salts in 1839 and returned to Edinburgh. He lectured in chemistry at the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

from 1840, and was appointed lecturer at the Veterinary College in 1843. In 1843 following an injury, his left foot was amputated (by

James Syme James Syme (7 November 1799 – 26 June 1870) was a pioneering Scottish surgeon. Early life James Syme was born on 7 November 1799 at 56 Princes Street in Edinburgh. His father was John Syme WS of Cartmore and Lochore, estates in Fife a ...

. In 1845 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 was Sir

. He served as President of

Royal Scottish Society of Arts The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by David Brewster, Sir David Brewster in 182 ...

between 1855 and 1857. On the establishment of the Industrial Museum of Scotland in 1855, Wilson was appointed its director. He recruited expatriate Scots from around the world to send back specimens for the national collection, and gave many public lectures. Though battling ill health, he served in the directorship for four years until his death. In 1855 he was created Professor of Technology at

. In 1858 he declined the chair in Chemistry (in succession to William Gregory) due to ill-health. He died at his home, Elm Cottage on Whitehouse Loan in south EdinburghEdinburgh Post Office Directory 1859 on 22 December 1859 following complications after a cold. He was buried in the

Old Calton Burial Ground The Old Calton Burial Ground is a cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It located at Calton Hill to the north-east of the city centre. The burial ground was opened in 1718, and is the resting place of several notable Scots, including philosopher ...

on 28 December. The grave lies next to the southmost vaults.

Family

His twin brother John died in 1836. His sister Jessie Aitken Wilson married

James Sime James Sime FRSE (1843–1895) was a Scottish biologist, literary critic, and historian. Life James Sime of Airdrie, and then of Wick, Caithness and Thurso, and his wife Jane Anderson of Glasgow (died 1889). He was educated at Anderson's Gymn ...

Works

*''On the Employment of Oxygen as a Means of Resuscitation in

Asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...

'' (1845) *''Life of

Henry Cavendish Henry Cavendish ( ; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English natural philosopher and scientist who was an important experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed "infl ...

'' (1851) *''Life of Dr John Reid'' (1852) *''Researches on Colour-Blindness'' (1855) - this led to compulsory testing for colour-blindness in many critical jobs *''The Senses; or, Gateways to Knowledge'' (1856) Three works were published posthumously: *''Counsels of an Invalid'' (1862) *''Memoir of

'' (1862) *''Religio Chemici'' (1862) He co-authored ''Inorganic Chemistry'' with

Stevenson Macadam Stevenson Macadam (27 April 1829 – 24 January 1901) was a Scottish scientist, analytical chemist, lecturer, and academic author. He was a founding member of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain (now the Royal Society of Chemistry) an ...

References

*P. J. Hartog, 'Wilson, George (1818–1859)’, rev. R. G. W. Anderson
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

Life

Family

Works

References

Further reading