William Jay Youmans (October 14, 1838 – April 10, 1901) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

scientist. He edited ''

Popular Science Monthly ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, inclu ...

'' for a time.

Early life

He was born at Milton, New York. He was the son of Vincent Youmans and Catherine (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Scofield) Youmans. He worked on his father's farm and studied at the local school until he was 17. He studied

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

under his brother, Edward Livingston Youmans, and at Columbia and

Yale 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 wor ...

, and studied natural history with

Asa Fitch Asa Fitch (February 24, 1809 – April 8, 1879) was a natural historian and entomologist from Salem, New York. His early studies were of both natural history and medicine, which he studied at the newly formed Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, g ...

. He then took a course in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, and in 1865 studied natural history under biologist

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The storie ...

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 ...

Career

On his return to the United States, Youmans settled at

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...

, and practiced medicine for about three years. In 1872, he abandoned his medical practice to assist his brother in establishing the ''Popular Science Monthly'', and subsequently was associated in editing. After his brother's death in 1887, he became its editor-in-chief, remaining in that position until 1900. He was a member of the

American Association for the Advancement of Sciences The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...

Personal life

Youmans was married to Celia Greene of Gailway, New York, in 1866. Together, they had four children, including Dr. Vincent D. Youmans, Mary Youmans, Dr. Alice C. Youmans, and Edward Youmans. Youmans died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

at his home in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...

Published works

He contributed occasionally to the pages of ''Popular Science Monthly'' under his own name, and for many years prepared the articles on chemistry, metallurgy, and physiology for Appletons' ''Annual Cyclopædia''. He edited Huxley's 1866 work ''Lessons in Elementary Physiology'', to which he added seven chapters on hygiene, and it became the 1868 work ''Elements of Physiology and Hygiene''. He wrote ''Pioneers of Science in America'' (1895).

Notes

References

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Youmans, William Jay 1838 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American chemists American science writers American magazine editors Physicians from Minnesota People from Milton, Saratoga County, New York People from Winona, Minnesota Writers from New York (state) Writers from Minnesota Columbia University alumni Yale University alumni New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni Scientists from New York (state)