Arthur Aikin (19 May 177315 April 1854) was an English
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...
,
mineralogist
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
and scientific writer, and was a founding member of the
Chemical Society
The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation.
...
(now the
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Instit ...
). He first became its treasurer in 1841,
and later became the society's second president.
Life
He was born at
Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
into a distinguished literary family of prominent
Unitarians. The best known of these was his paternal aunt,
Anna Laetitia Barbauld
Anna Laetitia Barbauld (, by herself possibly , as in French, Aikin; 20 June 1743 – 9 March 1825) was a prominent English poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, and author of children's literature. A " woman of letters" who published in mu ...
, a
woman of letters who wrote poetry and essays as well as early
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
. His father,
Dr John Aikin, was a medical doctor, historian, and author. His grandfather, also called
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
(1713–1780), was a Unitarian scholar and theological tutor, closely associated with
Warrington Academy
Warrington Academy, active as a teaching establishment from 1756 to 1782, was a prominent dissenting academy, that is, a school or college set up by those who dissented from the established Church of England. It was located in Warrington (then ...
. His sister
Lucy
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
(1781–1864) was a historical writer. Their brother
Charles Rochemont Aikin
Charles Rochemont (or Rochmont) Aikin (1775–1847) was an English doctor and chemist.
Biography
He was born at Warrington, Lancashire into a distinguished literary family of prominent Unitarians. His father, Dr John Aikin, was a medical docto ...
was adopted by their famous aunt and brought up as their cousin.
Arthur Aikin studied chemistry under
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted exp ...
in the
New College at Hackney, and gave attention to the practical applications of the science. In early life, he was a
Unitarian minister for a short time.
Aikin lectured on chemistry at
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
for thirty-two years. He became the President of the
British Mineralogical Society in 1801 for five years up until 1806 when the Society merged with the
Askesian Society The Askesian Society — was a debating club for scientific thinkers in London (1796-1807). The name was taken from the Greek term ''Askesis'', meaning 'training' or 'application'.
History
Founded on 23 March 1796 in London.''Torrens H. S.'' The ...
.
From 1803 to 1808 he was editor of the ''
Annual Review''. In 1805 Aiken also became a proprietor of the
London Institution
The London Institution was an educational institution founded in London in 1806 (not to be confused with the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom founded the previous year, with which it shared some founders). It ...
, which was officially founded in 1806. He was one of the founders of the
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows.
Fe ...
in 1807 and was its
honorary secretary
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
in 1812–1817. He also gave lectures in 1813 and 1814.
He contributed papers on the
Wrekin
The Wrekin is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some five miles (8 km) west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of 4 ...
and the
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
coalfield, among others, to the transactions of that society.
His ''Manual of Mineralogy'' was published in 1814. Later he became the paid secretary of the
Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
and later was elected as a fellow. He was founder of the
Chemical Society
The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation.
...
of London in 1841, being its first treasurer and, between 1843 and 1845, second president.
In order to support himself, outside of his work with the British Mineralogical Society, the London Institution and the Geological Society, Aiken worked as a writer, translator and lecturer to the public and to medical students at Guy's Hospital. His writing and journalism were useful for publicising foreign scientific news to the wider British public. He was also a member of the
Linnean Society
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
and in 1820 joined the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
.
He was highly esteemed as a man of sound judgement
and wide knowledge. Aikin never married, and died at
Hoxton
Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. It li ...
in London in 1854.
Publications
* ''Journal of a Tour through North Wales and Part of Shropshire with Observations in Mineralogy and Other Branches of Natural History'' (London, 1797)
* ''A Manual of Mineralogy'' (1814; ed. 2, 1815)
* ''A Dictionary of Chemistry and Mineralogy'' (with his brother C. R. Aikin), 2 vols. (London, 1807, 1814).
For ''
Rees's Cyclopædia
Rees's ''Cyclopædia'', in full ''The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature'' was an important 19th-century British encyclopaedia edited by Rev. Abraham Rees (1743–1825), a Presbyterian minister and scholar w ...
'' he wrote articles about chemistry, geology and mineralogy, but the topics are not known.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aikin, Arthur
1773 births
1854 deaths
English mineralogists
19th-century British chemists
People from Warrington
Fellows of the Linnean Society of London
People from Hoxton
English Unitarians
Anna Laetitia Barbauld
18th-century English writers
18th-century English male writers
19th-century English writers