William Higgins (1763 – June 1825), an Irish
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
, was one of the early proponents of
atomic theory
Atomic theory is the scientific theory that matter is composed of particles called atoms. The definition of the word "atom" has changed over the years in response to scientific discoveries. Initially, it referred to a hypothetical concept of ...
. Known mainly for his speculative ideas on chemical combination, William Higgins is popular for the insights his life offers into the emergence of chemistry as a career during the
British Industrial Revolution. Despite an evident charm, his erratic behaviour and tendency to indulge personal animosities prevented him from engaging the affections of
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
society. Instead he found refuge in a succession of government-supported chemical positions in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. Thanks to the combination of such scientific opportunities with family resources, he became a very wealthy man.
Early years
Higgins was born in
Collooney,
County Sligo
County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...
, Ireland, and came from a well-known medical family. William was the second child and younger son of Thomas Higgins, a
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
educated at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
. William’s uncle
Bryan Higgins was also an eminent chemist. When William was a boy he was sent to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to live with his uncle. Under his uncle’s guidance, William developed a strong liking for and expertise in experimental chemistry.
Beginning experiments
In the early 1780s William assisted in making all the experiments detailed in his uncle Bryan Higgins’ ''Experiments and Observations Relating to
Acetous Acid''. In 1785 William undertook a mineralogical tour through England, also visiting a number of chemical manufacturers. In 1788 he entered
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...
but did not complete his degree. His next four years after that were spent in London, where he published two editions of his most important work, the ''Comparative View of Phlogistic and Antiphlogistic Theories'' which laid out much of
Dalton's atomic theory 19 years earlier.
Start of his career
After a disagreement with his uncle, William left London and went to Dublin to be a
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
at
Apothecaries Hall in 1792. William was soon busy equipping the laboratory, attending the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
, and acting as a part-time chemist to the Irish Linen Board. But when the company had financial troubles William lost his job. At the suggestion of
Richard Kirwan
Richard Kirwan, LL.D, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, FRSE Membership of the Royal Irish Academy, MRIA (1 August 1733 – 22 June 1812) was an Irish geologist and chemist. He was one of the last supporters of the theory of Phlogiston theory, ...
, William became supervisor of the important
Leskean Cabinet of minerals, recently acquired by the
Royal Dublin Society. Soon after William became professor of chemistry to the Society.
In 1803, William had a leave of absence from the Dublin Society, which enabled him to sit on a London committee selecting a hydrometer to measure the strength of alcoholic drinks for revenue purposes. It was in London that William met
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several Chemical element, e ...
, a protégé of his uncle Bryan. Davy was one of William’s proposers to the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in 1806. William and Humphry’s relationship flourished from 1810 on, when Humphry promoted William’s claims to the discovery of the chemical atomic theory over those of their rival
John Dalton
John Dalton (; 5 or 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist and meteorologist. He introduced the atomic theory into chemistry. He also researched Color blindness, colour blindness; as a result, the umbrella term ...
. William’s claims to the discovery of the chemical atomic theory is found in ''Comparative View''. William sought to make clear the mechanisms of possible reactions between ultimate particles by using diagrams of the reacting particles and the affinity forces between them.
Evidence has recently been presented that Dalton may have been aware of the ''Comparative View'' when he developed his
atomic theory
Atomic theory is the scientific theory that matter is composed of particles called atoms. The definition of the word "atom" has changed over the years in response to scientific discoveries. Initially, it referred to a hypothetical concept of ...
.
Death
In June 1825, William Higgins died at
Grafton Street, Dublin.
References and notes
* ''Observations and Experiments on the Atomic Theory'', William Higgins, Published in 1814.
* T S Wheeler and J B Partington, ''The Life and Work of William Higgins, Chemist 1763–1825'' (1960)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, William
1763 births
1825 deaths
People from Collooney
Fellows of the Royal Society
Scientists from County Sligo
18th-century Irish chemists
19th-century Irish chemists