Sir Humphry Davy

Sir Humphry Davy 1778 – 1829

It is probably true that Sir Humphry Davy will be best remembered for inventing the miner’s safety lamp; previously, miners used candles to light their way. However,because of the ever-present threat of methane gas and the possibility of an explosion, this was a very dangerous method. In 1816, Davy presented to the Royal Society an invention for a safety lamp.
Humphrey Davy was born in Penzance on 17th December 1778, the son of a woodcarver. His early life was spent enjoying the local
countryside, collecting minerals and fishing, but he also liked to
compose verses and sketch. He never lost his love of nature and the landscape, and was particularly happy in mountainous regions or
by the sea.

He was educated at Penzance Grammar School and later in Truro. His father died in 1794 and shortly afterwards he was apprenticed to J. Bingham Borlase, a surgeon and apothecary with a view to eventually gaining a qualification in medicine.

Although his early academic inclinations tended towards the arts, he became increasingly fascinated by science and in particular, the study of chemistry. He was befriended by Davies Giddy (later Gilbert) who later became
President of The Royal Society 1827 – 1830 and who encouraged him in the
pursuit of knowledge, by providing him with laboratory facilities. He was strong minded and formed independent views regarding the nature of heat,
light and electricity.

In 1798, at the age of 19, he went to Bristol to study chemistry and was
taken on by Thomas Beddoes at his Medical Pneumatic Institution. The
Institution was founded at Clifton to enquire into the therapeutic properties
of gases. He was an enthusiastic researcher, investigating the composition
of numerous gases, including oxides and acids of nitrogen and ammonia. He
encouraged his scientific and literary friends to report about the effects of
inhaling nitrousoxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, however, it would
be a further forty-five years before it was used as an anaesthetic by dentists.
In 1799, he published the details of his research in his book ‘Researches,
Chemical and Philosophical’, which led to him being appointed a lecturer at the Royal Institution.

His researches centred on voltaic cells, an early form of battery. His lectures at the Institution were carefully prepared and rehearsed and became important social events, which added greatly to the prestige of the institution. In 1802, he became Professor of Chemistry at the age of 23.

Out of his studies, he found the compound catechu. A tropical plant extract, which was used in the tanning industry and was cheaper and easier to
produce than the usual oak extracts. The resulting published work was used
extensively in the leather tanning industry as a tanner’s guide.

He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Institution in 1803 and for his
researches on voltaic cells, tanning and mineral analysis, he was awarded
the Copley Medal in 1805. In 1807, he was elected secretary of the Royal Society.

The major thrust of Davy’s work during this time was the investigation on the
properties of electricity. Davy concluded that the production of electricity in
simple electrolytic cells was the result from a chemical reaction, and that because of this reaction, it offered the best means of decomposing all substances to their elements. This he explained in his lecture of 1806 entitled ‘Chemical Agencies of Electricity’ for which he received the Napoleonic Prize from the Institute de France, although Britain and France were at war. This work led to his discovery of boron and sodium among other compounds, and he also explained the bleaching action of chlorine.
In 1812, he was knighted by the Prince Regent for his work in chemistry and was later made a Baronet in 1818. He also married in this year to Jane Apreece, a wealthy widow and socialite. He also published the first part of his ‘Elements of Chemical Philosophy’. However, he was overextended and was unable to complete his great work. He interviewed the young Michael Faraday, who he took on as a laboratory
assistant and who was ultimately to become one of England’s greatest scientists. He
also undertook about this time a grand tour of Europe, taking with him the young
Faraday, lecturing as he went through France and Italy.

The idea was to have the flame covered by wire gauze of precise measurements. It was fitted with a cover of wire mesh containing 625 apertures to the square inch with the wire being 1/70 inch thick. Davy did not patent his invention, he wrote that “… my sole object was to serve the cause of humanity, and if I have succeeded I am
rewarded in the gratifying of having done so.” Because methane gas is more prevalent
in coal mines, it was mainly used in the Midlands and the North rather than the
Cornish mines.
In 1820, he became President of the Royal Society, a position he held until 1827. He founded the Athenaeum Club in London with John Wilson Crocker and with the colonial governor Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, founded the Zoological Society with the aim of building zoological gardens in Regent’s Park, today’s London Zoo, which opened in 1828. His last years were spent investigating ways of preventing saltwater
corrosion of the copper bottoms of ships. Although he could outline the principles
needed to prevent corrosion, he was unable to find a reliable system of protection.
In 1827, Davy became seriously ill, attributed to his inhalation of many gases over the years. He resigned the Presidency of The Royal Society and was
succeeded by Davies Gilbert.

He embarked on a European tour, and as he was unable to pursue his career wrote a book on Fly Fishing called Salmonia, in the same vein as the book by Izaak Walton. While he was in Rome, he suffered a heart attack and later died in Geneva, Switzerland on May 29th 1829.

Sir Humphry Davy’s contribution to science is incalculable. He discovered
many principles of chemistry chemistry, still hold true today. If you are in
Penzance look out for his statue, which is situated outside the Market House
in Market Jew Street.

Collection of Davy Lamps

Resources

The Royal Society

The Royal Institution of Great Britain

~~~

If you have any Photos… Send them to Bill

Site Designed & Maintained by:
“In Pursuit of Excellence”