Acid Rain and the Rise of the Environmental Chemist in Nineteenth-Century Britain

The Life and Work of Robert Angus Smith

Nonfiction, History, Modern, 19th Century, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences
Cover of the book Acid Rain and the Rise of the Environmental Chemist in Nineteenth-Century Britain by Peter Reed, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Peter Reed ISBN: 9781317185826
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 23, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Peter Reed
ISBN: 9781317185826
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 23, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Robert Angus Smith (1817-1884) was a Scottish chemist and a leading investigator into what came to be known as 'acid rain'. This study of his working life, contextualized through discussion of his childhood, education, beliefs, family, interests and influences sheds light on the evolving understanding of sanitary science during the nineteenth century. Born in Glasgow and initially trained for a career in the Church of Scotland, Smith instead went on to study chemistry in Germany under Justus von Liebig. On his return to Manchester in the 1840s, Smith's strong Calvinist faith lead him to develop a strong concern for the insanitary environmental conditions in Manchester and other industrial towns in Britain. His appointment as Inspector of the Alkali Administration in 1863 enabled him to marry his social concerns and his work as an analytical chemist, and this book explores his role as Inspector of the Administration from its inception through battles with chemical manufacturers in the courts, to the struggle to widen and tighten the regulatory framework as other harmful chemical nuisances became known. This study of Smith’s life and work provides an important background to the way that 'chemical' came to have such negative connotations in the century before publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. It also offers a fascinating insight into the changing landscape of British politics as regulation and enforcement of the chemical industries came to be seen as necessary, and is essential reading for historians of science, technology and industry in the nineteenth century, as well as environmental historians seeking background context to the twentieth-century environmental movements.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Robert Angus Smith (1817-1884) was a Scottish chemist and a leading investigator into what came to be known as 'acid rain'. This study of his working life, contextualized through discussion of his childhood, education, beliefs, family, interests and influences sheds light on the evolving understanding of sanitary science during the nineteenth century. Born in Glasgow and initially trained for a career in the Church of Scotland, Smith instead went on to study chemistry in Germany under Justus von Liebig. On his return to Manchester in the 1840s, Smith's strong Calvinist faith lead him to develop a strong concern for the insanitary environmental conditions in Manchester and other industrial towns in Britain. His appointment as Inspector of the Alkali Administration in 1863 enabled him to marry his social concerns and his work as an analytical chemist, and this book explores his role as Inspector of the Administration from its inception through battles with chemical manufacturers in the courts, to the struggle to widen and tighten the regulatory framework as other harmful chemical nuisances became known. This study of Smith’s life and work provides an important background to the way that 'chemical' came to have such negative connotations in the century before publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. It also offers a fascinating insight into the changing landscape of British politics as regulation and enforcement of the chemical industries came to be seen as necessary, and is essential reading for historians of science, technology and industry in the nineteenth century, as well as environmental historians seeking background context to the twentieth-century environmental movements.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Socialism & Marginalism in Economics 1870 - 1930 by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Urban Regeneration in the UK by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Meeting Special Needs in the Early Years by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Britain's Place in the World by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Children and Globalization by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Political Institutions in East Timor by Peter Reed
Cover of the book The Kalamari Union: Middle Class in East and West by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Cents and Sustainability by Peter Reed
Cover of the book The United States and the First World War by Peter Reed
Cover of the book The Indian Empire by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Global Sustainability by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Banishment in the Later Roman Empire, 284-476 CE by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Introduction to Urban Housing Design by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Spirituality and Education by Peter Reed
Cover of the book Soft Target Hardening by Peter Reed
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy