William Austin Manuscript - Heavy Inflammable Air

Paper on 'Experiments on the Analysis of Heavy Inflammable Air' (1789) published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London in 1780 - (right click, open link in new tab) https://archive.org/details/jstor-106830 - there is a copy of the paper in the packet alongside the handwritten manuscript, possibly written by Austin himself. Manuscript is incomplete, 8 pages along, finishing on page 56 of the article. There is also a copy of Austin's entry in the Dictionary of National Biography in the packet.

Born Gloucestershire 1754; died London 1793
William Austin was a polymath. He initially studied botany at Oxford, graduating in 1776, and then medicine gaining his MD in 1783. However he also studied, and sometimes lectured in Hebrew, Arabic, Mathematics and Chemistry being elected professor in1785. In 1786 he moved from Oxford to London, building a lucrative medical practice while continuing his chemical studies. He was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, published papers for the Royal Society on ‘Heavy inflammable air’ and theorised (incorrectly) on the origin of kidney stones and hardening of the arteries.
Source: DNB
D.W.

Collection is open to researchers by appointment, see (right click, open link in new tab:) https://www.rbge.org.uk/science-and-conservation/library-and-archives/visiting-the-library/

Unknown how it came to be at RBGE. Has been suggested that it may have been sent to Daniel Rutherford?

Born Gloucestershire 1754; died London 1793
William Austin was a polymath. He initially studied botany at Oxford, graduating in 1776, and then medicine gaining his MD in 1783. However he also studied, and sometimes lectured in Hebrew, Arabic, Mathematics and Chemistry being elected professor in1785. In 1786 he moved from Oxford to London, building a lucrative medical practice while continuing his chemical studies. He was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, published papers for the Royal Society on ‘Heavy inflammable air’ and theorised (incorrectly) on the origin of kidney stones and hardening of the arteries.
Source: DNB
D.W.

8 handwritten single sided pages, each 130x210mm

Permission required from RBGE.

Manuscript appears to be part of a paper Austin presented to the Royal Society of London in 1789.

published

Minimal

GB 235 AUS

GB 235