Arthur Aikin

Born in Warrington, Lancashire, Arthur Aikin (1773 - 1854) studied chemistry under Joseph Priestly in the New College at Hackney and for a short time was a Unitarian minister. He went on to lecture in chemistry at Guy's Hospital for thirty-two years, during which he founded the British Mineralogical Society, the Geological Society in London, and the Chemical Society (now the Royal Society of Chemistry). He also edited the Annual Review and was a member of the Linnean Society and the Institution...See more

Born in Warrington, Lancashire, Arthur Aikin (1773 - 1854) studied chemistry under Joseph Priestly in the New College at Hackney and for a short time was a Unitarian minister. He went on to lecture in chemistry at Guy's Hospital for thirty-two years, during which he founded the British Mineralogical Society, the Geological Society in London, and the Chemical Society (now the Royal Society of Chemistry). He also edited the Annual Review and was a member of the Linnean Society and the Institution of Civil Engineers. His scientific writing and journalism helped publicise scientific news to the wider British public of his time. See less