John Ferguson (chemist)

John Ferguson FRSE LL.D. (23 January 1837 – 2 November 1916)[1] was a Scottish chemist and bibliographer. He is noted for the early alchemy and chemistry bibliography Bibliotheca chemica.[2] He was generally nicknamed Soda Ferguson. A collection of 7,500 books and manuscripts, held by Glasgow University originally from his library, are known as the Ferguson Collection.[3]

Life

Ferguson was born on 24 January 1838 in Alloa, Scotland, the son of Adam Ferguson and Elizabeth Donaldson. He moved at an early age to Glasgow and attended Glasgow High School.[4]

He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BA in 1861 and an MA in 1862. In 1874 Ferguson was appointed the Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, in place of Prof Thomas Anderson.[2]

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1888. His proposers were Sir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), James Thomson Bottomley, Peter Guthrie Tait and Alexander Crum Brown. St Andrews University awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD).[5]

Ferguson had an extensive library of books pertaining to alchemy, early chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, Paracelsus, the Romani language, the Rosicrucians, and witchcraft. In 1921 the University of Glasgow purchased about 11,000 of the books for the sum of £7000.[2]

He died of heart disease at his home, 6 Claremont Terrace in Glasgow, on 3 November 1916, at the age of 78.[2]

He is buried in the family burial plot in Alloa.

Memberships

Family

He married Helen Baird in 1882.[4]

Bibliography
  • Recent Inquiries Into the Early History of Chemistry (1879)[7]
  • The first history of chemistry (1886)[8] Describes Robert Duval as the first historian of chemistry.
  • Some early treatises on technological chemistry (1888) [9]
  • Bibliotheca chemica: a catalogue of the alchemical, chemical and pharmaceutical books in the collection of the late James Young of Kelly and Durris (1906) in 2 vols.[10][11]
  • Books of secrets. A paper read before the Bibliographical Society, 21 April 1913 (1914) [12]

References
  1. John M. Thomson (1917), "Obituary Notices: John Ferguson", Transactions of the Chemical Society, 111
  2. Weston, David (2004). "Ferguson, John (1838–1916)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  3. "University of Glasgow - Services A-Z - Special collections - Collections A-Z - Ferguson Collection". Gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  4. "Microsoft Word - oldfells_list_jun06.doc" (PDF). Royalsoced.org.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  5. The Times : Obituaries, 4 November 1916
  6. British Archaeological Association. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. Getty Research Institute. London, British Archaeological Association.
  7. John Ferguson (16 September 2015). Recent Inquiries Into the Early History of Chemistry: Introductory Address ... Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  8. "The first history of chemistry : Ferguson, John, 1837-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Archive.org. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  9. "Some early treatises on technological chemistry : Ferguson, John, 1837-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Archive.org. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  10. John Ferguson. Bibliotheca chemica: a catalogue of the alchemical, chemical and pharmaceutical books in the collection of the late James Young of Kelly and Durris : Vol. 1. Archive.org. Retrieved 28 January 2017. Glasgow, Scot. Royal College of Science and Technology. Andersonian Library
  11. John Ferguson. Bibliotheca chemica: a catalogue of the alchemical, chemical and pharmaceutical books in the collection of the late James Young of Kelly and Durris : Vol. 2. Archive.org. Retrieved 28 January 2017. Glasgow, Scot. Royal College of Science and Technology. Andersonian Library
  12. "Books of secrets. A paper read before the Bibliographical Society, April 21, 1913 : Ferguson, John, 1837-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Archive.org. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
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