Samuel Frederick Gray ( English Samuel Frederick Gray ; 1766 - 1828 ) - British chemist , pharmacologist and botanist . The father of zoologists John Edward Gray ( George Edward Gray ) and George Robert Gray ( English George Robert Gray ).
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The author of the names of a number of botanical taxa . In the botanical ( binary ) nomenclature, these names are supplemented by the abbreviation “ Gray ” . List of such taxa on the IPNI website Personal page on IPNI website The designation “ SFGray ” is also used. |
Biography
Born December 10, 1766 in Westminster, in the family of seed trader Samuel Gray (1739-1771) and Francis Wade Gray. My father died when Samuel was 4 years old, the boy was brought up by his uncle, Edward Whitaker Gray (1748-1806). According to many sources, the child grew up weak, often ill, and even mentally retarded; he learned to speak and read only at the age of 10-11. However, Samuel's mother tried her best to educate her son, and Gray himself was significantly interested in the natural sciences. He was able to learn Greek and Latin, wanted to study as a doctor in London , but could not do it.
For several years, Gray independently studied botany and medicine, and also worked for some time at the editorial board of British Critic , which was dedicated to highlighting the position of Great Britain in relation to the French Revolution . In 1794 he married Elizabeth Forfeit (1777-1852), after which they moved to Walsall . There, Gray founded a chemical laboratory, met Joseph Black and Joseph Priestley .
Since 1800, Gray lived in London, for some time he worked as secretary of the chemist Charles Hatchett . In 1806 he moved to Chelsea . He worked as an assistant to William Curtis and William Salisbury . Around 1812, together with his son John Edward, he moved to Wapping ( Tower Hamlets ), where he acquired a pharmacy. Around 1816, Gray moved to Holborn .
Gray left many works on botany and pharmacology, some in collaboration with John Edward. In particular, the "Natural classification of British plants" ( Engl. A natural arrangement of British plants ; 1821) is one of the first English-language works based on the Jussieu classification. John Edward subsequently repeatedly stated that he himself did most of the work on this book.
In the last years of his life, Gray worked on pharmacology manuals. Elements of Pharmacy (1823) and The Operative Chemist (1828) have the greatest significance for science. Gray died on April 12, 1828 , not having time to see the last book in printed form.
Bibliography
- SF Gray. A Supplement to the Pharmacopoeia: Being a Treatise on Pharmacology in General; Including Not Only the Drugs and Compounds which are Used by Practitioners of Medicine, But Also Those which are Sold by Chemists, Druggists, and Herbalists ... with a Collection of the Most Useful Medical Formulae ... - A new and improved ed. - London: Thomas and George Underwood, 1821. - 480 p.
Literature
- Janet Brown. Gray, Samuel Frederick // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. - London.