Richard Laming

Richard Laming (c. 1798–May 3, 1897) was a British surgeon, natural philosopher, inventor, chemist and industrialist.

There is some uncertainty about his origins. It is beleieved that he was born around London, England in 1798–9. He had an elder brother James, born 1791, who was a prosperous merchant. In 1825, Richard qualified for membership in the Royal College of Surgeons, and he established a practice in London.cite journal
last=Farrar | first=W. V.
title=Richard Laming and the Coal-Gas Industry, with His Views on the Structure of Matter
journal=Annals of Science | year=1969
volume=25 | pages=243–254
doi=10.1080/00033796900200141 ]

During his leisure moments, Richard developed an interest in the theory of electricity. Between 1838 and 1851 he published a series of papers speculating about the electrical makeup of atoms. He hypothesized that there existed sub-atomic particles of unit charge; perhaps one of the first persons ever to do so. He suggested that the atom was made up of a core of material surrounded by concentric shells of these electrical 'atoms', or particles. [cite book
first=Jed Z. | last=Buchwald
coauthors=Warwick, Andrew | year=2001
title=Histories of the Electron
publisher=MIT Press | isbn=0262524244 ] He also believed that these particles could be added or subtracted to an atom, changing its charge.

Around 1844, he suggested a mechanism for an insulator as an atom surrounded by a "perfect external spherical strata" of electrical particles. He also supposed that chemical reactions could occur when two atoms share an electrical charge. However, perhaps because he provided no experimental backing for his ideas, he received little interest from the Royal Society.

In 1838 he moved to Paris, where he remained for about a decade. There his ideas also received little interest and he was regarded as eccentric. His medical practice apparently ended some time around 1842. When he returned to England his interests leaned toward chemistry, and began working in the coal-gas industry.

He applied for several patents:
* 1844, for improvements in the purification and application of ammonia. [cite journal
title=Patent granted to Richard Laming, London, for certain Improvements in the Purification and Application of Ammonia.
journal=The Chemical Gazette | year=1844
volume=2 | pages=199–200
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=GwcAAAAAMAAJ
accessdate=2008-09-16 ]
* 1847, for a continuous recuperator made of iron tubes, which may be the oldest such device known. [cite book
first=Charles Edward | last=Groves | year=1889
coauthors=Thorp, William; Richardson, Thomas
title=Chemical Technology, or Chemistry Applied to Arts and Manufactures
publisher=P. Blakiston, Son & Co.
pages=p. 668 | location=Philadelphia
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bs1IAAAAMAAJ
accessdate=2008-09-16 ]
* 1850, Improvements in the manufacture of gas for illumination and other purposes to which coal gas is applicable. [cite journal
authors=Percy, Sholto; Nursey, Perry Fairfax | year=1862
title=New Patents Granted | journal=Iron
year=1850 | volume=53 | pages=339
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=K_k3AAAAMAAJ
accessdate=2008-09-16 ]
* 1861, Improvements in manufacturing alkaline carbonates. [cite book
first=Bennet | last=Woodcroft | year=1862
title=Chronological index of patents applied for and patents granted
publisher=George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=lRSWUY3p3GwC
location=London | accessdate=2008-09-16 ] The 1850 patent is for the Laming process, which was a method of removing hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from coal gas. [cite book
first=Albert Hill | last=Fay | year=1920
title=A glossary of the mining and mineral industry
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=y6hCAAAAIAAJ
publisher=Washington Government Printing Office
accessdate=2008-09-16 ]

During the 1860s, he apparently became interested in the telegraph and he applied for two patents for improvements to the device. He retired around 1865 to live along the south coast of England. He died May 3, 1879 in Arundel, Sussex. He was twice married and had at least two sons.

Bibliography

* cite book
first=Richard | last=Laming | year=1838
title=On the Primary Forces of Electricity
publisher= | location=Location
*cite journal
last=Laming | first=R.
title=Observations on a Paper by Prof. Faraday Concerning Electrical Conduction and the Nature of Matter
journal=Philosophical Magazine | year=1845
volume=27 | issue=2 | pages=420–423
* cite book
first=Richard | last=Laming | year=1851
title=Matter and Force: An Analytical and Synthetical Essay on Physical Causation
publisher=R. Taylor
* cite book
first=Richard | last=Laming | year=1858
title=A New View of Electrical Action
publisher=Taylor and Francis
* cite book
first=Richard | last=Laming | year=1873
title=God in second causes: a physical principia
publisher=
* cite book
first=Richard | last=Laming | year=1874
title=The Spirituality of Causation: A Scientific Hypothesis
publisher=Williams and Norgate | location=London

References