- Matthew Turner
-
Matthew Turner (died 1788), a Liverpool physician, is considered (for example by Berman, 1990) to be the author or co-author of the 1782 pamphlet, Answer to Dr. Priestley's Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, the first published work of avowed atheism in Britain.[1] Turner was also a pioneer in the use of ether for medical purposes, and wrote a pamphlet on the subject. In a footnote, Turner was the man who introduced Josiah Wedgwood to Thomas Bentley in Liverpool, a friendship which led to the formation of the company that produced the famous pottery.
Turner was a friend of Peter Perez Burdett and his scientific knowledge was referred to Joseph Wright of Derby when he constructed his painting of The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus in 1771[2] which is now in Derby Museum and Art Gallery.
References
- ^ Berman, David (1990). A History of Atheism in Britain: from Hobbes to Russell. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04727-7 (first published 1988)
- ^ Nicholson, Benedict (1968). Joseph Wright of Derby: painter of light, Volume 1. Taylor & Francis. p. 118. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ms09AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA52&dq=alchemist+wright+joseph&hl=en&ei=kp6-Tf2RIMeLhQfH-7XaBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=alchemist%20wright%20joseph&f=false.
External links
This United Kingdom biographical article related to medicine is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This biography of a United Kingdom religious figure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.