Charles Meymott Tidy

Born in London in 1843, Charles Meymott Tidy trained at the London Hospital and qualified in medicine in the 1860s. He went on to build a varied career as a medical man, sanitary and analytical chemist, and later a barrister, moving between science, public health, and law with unusual ease.

He became especially known for work in hygiene, toxicology, and forensic medicine. Tidy taught chemistry and medical jurisprudence, served as a public analyst, and wrote practical works on legal medicine and sanitation that helped connect laboratory science with everyday social questions such as water quality, poisoning, and public health.

Alongside his professional writing, he also published more accessible pieces, including The Story of a Tinder-box. He died in 1892, but his career still stands out as a good example of the energetic, cross-disciplinary spirit of late 19th-century scientific writing.