author
James Cutbush
1788–1823
A pioneering American chemist of the early republic, he wrote practical books that brought chemistry, pyrotechnics, and the useful arts closer to everyday readers. His work links science, medicine, and military life at a formative moment in the United States.
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About the author
Little is known for certain about his early life, but James Cutbush was born in Pennsylvania in 1788 and became known as an American chemist, teacher, and scientific writer. He published works that aimed to make chemistry useful and understandable, including writing on practical subjects such as pyrotechnics and the arts.
In 1814 he was appointed assistant apothecary-general in the U.S. Army. He later served in Philadelphia and with the army's northern division, and he was associated with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he worked as a medical officer and taught chemistry.
Cutbush died at West Point on December 15, 1823. Though his life was short, he is remembered as part of the early development of American chemistry and as a writer who tried to connect scientific knowledge with practical life.