M. M. Pattison (Matthew Moncrieff Pattison) Muir

Born in Glasgow in 1848, he studied chemistry first at the University of Glasgow and then briefly at Tübingen, before returning during the Franco-Prussian War. He went on to teach at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he became a well-known chemistry teacher and later headed the Caius Laboratory.

Although he published research, he is remembered most for his textbooks and historical writing about science. His books often traced the long path from alchemy to modern chemistry, combining clear explanation with a strong sense of how scientific ideas develop over time.

He died in 1931. For listeners coming to his work today, he stands out as a guide who wanted science to feel understandable, connected to its past, and full of human curiosity.