author
Raphael Meldola
1849–1915
A Victorian scientist with wide-ranging curiosity, this chemist moved easily between the laboratory and the natural world. He is remembered for work on synthetic dyes, serious contributions to entomology, and an energetic role in British scientific life.
1 Audiobook
Coal, and What We Get from It
by Raphael Meldola
About the author
Born in Islington, London, in 1849, Raphael Meldola trained in chemistry at the Royal College of Chemistry and built a career that joined research, teaching, and scientific leadership. He became especially known for his work in organic chemistry and the dye industry, and later served as Professor of Organic Chemistry in the University of London.
Meldola was never confined to one field. Alongside his chemical research, he was an active entomologist with a strong interest in butterflies and other insects, and he was connected with leading scientific circles of his day. His career also included major service to professional societies and institutions, which made him an important public figure in British science as well as a working researcher.
He died in 1915, leaving behind a reputation for unusual breadth: a chemist, naturalist, and organizer of science all at once. That mix of practical research and restless curiosity still makes him a memorable figure from late 19th- and early 20th-century scientific life.