American journal of pharmacy . nalytical chemist, is in the success obtainedwith the most primitive and unsatisfactory appliances. In Smith-sons day, chemical apparatus was undeveloped, and instrumentswere improvised from such materials as lay readiest to hand. Withsuch instruments, and with crude reagents, Smithson obtainedanalytical results of the most creditable character, and enlarged ourknowledge of many mineral species. In his time, the native carbon- 166 James Smithson. r Am. Jour. Pharm. I April, 1904. ate and silicate of zinc were confounded as one species under thename calamine; but
American journal of pharmacy . nalytical chemist, is in the success obtainedwith the most primitive and unsatisfactory appliances. In Smith-sons day, chemical apparatus was undeveloped, and instrumentswere improvised from such materials as lay readiest to hand. Withsuch instruments, and with crude reagents, Smithson obtainedanalytical results of the most creditable character, and enlarged ourknowledge of many mineral species. In his time, the native carbon- 166 James Smithson. r Am. Jour. Pharm. I April, 1904. ate and silicate of zinc were confounded as one species under thename calamine; but his researches distinguish between the twominerals, which are now known as Smithsonite and calamine, respect-ively. To theory, Smithson contributed little, if anything; but, froma theoretical point of view, the tone of the writings is singularlymodern. His work was mostly done before Dalton had announcedthe atomic theory ; and yet Smithson saw clearly that a law ofdefinite proportions must exist, although he did not attempt to. Smithsonian Institutiou. account for it. His ability as a reasoner is best shown in his paperupon the Kirkdale bone cave, which Penn had sought to interpret byreference to the Noachian deluge, A clearer and more completedemolition of Penns views could hardly be written to-day. Smith-son was gentle with his adversary, but none the less thorough forall his moderation. He is not to be classed among the leaders ofscientific thought; but his ability and the usefulness of his contribu-tions to knowledge cannot be published papers were as follows: ^} James Smithsen. 167 IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. An Account of Some Chemical Experiments on Tabasheer.(\ol. Ixxxi, part ii, p. 368, 1791.) A Chemical Analysis of Some Calamines. (Vol. xciii, p. 12,1802.) An Account of a Discovery of Native Minium. (Vol. xcvi,part i, p. 267, 1806,) On the Composition of the Compound Sulphuret from HullBoys, and an Account of its Crystals. (Vol. xcviii, p. 5
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