George Merryweather
Encyclopedia
Dr. George Merryweather M.D. was born on 10 April 1794 in Burley in Wharfedale
, Yorkshire
, England
. He married Jane Anderson Loy in 1826. They had four children: Mary, Jane, John and Emily. He then married Hannah Baker in 1844, after the death of his first wife in 1832. Merryweather died on 4 November 1870 in Whitby
, Yorkshire
, England
. He was interred in Whitby's Larpool Cemetery. Despite this, he was seen in 1871 at 10 Abbey Terrace West, although his death was officially registered a year before.
and whisky
, at a cost of one penny for eight hours".
But his most remarkable invention was the "Tempest Prognosticator
" - a weather predicting device also called "The Leech Barometer". It had great success and caused a sensation when it was put on show at the Great Exhibition, so in 1850-1 Merryweather wrote "An essay explanatory of the tempest prognosticator in the Great Exhibition 1851". At this time he was an honorary curator of Whitby Philosophical Society.
After the success of the "Tempest Prognosticator
" at the Great Exhibition, Merryweather tried to persuade the British government to install his device at ports around the British coast. However, the government reacted coolly to the proposal and the Meteorological Department insisted on using barometers and weather charts instead.
Modern science considers Merryweather's methods underlying the "Tempest Prognosticator
" to be unproven.
Merryweather referred to the leeches as his "jury of philosophical councilors" and explains that the twelve bottles were placed in a circle in order that his "little comrades" might see one another and "not endure the affliction of solitary confinement".
. In 1840 he worked as a family doctor in Whitby
, and by 1849 he was a surgeon
.
Burley in Wharfedale
Burley-in-Wharfedale, is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Menston, Burley is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford . It lies on the A65, approximately fourteen miles north-west of the centre of Leeds and nine miles north of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He married Jane Anderson Loy in 1826. They had four children: Mary, Jane, John and Emily. He then married Hannah Baker in 1844, after the death of his first wife in 1832. Merryweather died on 4 November 1870 in Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was interred in Whitby's Larpool Cemetery. Despite this, he was seen in 1871 at 10 Abbey Terrace West, although his death was officially registered a year before.
Inventions
In 1832 George wrote his first essay "The means of maintaining uniform temperature and supporting fire without the agency of wood or coal". He invented the so-called "Platina Lamp", which was described to "keep burning for a fortnight on an economical mixture of pure alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
, at a cost of one penny for eight hours".
But his most remarkable invention was the "Tempest Prognosticator
Tempest Prognosticator
The Tempest Prognosticator, also known as the Leech Barometer, is a 19th century invention by George Merryweather in which leeches are used in a barometer. The twelve leeches are kept in small bottles inside the device; when they become agitated by an approaching storm they attempt to climb out of...
" - a weather predicting device also called "The Leech Barometer". It had great success and caused a sensation when it was put on show at the Great Exhibition, so in 1850-1 Merryweather wrote "An essay explanatory of the tempest prognosticator in the Great Exhibition 1851". At this time he was an honorary curator of Whitby Philosophical Society.
After the success of the "Tempest Prognosticator
Tempest Prognosticator
The Tempest Prognosticator, also known as the Leech Barometer, is a 19th century invention by George Merryweather in which leeches are used in a barometer. The twelve leeches are kept in small bottles inside the device; when they become agitated by an approaching storm they attempt to climb out of...
" at the Great Exhibition, Merryweather tried to persuade the British government to install his device at ports around the British coast. However, the government reacted coolly to the proposal and the Meteorological Department insisted on using barometers and weather charts instead.
Modern science considers Merryweather's methods underlying the "Tempest Prognosticator
Tempest Prognosticator
The Tempest Prognosticator, also known as the Leech Barometer, is a 19th century invention by George Merryweather in which leeches are used in a barometer. The twelve leeches are kept in small bottles inside the device; when they become agitated by an approaching storm they attempt to climb out of...
" to be unproven.
Merryweather referred to the leeches as his "jury of philosophical councilors" and explains that the twelve bottles were placed in a circle in order that his "little comrades" might see one another and "not endure the affliction of solitary confinement".
Career as a doctor of medicine
In 1835 George finished studying in MD University of EdinburghUniversity of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1840 he worked as a family doctor in Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, and by 1849 he was a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
.