Richard Laming
Encyclopedia
Richard Laming was a British surgeon, natural philosopher, inventor, chemist and industrialist.
There is some uncertainty about his origins. It is believed that he was born Margate
, England
17 August 1799, the son of James Laming, a packet owner, and Sarah Walton. He had an elder brother James, born 1791, who was a prosperous merchant. In 1825, Richard qualified for membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
, and he established a practice in London.
During his leisure moments, Richard developed an interest in the theory of electricity
. Between 1838 and 1851 he published a series of papers speculating about the electrical makeup of atom
s. He hypothesized that there existed sub-atomic particles of unit charge; perhaps one of the first persons ever to do so. He suggested that the atom was made up of a core of material surrounded by concentric shells of these electrical 'atoms', or particles. He also believed that these particles could be added or subtracted to an atom, changing its charge.
Around 1844, he suggested a mechanism for an insulator as an atom surrounded by a "perfect external spherical strata" of electrical particles. He also supposed that chemical reactions could occur when two atoms share an electrical charge. However, perhaps because he provided no experimental backing for his ideas, he received little interest from the Royal Society
.
In 1838 he moved to Paris
, where he remained for about a decade. There his ideas also received little interest and he was regarded as eccentric. His medical practice apparently ended some time around 1842. When he returned to England his interests leaned toward chemistry
, and began working in the coal-gas industry.
He applied for several patents:
The 1850 patent is for the Laming process, which was a method of removing hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from coal gas.
During the 1860s, he apparently became interested in the telegraph and he applied for two patents for improvements to the device. He retired around 1865 to live along the south coast of England. He died May 3, 1879 in Arundel
, Sussex
. He was twice married and had at least two sons.
There is some uncertainty about his origins. It is believed that he was born Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, 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...
17 August 1799, the son of James Laming, a packet owner, and Sarah Walton. He had an elder brother James, born 1791, who was a prosperous merchant. In 1825, Richard qualified for membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
, and he established a practice in London.
During his leisure moments, Richard developed an interest in the theory of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. Between 1838 and 1851 he published a series of papers speculating about the electrical makeup of atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
s. He hypothesized that there existed sub-atomic particles of unit charge; perhaps one of the first persons ever to do so. He suggested that the atom was made up of a core of material surrounded by concentric shells of these electrical 'atoms', or particles. He also believed that these particles could be added or subtracted to an atom, changing its charge.
Around 1844, he suggested a mechanism for an insulator as an atom surrounded by a "perfect external spherical strata" of electrical particles. He also supposed that chemical reactions could occur when two atoms share an electrical charge. However, perhaps because he provided no experimental backing for his ideas, he received little interest from the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
.
In 1838 he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he remained for about a decade. There his ideas also received little interest and he was regarded as eccentric. His medical practice apparently ended some time around 1842. When he returned to England his interests leaned toward chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, and began working in the coal-gas industry.
He applied for several patents:
- 1844, for improvements in the purification and application of ammoniaAmmoniaAmmonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
. - 1847, for a continuous recuperatorRecuperatorA recuperator is a special purpose counter-flow energy recovery heat exchanger positioned within the supply and exhaust air streams of an air handling system, or in the exhaust gases of an industrial process, in order to recover the waste heat...
made of iron tubes, which may be the oldest such device known. - 1850, Improvements in the manufacture of gas for illumination and other purposes to which coal gasCoal gasCoal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
is applicable. - 1861, Improvements in manufacturing alkaline carbonates.
The 1850 patent is for the Laming process, which was a method of removing hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from coal gas.
During the 1860s, he apparently became interested in the telegraph and he applied for two patents for improvements to the device. He retired around 1865 to live along the south coast of England. He died May 3, 1879 in Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. He was twice married and had at least two sons.