Thomas Hutchins (naturalist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hutchins was a British physician and naturalist
Hutchins was employed as Hudson's Bay Company
surgeon at York Factory
(Manitoba
) 1766–73 then chief of Albany fort
(Ontario
) 1774–82.
By all accounts, he was a conscientious and hard-working physician but found time for research including a study of local edible plants useful for prevention of scurvy
.
He was visited 1768–69 by astronomer William Wales
, who had been sent by the Royal Society
to observe the 1769 transit of Venus
, and was left equipment and instructions for recording meteorological data.
Encouraged by his acting chief Andrew Graham
1771–72, he kept notes on wildlife, including descriptions of species not previously recorded.
At the behest of the Royal Society
, he made useful observations on magnetic declination
at Albany 1775–76.
He performed preliminary experiments on the congelation (freezing point
) of mercury
in 1775, identifying the problem with previous attempts as being due to the abrupt change of volume of the mercury in the thermometer as it changed state. Apparatus for an improved method was devised and after a series of careful experiments 1779–82, its freezing point was determined at −39 °F.
For this work, highly praised by Cavendish
, he was awarded the Royal Society's Copley Medal
in 1783, jointly with John Goodricke
(for unrelated work).
He served the Hudson's Bay Company for the rest of his life in London as corresponding secretary.
It is probable that much of the nature notes for which he was also highly praised was actually the work of Andrew Graham
, either generously given or plagiarised, an action not considered so reprehensible in those days.
Hutchins' goose
(Branta hutchinsii) was named for him
Hutchins was employed as Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
surgeon at York Factory
York Factory, Manitoba
York Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...
(Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
) 1766–73 then chief of Albany fort
Fort Albany, Ontario
Fort Albany First Nation is a community in within the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada. Situated on the southern shore of the Albany River, Fort Albany First Nation is only accessible by air or by winter road....
(Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) 1774–82.
By all accounts, he was a conscientious and hard-working physician but found time for research including a study of local edible plants useful for prevention of scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
.
He was visited 1768–69 by astronomer William Wales
William Wales (astronomer)
William Wales was a British mathematician and astronomer.-Early life:Wales was born around 1734 to John and Sarah Wales and was baptized in Warmfield that year...
, who had been sent by 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"...
to observe the 1769 transit of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
, and was left equipment and instructions for recording meteorological data.
Encouraged by his acting chief Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham (naturalist)
Andrew Graham was a Scottish naturalist.He emigrated to Canada and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company from 1749 to 1775 when he retired...
1771–72, he kept notes on wildlife, including descriptions of species not previously recorded.
At the behest of 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"...
, he made useful observations on magnetic declination
Magnetic declination
Magnetic declination is the angle between magnetic north and true north. The declination is positive when the magnetic north is east of true north. The term magnetic variation is a synonym, and is more often used in navigation...
at Albany 1775–76.
He performed preliminary experiments on the congelation (freezing point
Freezing Point
Freezing Point is a news journal in the People's Republic of China which has been the subject of controversy over its criticism of Communist Party officials and the sympathetic ear it lent to a Chinese historian who had criticized official history textbooks...
) of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
in 1775, identifying the problem with previous attempts as being due to the abrupt change of volume of the mercury in the thermometer as it changed state. Apparatus for an improved method was devised and after a series of careful experiments 1779–82, its freezing point was determined at −39 °F.
For this work, highly praised by Cavendish
Henry Cavendish
Henry Cavendish FRS was a British scientist noted for his discovery of hydrogen or what he called "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable air, which formed water on combustion, in a 1766 paper "On Factitious Airs". Antoine Lavoisier later reproduced Cavendish's experiment and...
, he was awarded the Royal Society's Copley Medal
Copley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences"...
in 1783, jointly with John Goodricke
John Goodricke
John Goodricke FRS was an eminent and profoundly deaf amateur astronomer. He is best known for his observations of the variable star Algol in 1782.- Life and work :...
(for unrelated work).
He served the Hudson's Bay Company for the rest of his life in London as corresponding secretary.
It is probable that much of the nature notes for which he was also highly praised was actually the work of Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham (naturalist)
Andrew Graham was a Scottish naturalist.He emigrated to Canada and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company from 1749 to 1775 when he retired...
, either generously given or plagiarised, an action not considered so reprehensible in those days.
Hutchins' goose
Cackling Goose
The Cackling Goose is a North American bird of the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species....
(Branta hutchinsii) was named for him