364 On the Origin of the Atomic Theonj. 



clietni.stry as it passed through the hands of different philoso- 

 jihers. He particularizes Cullen, Black, Cavendish, and Priestley, 

 whom we must ever revere with grateful feelings lor their suc- 

 cessful labours in tlie field of science. 



To each of tliose pliilosophers, except Dr. Cullen, who wss 

 before my time, I had the plcasr.re of pvesentiiii; a copy of my 

 "Comparative View of the Antiplilo^istic and Phlogistic Theo- 

 ries," printed in the vear 1788, and i)ublished early in the year 

 17S9. 



In writing this work, hai)pily for chcmistrv, arose during my 

 investigation of the two antagonist theories the Atomic System, 

 or more properly speaking the doctrine of Definite Proportions, 

 in which the elementary particles of matter are capable of uniting 

 so as to form atoms and molecules*. 



My atomic theory of chemistry is so mathematically correct, 

 that all visionary hypotheses fell prostrate before it, and it was 

 from it alone that the phlogistic doctrine received its fatal blow. 



When I published the above work, I was the only person in 

 Great Britain that adopted the antiphlogistic doctrine : and the 

 attention of the philosophical world was so anxiously engaged 

 in the controversy itself, that the novel mode of investigation 

 which I made use of, was at the time in a great measure over- 

 looked : and indeed I was not nmch surprised at it, lor the 

 science was not at that time sufficiently ripe for so unusual a 

 style of reasoning. However, some of the Reviewers of the day 

 took some notice of it, as the following extract, taken from the 

 fourth vohune of the Analytical Review, page 178, will show: 



" This is the first original publication (my Comparative View) 

 which has appeared in the English language in defence of the 

 antiphlogistic system of chemistry, which is here very ably main- 

 tained by Mr. Higgin,." It then proceeds with the division of 

 the vvork, and the questions discussed in it. " In the discussion 

 of this subject Mr. Higgins shows a degree of acutcncss in argu- 

 mentation, and an intimate ac(|uaintance with the present state 

 of chemistry, which prove him to be eminently (jualified for the 

 task he has undertaken. In addition to those retpiisites, we 

 find that he has actually repeated most of the leading experi- 

 ments ; vihich valuable circumstance places his book in a much 

 higher rank than that of a mere collection of facts and deduc- 



* The terms ultimntc, p:ii-ticle,atom, anrl iiiokonlf, are inflisciimiiiritely 

 used liy Tliom-oii and Dalton. An ultimate particle ii> tlie last rlivisioii of 

 elementary inalter — an atom is a conipotinc! ot' two particles in every pro- 

 portion — and a molecule is the conipound of two atf)ms acn^rdini; to the 

 strict nomenclature of my doctrine. Those distinctions will prevent con- 

 fufiion; they will be loumj to accord with tl;c huiguasjc of dcliiiitc propor- 

 tion*, and the internal structure ofcoinpouDds. 



tions. 



