124 BIOGRAPHIES OF SCIENTIFIC MEN 



which form the compounds, and are termed molecules. 

 The molecule of a compound contains different atoms, 

 whereas the molecule of an element contains the same 

 atoms. 



Although not an accurate manipulator (who could be 

 with such crude apparatus at his disposal?), he was a 

 philosopher, a deep thinker, yea, a genius. He was gifted 

 with that most useful "article" scientific imagination. 

 " He formed clear mental images of the phenomena which 

 he studied, and these images he was able to combine and 

 modify so that there resulted a new image containing in 

 itself all the essential parts of each separate picture which 

 he had previously formed." 



In 1837 his health began to fail and his mental powers 

 to decline ; he had a paralytic seizure, but afterwards 

 recovered to a certain extent. 



When fainting Nature calPd for aid, 

 And hovering Death prepared the blow. 



Johnson. 



Seven years later he had another attack, which proved 

 fatal on 27th July 1844. With public honours his re- 

 mains were buried in Ardwick Cemetery, Manchester ; 

 and a massive tomb of red granite marks the spot where 

 the founder of the atomic theory lies buried. 



Of posthumous honours, there is a beautiful statue of 

 Dalton by Sir Francis L. Chantrey in the vestibule of 

 the Manchester Town Hall ; and in the same building 



