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first crude experiments in chemistry, th.it Gilbert Giddy 

 came across his path, and turned his genius into 

 proper channel. For not only did Giddy place his 

 own library and chemical apparatus at the disposal 

 of the young student, but he introduced him to Dr. 

 Edwards, chemical lecturer at Bartholomew's Hospital, 

 and to Dr. Beddocs, who had just established at Clifton 

 a pneumatic medical institution for the purpose of trying 

 the medicinal effects of different gases. In the autumn 

 of 1798 Dr. Beddoes engaged Humphry Davy as 

 superintendent of this establishment, and the young 

 chemist was thus placed in a position in which he 

 could pursue unhampered the studies most congenial 

 to him. " I never loved to imitate, but always to invent" 

 he told a friend in after life. And this inventive quality 

 helped him marvellously in that career of discovery 

 which madev his name illustrious. Before he had been 

 twelve months at Clifton he made himself famous by 

 discovering the intoxicating effects of nitrous oxide 

 when respired, and thus gave medical science the 

 valuable anaesthetic known as " laughing-gas." In 

 the ardour with which he pursued the investigations 

 which led to his discoveries he knew no fear of con- 

 sequences, and more than once almost sacrificed his 

 life in his experiments. Indeed, his fearlessness had 

 been conspicuous from his boyhood. When he was 

 sixteen he was bitten in the leg by a dog supposed 

 to be mad ; he coolly pulled out his knife, cut out 

 the piece of flesh, and then went to the surgery and 

 cauterised it himself. He used to say that he had 

 educated himself to a disbelief in the existence of pain 



