106 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT 
XVIII. 
SCIENTISTS OF THE NORTH-EAST 
OF SCOTLAND 
A.—PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, MEDICINE 
BY 
G. M. FRASER (City Liprarian). 
INTRopUCToRY.—It will not be a surprise to anyone to find that in the 
multitude of eminent persons produced in this part of the country in the 
past five hundred years persons of intellect rather than persons of 
imagination have largely predominated. To some extent comparative 
poverty, which necessitates action, and severity of climate, which affects 
temperament, encouraged the development of the more useful qualities 
in the population, and of those who have reached the height of even 
moderate fame most have represented the arts of civilisation rather than 
the graces of literary excellence in either poetry or prose. Although 
Aberdeen gave to Scotland an early and great poet in John Barbour, our 
authority on the Bruce period, he flourished as an historical poet, who 
not only steadily keeps in touch with actual affairs, giving little evidence 
of emotional fancy, but derives his entire virtue from that characteristic 
quality in his work. And then the circumstance of geographical isolation 
in this corner of the land for centuries induced a habit of independent 
thought that gave direction, if not altitude, to mental effort in all regions of 
professional achievement. Even in the realm of philosophy, the onesystem 
of abstract thought which, in Thomas Reid, originated in the north-east of 
Scotland, is universally characterised as the Philosophy of Common Sense. 
As we shall see presently, the Aberdeen region produces men of science 
in profusion. ‘Teachers, theologians, journalists, competent men of 
business, and travellers abound, but only in rare cases does the district 
throw off men of high creative power. In the speculations of all of them 
the practical categories are dominant. In the following list of eminent 
men of science who have been connected or associated with Aberdeen, 
only outstanding cases have been selected, and the number had to be 
limited. 
PHYSICS. 
Arnott, Dr. Nett.—Born in 1788, Neil Arnott was a graduate, M.A., 
of Marischal College and University, Aberdeen, and obtained the diploma 
of the College of Surgeons, London, in 1811. He was a popular lecturer | 
in London on chemistry and natural philosophy, and in 1827 he published 
the first volume of his Physics. ‘ It was received with a burst of unani- 
mous commendation such as has never been given to any scientific work 
before or since.’ (Alexander Bain, 1875.) In 1859 Neil Arnott was 
