The Great Chemist, Joseph Black. 53 



later when he entered the University at the age of ten. Perhaps 

 you remember Kelvin's views as to the education a boy should 

 have — Every boy should be able by the age of twelve to write 

 his own language with accuracy and some elegance, he should 

 have a reading knowledge of French and be able to translate 

 Latin and easy Greek authors, and have some acquaintance with 

 German. Having thus learned the meaning of words a boy 

 should study Logic so as to apply his words sensibly.' 



Black was certainly not so precocious as this would require 

 when he entered at the age of eighteen. 



It was after the completion of his Arts course that he was 

 required by his father to choose a profession, and selected that of 

 medicine, as being more in consonance with his favourite studies, 

 and at once began his work by attending the lectures of the 

 Professor of Anatomy and of Dr. Cullen, then Professor of 

 Medicine at Glasgow. 



Dr. Cullen was really the first teacher of Chemistry in 

 Glasgow University, and during Black's residence there began 

 the lectures which were to have such an influence later. Black 

 was selected as his assistant, and immediately began those 

 researches which reached fruition in the thesis offered for his 

 degree. Surely never was degree earned by such an epoch-making 

 thesis. In its English form, as read a year or so later before the 

 Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, its title, "Experiments upon 

 Magnesia Alba, Quicklime, and some other Alcaline Substances," 

 does not seem to have much connection with medical research. 

 In reality, however, it was originally a true investigation for 

 medical purposes, and this appears in the Latin title of the degree 

 thesis, "De Humero Acido a cibis orto et de Magnesia Alba." 

 Since I began my study of Black and his friends, his "Life and 

 Letters" has been published, written by Sir William Eamsay, 

 and the true begetting of Black's researches has been there 

 explained at some length. 



Sir Kobert Walpole, and his brother Horace, afterwards 

 Lord Walpole, were troubled with the stone. They imagined they 



