104 
Professor  John  Attfield,  F.R.S. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X      March,  1906. 
tions.  The  family  name,  originally  "  At-the-Field,"  is  an  uncommon 
one,  so  that  little  difficulty  is  found  in  tracing  the  family  back  to  the 
fourteenth  century.  He  owed  his  early  love  for  scientific  pursuits 
to  his  schoolmaster,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Stewart,  then  of  Barnet^ 
who  lectured  occasionally  to  his  boys  on  chemistry  and  physics. 
Towards  the  close  of  the  lad's  school  days  the  usual  momentous 
question  arose  as  to  the  choice  of  a  vocation.  He  begged  his  father 
to  enable  him  to  follow  up  his  studies  in  chemistry  and  physics. 
The  family  medical  man  was  consulted  on  the  matter,  and  he  replied, 
"  Article  him  to  some  member  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  who 
makes  most  or  many  of  his  own  preparations  of  drugs  and  some 
chemicals,  and  who  practises  analysis,  so  that  if  a  livelihood  should 
not  present  itself  in  chemistry  and  physics  your  son  can  fall  back  on 
pharmacy."  This  advice  was  followed,  and  the  authorities  at  Blooms. 
bury  Square  helped  in  the  finding  of  such  a  man  (more  common, 
alas !  then  than  now).  This  was  Mr.  William  Frederic  Smith,  a 
manufacturing  chemist  at  Walworth,  London,  who  further  under- 
took, when  he  had  taught  his  pupil  what  he  knew  of  chemistry  and 
physics  and  the  art  of  pharmacy,  to  send  him  to  classes  at  the 
Pharmaceutical  Society's  school,  an  arrangement  which  proved  to  be 
eminently  satisfactory.  Five  busy  years  were  spent  working  in  gain- 
ing pharmaceutical  experience,  and  during  the  last  of  these  in  attend, 
ing  as  well  classes  at  the  School  of  Pharmacy.  He  passed  the  minor 
examination  in  1854  with  honors,  and  in  the  school  took  first  prizes 
in  all  subjects,  namely,  the  medals  in  chemistry  and  pharmacy,  botany 
and  materia  medica.  He  was  disqualified  by  age  for  entering  for 
the  major  examination.  An  opportunity  soon  presented  itself  of 
devoting  himself  more  closely  to  his  favorite  subjects.  He  obtained 
the  position  of  junior  assistant  to  Dr.  Stenhouse,  F.R.S.,  lecturer  on 
chemistry  in  the  medical  school  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  in 
September,  1854,  and  subsequently  became  demonstrator  ot  chem- 
istry at  the  same  hospital.  His  connection  with  St.  Bartholomew's 
lasted  until  1862.  During  this  period  he  devoted  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  leisure  time  to  literary  occupations,  which  have  always 
formed  so  important  a  part  of  his  labors.  He  contributed  some  200 
articles  to  the  English  Cyclopaedia,  dealing  chiefly  with  pharmaceu- 
tical chemistry.  He  also  contributed  the  results  of  original  research 
on  various  subjects.  Of  these  the  most  important  was  a  paper  on 
The  Spectrum  of  Carbon,"  which  was  read  at  a  meeting  of  the 
