Fredrick Accum: an important nineteenth-century chemist fallen into oblivion

Abstract

The German-born Fredrick Accum (1769-1838), lecturer, author, analyst, industrial chemist, technical expert and trader of chemicals and apparatus was once one of the best-known scientists in the United Kingdom. His efforts to popularize chemistry and to bring it to people of all classes were highly successful as demonstrated by the large audiences of men and women that used to fill the amphitheater of the Surrey Institution to attend his public lectures. His books on chemistry, mineralogy, crystallography and the use of gas for public and home illumination (of which he was an early promoter) were so much appreciated that they were published in several editions and translated into various languages. Numerous distinguished students learned their practical skills in his private laboratory and school.Despite this considerable success, the very few people who might still remember Accum probably owe that memory to his famous book from 1820 A Treatise on Adulteration of Food and Culinary Poisons. And some might also recall the odd events that followed the publication of the book, which eventually forced him to depart from London forever, the city where he had arrived almost three decades before as an assistant pharmacist.This paper presents the work and legacy of this controversial and once-famous chemist, including a description of the events that precipitated his abrupt departure from the international scene.