DAVY, SIR Humphry, English chemist: b. Penzance, Cornwall, 17 Dec. 1778; d. Geneva, Switzerland, 29 May 1829. A taste for chemis try, which he displayed in some experiments on the air contained in sea-weed, attracted the at tention of Mr. Gilbert, president of the Royal Society, and Dr. Beddoes, and the latter offered him the place of assistant in his laboratory. Here Davy discovered the respirability and ex hilarating effect of nitrous oxide. He pub lished the results of his experiments, under the title of 'Researches, Chemical and Philosoph ical' (1799). This work immediately se cured for him the place of professor of chem istry in the Royal. Institution, at the age of 22. His lectures were attended by crowded and brilliant audiences, who were attracted by the novelty and variety of his experiments, the elo quence of his discourses and the clearness of his exposition, His discoveries with the gal vanic battery, hit decomposition of the earths and alkalis and ascertaining of their metallic bases, his demonstration of the true nature of oxymuriatic acid, his discovery of chlorine as an element, etc., obtained him a European repu tation ; and in 1808 he received the Napoleon prize of the French Institute. In 1812 he was
knighted. In 1813 appeared his valuable (Ele Ments of Agricultural Chemistry.' The nu merous accidents arising from fire damp in mines led him to enter upon a series of ex periments on the nature of this explosive gas, the result of which was the invention with which his name will always be associated, the safety-lamp (1815). In 1818 he was created a baronet. In 1820 he succeeded Sir J. Banks as president of the Royal Society. Cuvier said of him that, •in the opinion of all who could judge of such labours he held first rank among the chemists of this or any other age.'" Near the close of his life he wrote his (Salmonia, or Days of Fly-fishing' ; and his in Travel, or the Last Days of a Philosopher.' Besides the works already mentioned, he also wrote 'Elements of Chemical Philosophy' (1802) - Bakerian Lectures' (1807-11) ; 'On the Safety-lamp> (1818), etc. A statue was erected to him at Penzance in 1872.. Consult his (Memoirs,) edited by his brother, John Davy (2 vols., London 1836) ; his (Life' by Dr. Paris (1831) ; and (Fragmentary Remains (London 1858).