Christopher Merret

Christopher Merret

Christopher Merret also written Merrett (born February 16, 1614 in Winchcombe , Gloucestershire , † August 19, 1695 ibid) was an English doctor, mineralogist, chemist and naturalist.

Live and act

He was the son of Christopher Merret, senior cloth merchant from Winchcombe and landowner in Cleeve. In 1632 he studied at Gloucester Hall in Oxford (later Worcester College ), then Oriel College where he received his bachelor's degree in 1635 , then between 1636 and 1643 he went back to Gloucester Hall in Oxford to obtain his Bachelor of Medicine as well as his PhD.

Merret then practiced as a doctor in London where he became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1651 . Three years later he moved to Amen Corner, near St Paul's Cathedral . Merret was a founding member of the Royal Society . At times he took on the role of chairman in the committee for trade and industry.

The main work of Merrett was the Pinax Rerum naturalium britannicarum . It was published in 1667 and was the first description of English fauna, including a description of fossils and minerals .

Merret was particularly interested in the practical use of minerals and their constituents, for example he published writings on tin mining and its processing. In 1662 he translated Antonio Neris L 'arte vetraria distineta in libri sette (1612) into The Art of Glass (1662) and added further pages from his own observations. The translation was published in Amsterdam in 1668 and then again in 1681. His descriptions of glass production reveal a great deal of knowledge of the manufacturing process.

On December 17, 1662, he presented his observations on the modification of wines in the Royal Society. In this work, Merret describes a method how the winegrowers add appropriate amounts of sugar or molasses to make wines refreshing and sparkling (see also sparkling wines ).

He died in his home near the chapel in Hatton Garden , where he was buried on August 19, 1695 in St. Andrew in Holborn London .

Works (selection)

• The Art of Glass, wherein are shown the wayes to make and color Glass, Pastes, Enamels, Lakes, and other Curiosities. Originally written in Italian by Antonio Neri, the work was translated by Merret and given his own additions. Octavian Pulleyn, Sign of the Rose in St. Paul's Church-yard, London 1662.
• Pinax Rerum Naturalium Britannicarum, continens Vegetabilia, Animalia, et Fossilia . Impensis Cave Pulleyn ad insigne Rosae in Coemeterio Divi Pauli, typis F. & T. Warren, Londini 1666.

literature

• Albert J. Koinm: Christopher Merret's Use of Experiment. In: Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London. Vol. 54, No. 1, 2000, pp. 23-32. ( PDF ; 175 kB)
• C. Dodds: Christopher Merrett, FRCP (1614-1695), First Harveian Librarian. In: Proc R Soc Med. Volume 47, No. 12, December 1954, pp. 1053-1056, PMC 1919154 (free full text)
• GS Boulger: Christopher Merrett. In: Dictionary of National Biography. Volume 37, 1894, p. 288.

Web links

Wikisource: Christopher Merret  - Sources and full texts (English)

• A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries. (gallica.bnf.fr)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ George Crabb: Universal Historical Dictionary: Or Explanation of the Names of Persons and Places in the Departments of Biblical, Political and Eccles. History, Mythology, Heraldry, Biography, Bibliography, Geography, and Numismatics. Volume 2, Baldwin and Cradock, 1833.
2. ^ Joan Thirsk: Rural Economy of England: Collected Essays. Hambledon Press, 1984, ISBN 0-907628-28-1 , p. 267.
3. ↑ entry on Merrett; Christopher (? 1614–1695) in the Archives of the Royal Society , London
4. ^ Richard Pulteney: Historical and biographical sketches of the progress of Botany in England. Volume 1, T. Cadell, 1790, pp. 290-291.
5. ↑ Antonio Neri: L 'Arte vetraria distinta in libri sette del rp Antonio Neri fiorentino: ne quali si scoprono, effetti marauigliosi, & insegnano segreti bellissimi, del vetro nel fuoco & altre cose curiose. nella Stamperia de'Giunti (1612)