W o u l d you select Christmas Eve at six o'clock sharp as an appropriate time to begin a series of public lect,ures on chemistry? In 1799, someone did! The sponsor of these lectures was The Philo- sophical Society of Delaware; the lecturer was Dr. John Vaughan.

The Societ,y was organized in Wilmington in 1799 for the purpose of "disseminating scientific and practical knowledge." I t met in the new town hall for a rental of ten dollars a year. Doctor Joseph Priestley heartily endorsed the new group:

Herbert T. PraH E. I . du Pont de Nemours & Co.

Wilmington, Delaware

I rejoice t o hear of the Societv.. . . I t cannot fail to give great satisfaction to all the friends of science in this country. . . . Though you may lshor, a t present, under some disadvantages. . . the resolution to make a beginning is everything.'

John Vaughan's Public Lectures

on Chemical Philosophy (1799)

Dr. Vaughan was the town's most popular physician and although scarcely 24 years old, was one of its busiest and best known citizens. Besides building a fine practice during his three years in Wilmington, he also had edit,ed a semi-weekly newspaper and had been active in politics and in the state medical~ociety.~ Hav- ing studied a t Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Hospital, Dr. Vaughan's interest in chemistry may have been stimulated by Dr. Caspar Wistar, a physician a t the hospital, who formerly had been professor of chemistry a t the College of Philadelphia.

The chemistry course was designed to have universal appeal. Tuition for an entire family was only five dollars, as proclaimed by newspaper advertisements of December, 1799 (see photograph). Seeking partici- pants, a member boasted to a women's organization that the Society's pneumatical apparatus was the most complete in America and that the demonstrations would in every way be superior to and more entertaining than the so-called science shows that were given occasionally by itinerant magicians. However, his emphasis was definitely on education rather than on show; for he declared chemistry and the "doctrine of airs" to be so fundamental to a liberal education that little could be known or understood without them. This appeal to women is interesting inasmuch as the local Lyceum had concluded a few months before that women were mentally inferior to men.

One of the greatest obstacles the Society faced in trying to teach chemistry to business men and house- wives was the confusing and cumbersome nomencla- ture that was in common use. Terms such as "acid of ants" and "atmospherical mephit,is3' prevented any

M i w w of the Times and Genera2 Adwrtiser, Wilmington, Delaware, Jan. 11,18W.

~SCEARF, THOMAS J., "History of Delaware, 1609-1888," L. J. Richards & Co., Philadelphis, 1888, pp. 492-3.

sort of systematic presentation. To remove this impediment, Dr. Vaughan wrote a simple, up-to-date textbook based on the work of Lavoisier. It listed both the old and new chemical names and discussed chemistry in six divisions, e.g., salts, earths, metals, in- flammable~, waters, and airs. There were also brief sections on chemical affinity, fermentation, caloric, oxidation, amalgamation, and vegetable and animal substances. Entitled "Chemical Syllabus," the hook consisted of 19 pages and sold for 25 cenh3

5% Phii~oplical Socity rf Uzimwc .

THE PUBLIC ;re hcreb, inlormcd, t h t aErccably to the del ip of she Iociay 1 . 7

cliltirfing uicful ino..vledgc, thcy ir?ter.d I:::- hihiting n C o d e of Irchrcs znd Expoi- mcntr, on t l ~ r pinciplcs of Natural Philul<.- phy, and its ap$icstion to the more d c L l art3 of liic.

Ticlets of arlmillion for the sourlc or 3t

IcaR twenty lriturcr, ,,. C.

For J Gnglc perkn, 3 Fora family, excepting fons of 1

age, &d inmates, ' 5 ' For a Gngle perton, one evening, 5O

The IntroduLtory LeRurc will be deliver- ed, by Dr. JohnVnughah,at the Town-hall, on 'l'uelday evening rhc 74th inltant, at fir o'clock, CXATIE. The public arc rrqucRcd to bcpunAud to the hour, ar it is intended to cloic the doors a t half pan fir, to prevent interruptior. during the lrfture.

A number of intcrel?ing experiments will Ix pcrformed?,tggivr the public an i k l of the pnQicabhr, and utility of the plan By order of the Society.

Thomas Mendcnhall./ir. N. P.. Tiicrr may behad o lJmer%ca.

John Way, and Jofeph Brin~hurlt, Markc: k e t .

Wilminflon, Dcc. I 3th, 1799.

Throughout the winter and early spring of 1799-1800, newspaper ads appeared in the Wilmington Mirror of the Times and General Advertiser, from which it is possible to reconstruct the week-to-week teaching program as follows:

Introductory Lecture Principles of Chemical Philosophy and Chemical Affinity

3 VATTGWAN. JOWN. "Chemical Svllabus." B o n d and Niles . ~-~ , . ~ - - ~ , -~~~ ~" Printers, Wilmington, Del., 1799.

The importance of "Chemical Syllrtbus" is discussed more fully hy DUVEEN, DENIS I., AND KLICHSTEIN, HERBERT S., in "The Introduction of Lavoisier's Chemical Nomenclature into America," Isis, 45,373-4 (December, 1954).

42 / Journal of Chemical Education

Origin and Theories of Electricity and the Revolution I t Has Underzone

~ -~ ~

The Phenomena of Electric Fluid Thunder, Lightning, and Thunder Gusts Phenomena of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions Medical and Animal Electricity Fire, Heat, and Light Water and Fluidity Pneumatic and Chemical Properties of Air Acids and Alkalies Formation of Salts Lithology Nature and Uses of Metals Valedictory

The newspapers show that the lectures did not always go so smoothly as they might have. Some people re- peatedly came in late, children became unruly, and the smoking of "segars" had to be prohibited. Bad weather forced the postponement of one meeting, and profes- sional duties kept Dr. Vaughan away from three others (a colleague substituted). When on one occasion the inevitable happened, the newspaper carried a poetical "Extempore on the Inability of the Philosophical Society to Proceed with Their Illustrative Experiments on Thunder and Lightning on a Damp Evening."

But in Xew York, The Medical Repository reported that the course had succeeded far beyond expectation.

It is pleasing to see the principles of science familiarized to a large portion of the community in a manner so cheap, easy and popular.. . . The exertions of Doctor Vaughan and his as- sociates deserve our commendation and we hone their exclm~le will be followed with equal seal and success in many other parts of the United States.

Soon after the last meeting on April 1, Dr. Vaughan was urged by the women students to publish his lectures. He complied in part with "The Valedictory Lecture" which was a review of the entire c o u r ~ e . ~

In his hook, Dr. Vaughan claims the American priority for a public chemistry course of this type. He was probably too young to have heard of the remarkably successful lectures given some fifteen years earlier in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charleston by Dr. Henry M o y e ~ . ~

From reading the "Valedictory" it is quite evident that the lectures were lively and well endowed with food for thought. The first 22 pages on electricity range in content from a prediction of air conditioning to a warning to young girls to avoid negatively charged

VAUGHAN, JOHN, "The Valedictory Lecture," Franklin Press, Wilmington, Del., 1800.

Dr. Vaughan sent copies of his book to President Thomas Jefferson and to Dr. Benjamin Rush with s n apologetic note for the book's inadequacies. MKS, Dec. 3, 1800, Jefferson papers, Library of Congress, and MMS, Feh. 5, 1801, Rush papers, Rideewav Librarv. Philedelnhis. - " ",

ARMSTRONG, EVA V., AND DEISCHER, CLAUDE K., J. CHEM. Eouc., 24,169-74(1947).

old bachelors. The properties of gases and a eulogy of Lavoisier comprise a major part of the section on chem- i ~ t r y . ~

The following excerpt on carbon dioxide is typical of the technical content:

Carbonic acid gas, or fixed air, is formed by the union of oxygene with carbane. I t extinguishes flame, is noxious to animals, and combines with alkalies. It is an ingredient in most mineral waters, and is the usual test for detecting the presence of limein waters.

I t is this gas which produces so many unhappy accidents a t the opening of cellars and wells, which have been closed for a considerable time. And many lives might be preserved by a little preliminary caution-a person should never descend into a. well or cavern, without first introducing a lighted taper or candle, and if the flame be not extinguished, he may descend with safety, a4 the same principle supports life and combustion; but, if the flame be extinguished, he must suspect the presence of carbonic acid gas, or same air unfriendly to life. Quick lime should then be thrown into the well, and repeated until the whole of the fixed air is neutralized, or combined with the lime, farming common chalk, which may be ascertained by the hurning of a taper.

The last four pages champion the "mental emanci- pation" of women so that they might take their right- ful place beside men as teachers, lawyers, and senators.

In its review of the "Valedictory" the Medical Re- pository chided some of Dr. Vaughan's views but agreed that all women would make better housekeepers if they were but somewhat better chemists.

The lectures went over well the first year so it was decided to give them again in the winter of 180041. However, after only three meetings the town council decided that too many meetings were dirtying their new building and they abruptly halted its use. An- other meeting place could not be found so the apparatus was stored for nearly a year, then disposed of. The lecture table was purchased from the Society by the town for $10. This table is now displayed a t the Historical Society of Delaware.

Dr. Vaughan continued his medical practice and pub- lished several articles on medical findings. He intro- duced vaccination for smallpox to Wilmington during the summer of 1802 and in the fall of that year distin- guished himself by being the only physician to remain in Wilmington during an epidemic of yellow fever.

He was a deeply religious man and was licensed to preach by the Baptist Church in 1806.

He died in 1807 a t the age of 32. He would have been happy to have known that 150 years hence, chemistry would be a by-word in Wilmington and that the city's industry would gain for it the title "Chemical Capital of America."

a DUVEEN, DENIS I., AND KLICKSTEIN, HERBERT S., Journal Kistm?, of Medicine, S, 443-4 (1953).

Volume 39, Number I , knuary 1962 / 43