John Walsh (scientist)

John Walsh ( born July 1, 1726 Fort St. George, Madras, † March 9, 1795 in London) was a British naturalist and politician.

Life and work

John Walsh was a son of Joseph Walsh, the governor of Fort St. George, and Elizabeth Muskelyne, court astronomer Nevil Maskelyne a daughter of. In 1742 he entered the service of the British East India Company and was paymaster of the troops in Madras. 1757 appointed him Robert Clive to his private secretary. 1761 Walsh came back to England and bought the property Hockenhull in Cheshire. 1771 he moved to Warfield Park in Bracknell. For Worcester, he was until 1780 a member of parliament. On 8 November 1770 he was also elected a member of the Royal Society, and on January 10, 1771 as a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

On June 8, 1772 Walsh traveled from London to Paris, where he arrived on 15 June and spent a week. On June 26, Walsh arrived in La Rochelle. There and on the nearby island of Ile de Ré, he experimented with a species of the genus Torpedo from the family of electric ray. After a few days he was able to demonstrate experimentally the first to the electrical nature of dealt by the fish shocks. His letter to Benjamin Franklin was read on July 1, 1773 to the members of the Royal Society. For his investigations on the electric fish Walsh was in 1773 awarded the Copley Medal.

Writings (selection )

  • Of the Electric Property of the Torpedo. In a Letter from John Walsh, Esq; F. R. S. to Benjamin Franklin, Esq; LL.D., F. R. S., Ac. Par R. Soc. Ext, & c. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 63, pp. 461-480, 1773/1774 ( doi: 10.1098/rstl.1773.0039 ) - with Sieu Seignette
  • John Walsh: Of torpedoes Found on the Coast of England. In a Letter from John Walsh, Esq; F. R. S. to Thomas Pennant, Esq; F. R. S. In: . Philosophical Transactions. Volume 64, pp. 464-473, 1774 ( doi: 10.1098/rstl.1774.0046 )
  • Experiments and Observations on the Gymnotus Electricus, or Electrical Eel. By Hugh Williamson, MD Communicated by John Walsh, Esq. F. R. S. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 65, pp. 94-101, 1775 ( doi: 10.1098/rstl.1775.0011 ) - with Hugh Williamson

Evidence

  • Marco Piccolino: The Taming of the Ray. Electric Fish Research in the Enlightenment, from John Walsh to Alessandro Volta ( Biblioteca di Nuncius, vol. 48). Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 2003 ( PDF).
  • Www.berkshirehistory.com entry on David Nash Ford 's Royal Berkshire History Website (English )

Further Reading

  • Marco Piccolino, Marco Bresadola: Drawing a spark from darkness: John Walsh and electric fish. Endeavour. 2002 Mar, 26 ( 1) :19 -26
  • E. I. Carlyle, rev. Anita McConnell: John Walsh ( naturalist ). In: HCG Matthew, Brian Harrison ( ed.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, from the earliest times to the year 2000 ( ODNB ), Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0 - 19-861411 -X, online status: 2004 ( license required). seen on August 16, 2012 ( English)
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