Bryan Higgins

Bryan Higgins (* 1741 in Collooney, County Sligo, Ireland, † 1818 or 1820 on his estate in Walford, Staffordshire ) was an Irish chemist.

From 1765, he attended the University of Leiden, where he qualified as a doctor of physics. He ran then in Greek Street, Soho, a school of practical chemistry. A participant of his lectures was Joseph Priestley, with whom he fell out later. In 1777 he discovered a chemical harmonica. Between 1780 and 1790 he visited St Petersburg. In 1789 he applied for a patent on a cheap cement, in which he used lime instead of water. 1797 to 1799 he resided in Jamaica where he improved the sugar cane and rum.

His nephew William Higgins (1763-1825) also worked in his laboratory and from 1792 as a chemist in Dublin.