FEBRUARY, 1917. Vol. XLII., No. 491. THE ANALYST. OBITUARY. DAVID HOWARD. DAVID HOWARD, whose death occurred somewhat suddenly on November 14, 1916, was born a t Tottenham on April 3, 1839. He was descended from Quaker ancestry, and mas the son of Robert Howard and the grandson of Luke Howard, F.R.S., well known in his time as a scientist and philanthropist. David Howard’s mother was one of the Lloyds of Birmingham, a granddaughter of the founder of Lloyds’ Bank. The history of the origin of the famous business of Howard and Sons, of which at his death David Howard was the chairman, is of some interest.About the year 1795 William Allen, F.R.S., who afterwards became President of the Pharmaceutical Society, succeeded to the pharmaceutical business of Joseph Gurney Bevan, of Plough Court, London, and went into partnership with one Samuel Mildred, with whom he continued the business in Plough Court, and at the same time established a chemical laboratory a t Plaistow.In time it was found necessary t o make other arrangements, so a fresh partnership was entered into between William Allen and Luke Howard, under the name of “ Allen and Howard,” tihis association being the starting-point and ultimately passing into the business of Howard and Sons.Luke Howard and William Allen were both distinguished men, possessing similar ideas and tastes, and taking interest in many matters outside their im- mediate business. Luke Howard was one of the founders of the science of meteoro- logy, and wrote several papers on that and collateral scientific subjects. One of his most important papers was on “ The Climate of London,” into which he intro- duced his nomenclature and classification of clouds, a classification accepted and in use a t the present day.His partner, William Allen, was not only an able scientific man, but also one much interested in philanthropy. He was a friend of Clarkson, Wilberforce, and James Mill, and one of the strong opposers of slavery.It is not difficult therefore for those who knew David Howard, to trace in his own life and actions the influence produced by those early family friendships. David Howard was educated in the first place in Southampton, at a school kept by a Mr. Crabbe, where he remained from 1852 to 1854. Afterwards he was sent to the Friends’ School, Grove House, Tottenham, to be nearer where his parents lived, and at which he remained until about 1857. Being now eighteen, he entered the firm as an apprentice, but about the same time proceeded to the College of Chemistry, then under the directlion of the famous32 OBITUARY : DAVID HOWAliD Professor Hoffmann, where he studied the principles of general chemistry in prepara- tion for his taking a position and share in the work connected with the firm a t Stratford.Howard’s time at the College of Chemistry must have been an agreeable and interesting one. Hoffmann at that t h e was exercishg great influence on chemical teaching and investigation in this country and was attracting a large number of students to the College, many of whom have themselves become in later times distinguished teachers and investigators.Several of those remained Howard’s friends through later life, and he always spoke of his time at the College of Chemistry with pleasant memories and affectionate allusion fo the friends he had made during his student days a t the College. As well as receiving instruction in general chemistry under Hoffmann, Howard gained a practical knowledge of the business at the works, under the guidance of his father Robert, and his uncle John Elliot Howard.When first he entered the business Howard was associated more closely with his uncle, John, whom he assisted in the supervisjon of the laboratories specially devoted to the preparation and analysis of the cinchona alkaloids, thus becoming attached at an early period to this branch of the business, one in which he always took a special interest.This is indicated by the nature of the researches he carried out, originally with his uncle and afterwards by himself, on the active principles of the cinchona barks. David Howard became a partner in Howard and Sons in 1860, and was made chairman of the Board of Directors in 1903, when the business was converted into a company.A description of David Howard’s chemical work: with its influence on commer- cial enterprise during a long and active life, is rendered possible by the methodical habit he had of keeping accurate note-books from the early time of his entering the works in 1864, in which he recorded his researches on points relating to chemical industry.It was his habit when on his holidays to take with him these rough laboratory records, and at his leisure, in some quiet holiday resort, condense them into little separate treatises on the various points he had been studying during the past year. Away from business cares and distractions, he could devote the scientific side of his mind in moulding his idem and inspirations into the certainty of ascertained facts, and form them into scientifically sound and commercially successful processes.Up to his last year he retained this power of accurate and careful recording of experimental work, and the note-book current at the time of his death is as neat, concise, and lucid, a8 the k t in 1864. Although the greatest part of his time in his laboratory was devoted to the systematic study of the cinchona alkaloids, he still undertook investigations on the production of many other pure chemicals, of which the purification of bismuth and its salts, the fractionation of ether, the extraction of benzoic acid from gum Benjamin, the purification of cinnamic acid (the subject of his first paper to the Chemical Society in lSSl), iodides and iodoform, the production of valerianic acid, the extrac- tion and separation of the morphia group of alkaloids from opium and the caffeine group from tea, may be taken as illustrating the wide range of his laboratory activity resulting in successful works processes.OBITUARY : DAVID HOWARD 33 On the cinchona alkaloids he was engaged for over forty years, evolving satis- factory analytical separations of the four principal alkaloids, and from his laboratory experiments perfecting the processes for the works.He was a frequent visitor to Holland, often in communication with LBger, De Vrij, and Hesse, and for many years in close touch. with the pioneers of the cinchona cultivation in Ceylon and India, for whom he did a large amount of analyti- cal work, and to whom he was a constant adviser on the alkaloidal contents of their products.His life work on the cinchona group is epitomised in his last paper on ‘‘ Cinchona Barks and their Cultivation,’’ read before the Society of Chemical In- dustry in February, 1906. Many as are the industrial concerns which have arisen and prospered in Great Britain during the last fifty years, there are few that can show such a continuous and solid growth as this business of which David Howard for so many years has been the presiding influence.His business, quite apart from the mere profit which it might bring, was a part of his life, and into the conduct of which Howard brought also that spirit of rectitude and of fair dealing which always characterised him. Howard was elected a Fellow of the Chemical Society in 1869, and served on the Council for three separate periods, becoming a Vice-president in 1902.His mind being largely occupied with attention to matters connected with the business, Howard had little time for the writing and reading of papers. He contributed, how- ever from time to time, the results of investigations carried out by himself or in con- junctionwithothers, to the Journalof the ChemicalSociety, and other scientific journals.From an early time David Howard took an intimate and active interest in the status of the professional chemist, and in the education of younger men about to enter that profession, or to embark in commercial work. He was ever anxious in support of a high standard of probity in regard to business dealings, and a desire that those proceeding to either mercantile or scientific occupations should have a thorough general training before entering on their advanced professional work.Such ideals gained for him esteem and regard not only among the chemical pro- fession in which he held a high position, but also in commercial circles, as may be seen from his connection with the London Chamber of Commerce, in which he occupied the post of chairman of the Chemical Section for several years.In the Institute of Chemistry, of which he was an original member, Honorary Treasurer for close on twenty years, and afterwards its President, David Howard took a, special interest. This interest was a wide one, and was directed both to the educational as well as to the purely professional requirements of the Institute.He strongly supported the view that the object of the Institute should be to insure that its members received 6 thorough and systematic training on a liberal basis before proceeding to their final and special qualifications. Arising probably from his own ea.rly training, he held decided views on the retention of a certain amount of Latin as a compulsory subject in the preliminary examination, a predilection which sometimes brought him into argumentative differences with some of his colleagues on the Council.During his presidentship of the Institute, Howard, from his intimate association with commercial and manufacturing Chemistry, took great interest and gave much34 OBITUARY : DAVID HOWARD assistance in the movement for the foundation of an advanced qualification which might be obtained by members who already possessed the Fellowship, md who were actually engaged in technical work.This scheme was established with the view of indicating the lines on which chemists in industrial work should prepare themselves, so as to more readily apply their knowledge to industrial problems.In matters outside the educational objects of the Institute the experience gained by Howard as a magistrate and chairman of various other bodies was of great advantage. The knowledge he obtained from sitting on the Bench enabled him to form judgments on points connected with legal questions which have to be considered from time to time by such bodies as the Institute of Chemistry.This experience made him also valuable as a member to act on deputations of fhe Council, when required to interview Government or other Departments on matters of public interest. David Howard was an original member of the Society of Chemical Industry, and from the date of his election had taken an active part in the proceedings of that Society, being at various periods on its Council and Committees, Chairman of the London Section, and finally President of the Society for the session 1886-87.In 1907 he was elected an honorary member of the Society of Public Analysts and other Analytical Chemists. As a manufacturer of pharmaceutical preparations Howard took an interest in pharmacy and the Pharmaceutical Society. This was not only a, personal one, but was to some extent hereditary, as both his father Robert, and his uncle John Elliot, were intimately associated with that Society.A considerable number of his original communications appear in the Pltmmmedtieal Jowmd, and he himself never lost an opportunity when discussing the relations of chemistry and pharmacy to point out that the founders of modern chemistry were pharmacists.Apart from his purely business life and his association with societies and institu- t ions more particularly connected with his profession Howard’s keen intellect ranged over wide regions of thought. He was interested in natural history and antiquarian lore, and possessed an intimate historical knowledge of the county of Essex, more especially of the districts round Epping Forest, where the most of his life had been spent and for which he had an intense affection.In the eastern district of outer London David Howard held many public appoint- ments and gave largely of his spare time in the assiatance and advancement of local public quwtions. He was Deputy-Lieutenant for the county of &sex and Justice of the Peace for West Ham, seldom failing in a regular attendance on the Bench.He held also at various times the positions of Guardian of the poor and member of the Buckhurst Hill District Council, and his keen interest in educational matters made him a valuable member of the Wrtlthamstow School Board, of which he was chair man. David Howard was a man of strong religious feelings, which entered intimately into all the actions of his life.He gave generously, both of time and money, to the church and t o many objects of charity in the district of Walthamstow. The memory of his kindly and unostentatious actions for the good of others, will ever remain in the hearts of the people among whom he lived.BRAZl L I AN OlLSEEUS 35 To have known David Howard was to have known a, man of no ordinary char- acter. He was a man of strong personality, accompanied by great gentleness and simplicity of manner, and with a keen appreciation of humour. He had a strong sense of duty to his country and fellow-men, and took his place as a frue citizen, both in local and national affairs. He was keen in business, distinctly a man of affairs, but a t the same time full of intellectual interests. He was wise in council and a man of sound judgment. He had very strong opinions, which to those who did not know him intimately might savour of obstinacy. This, however, was not t,he case, for he gave every matter the most careful consideration before arriving at, a conclusion, and having done so, felt strong enough fo abide by it. Although a keen opponent in discussion, when finally convinced that the right might be on the other side he gave way with frankness and generosity. A man of noble qualities, his death removes, not only from the domain of Applied Chemistry, but also from commercial and public life, one who can ill be spared. JOHN M. THOMSOE.