On this day in 1710

William Cullen’s contribution to public health – and alleviating hunger – can’t be overstated. A chemist and medic, he was also First Physician to the King in Scotland, a teacher, and leader of his profession. Perhaps more importantly, though, he also invented – or at least discovered – the process of artificial refrigeration.

By the mid-1750s (some sources say the mid-1740s), Cullen was lecturing in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh when he used a pump to reduce the air pressure in a container of diethyl ether and, in doing so, effectively reduced its boiling temperature. This caused it to boil, spontaneously, in its surroundings and draw in heat, cooling the chamber in which it was contained.

Invention overlooked

Sadly, for Cullen, his discovery wasn’t put to any immediate use. For one thing, it would need to be scaled up and, for another, few people saw any need for artificial refrigeration when there were already companies in existence that would cut and transport natural ice from cold parts of the world to wherever it was required.
Cullen died in February 1790 and although the announcements and memorials in the newspapers of the time mention his lecturing and work as a physician, his greater contribution to humanity, refrigeration, is largely overlooked.

 

...and on this day in 1761

Archibald Campbell was the first governor of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Although born in Surrey, he was educated at the University of Glasgow and became Lord high treasurer of Scotland in 1705. In this role, he oversaw the financing of the monarch’s life in Scotland.

This naturally put him close to the monarch, who was then Queen Anne, and he strongly supported the Acts of Union. These were the legal instruments that united Scotland and England as a single country, along with Wales, after several years as separate nations under a single throne. In the wake of the successful signing of the Acts, he was granted the title Earl of Islay.

Scottish power

Campbell’s influence over Scottish affairs is difficult to overstate. Between 1733 and 1761, he was the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. This effectively put him one step away from the monarch, since wax discs cast from the seal are used in lieu of a signature on official documents. The Keeper of the Great Seal is today the First Minister.

He also enjoyed significant influence over Scottish representatives in London Parliament at a time when very few ‘ordinary’ citizens could vote.

In 1727, he co-founded the Royal Bank of Scotland and became its first governor. As a result, his image appears on all Royal Bank of Scotland banknotes.

When his brother died in 1743, Campbell inherited his title, becoming the Third Duke of Argyll. Campbell himself died in London 1761 and his remains were transported to Argyll for burial at Kilmun, alongside more than 30 members of his family.