Operative Chymist. Clio Medica

About 1820 Thomas N. R. Morson, a chemist and pharmacist (1799–1874), founded what was to become Thomas Morson & Son, Ltd.—a company that remained in existence until 1957, when it was taken over by Merck, Sharp & Dohme. Except for the early chapters, T. N. R. Morson flits through this book almost en passant, as its author, his great-great-grandson, recounts the development of the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Great Britain. The impact of the work of the phytochemists in France, and Morson’s production of quinine and morphine when he started in business, are given considerable attention. There are interesting insights into the processes and problems of manufacturing and marketing fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

However, the book generally suffers from a lack of good editing. The repetitions, asides, chronological confusion, name-dropping, profusion of unnecessary details, and some lack of clarity in writing make it hard going for a reader who does not have a consuming interest in the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals.