Thomas Graham
Chemist
Notable for pioneering the medical practice of dialysis and for establishing the scientific field of colloid chemistry, this nineteenth-century scientist is also remembered for formulating an important scientific theory and formula known as Graham's law of effusion.
After earning a master's degree from the University of Glasgow, he taught chemistry at the University of London and the Royal College of Science and Technology.
Apart from his scientific work, he held the high-ranking United Kingdom governmental position of Master of the Mint.
He grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, as the son of a businessman.
He and German biologist and physician Rudolf Virchow were both nineteenth-century recipients of the prestigious Copley Medal.