William Brooks Johnson facts for kids

William Brooks Johnson (1763–1830) was an English doctor and scientist who studied plants and chemicals. He was also known as Brookes. He lived during a time when many new discoveries were being made in science and medicine.

Early Life and Education

William Brooks Johnson was born in 1763. He went to Repton School to get his early education. Later, in 1783, he was accepted into Christ's College, Cambridge, which is a famous university. He studied medicine there and became a doctor in 1789.

A Doctor with a Special Interest

After becoming a doctor, Johnson became very interested in something called botanical chemistry. This is a field that combines the study of plants (botany) with the study of chemicals (chemistry). He wanted to understand the chemical makeup of plants and how they worked.

He lived at Coxbench Hall in Derbyshire, England. He was also a member of the Derby Philosophical Society. This was a group of smart people who met to discuss new ideas in science, philosophy, and other subjects. Johnson was encouraged in his work by Erasmus Darwin, who was a famous doctor and scientist of that time, and the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Johnson also worked with other notable thinkers like Jonathan Stokes and Smithson Tennant.

Involvement in Social Change

In 1791, William Brooks Johnson joined a group called the Derby Constitutional Society. This society was made up of people who wanted to see changes in the government and society in England. They were inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution, which was a big event in France where people fought for more freedom and equality.

Johnson, along with another person named Henry Redhead Yorke, wrote a document called the "Derby Address." This was like a letter or a statement that expressed their ideas for change. They even traveled to Paris, France, to present their ideas to the French National Convention, which was the government assembly there.

While in Paris in 1792, Johnson stayed with Tom Paine, a very famous writer and thinker who wrote about human rights and revolution. Johnson and Yorke also joined a group called the "British Club." This club was for British people living in France who supported the French Revolution. However, in 1793, Johnson and Yorke disagreed with some of the club's more extreme ideas. They decided to leave the group because they did not support all of its plans.

Scientific Writings

William Brooks Johnson was also an author. In 1803, he published a major work in three volumes called History of the Progress and Present State of Animal Chemistry. This book was a detailed look at how chemistry was used to understand living things, especially animals.

His book was reviewed in a well-known magazine called The Monthly Review in 1805. The review said that his book was a "laborious collection of facts," meaning he had gathered a lot of information. For scientists studying the chemistry of the body (clinical chemistry), Johnson's work was important because it tried to organize and present this complex subject in a clear and systematic way.