William Bird Herapath

Who was William Bird Herapath?

William Bird Herapath was an English surgeon and chemist known for his discovery of Herapathite.

He was born in Bristol, the eldest son of William Herapath, Professor of Chemistry at Bristol Medical School and educated at London University, where he was awarded M.B. in 1844.

He worked as a surgeon at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bristol and St Peter's Hospital, Bristol and was awarded M.D. in 1851. He published many articles in medical, chemical, and other scientific journals and was vice-president of the Bristol Microscopical Society.

In 1852 one of his pupils found that adding iodine to the urine of a dog that had been fed quinine produced unusual green crystals. Herapath noticed while studying the crystals under a microscope that they appeared to polarize light and patented the discovery for optical use as Herapathite. He described it as artificial tourmaline, a semi-precious gem. He went on to develop new analytical techniques for the detection and analysis of alkaloid compounds based on the optical and chemical characteristics of their iodo-sulphates. He also designed a new combustion blowpipe for organic analyses and developed spectroscopic techniques for detecting traces of blood.