Thomas Thomson was born in 1773. He received his MD from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1799. he contributed articles to Encyclopaedia Britannica, and published System of Chemistry, 1802 . He opened a chemical laboratory for instruction, which was said to be the first ever in England. he invented Alan's Saccharometer. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1811 . After visiting Sweden in 1812, he published an account of his travels there. In 1817, he moved to Glasgow, Scotland, where he became a lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, and afterwards was appointed Regius Professor of Chemistry. He was a known supporter of Dalton's atomic theory. Among his many scientific publications was An Attempt to Establish the First Principles of Chemistry by Experiment, 1825 . He died in 1852 .
Source: Dictionary of National Biography, (London, 1903).
From the guide to the Papers of Thomas Thomson, 1773-1852, chemist, 1834, (Glasgow University Library, Special Collections Department)
