Divers - Edward Divers

British chemist. Foreign teacher. Born in London, he studied chemistry at the Royal School of Chemistry for a year under Professor Hoffman and his assistant Crookes. One of his classmates was Perkin, who later discovered synthetic aniline. In 1854, he became an assistant at Queen's College in Ireland, and obtained his medical doctorate in 1860. In 1866, he left Ireland and taught pharmacology, physics, and forensic medicine at Queen's College in Birmingham and other institutions, during which he conducted research on ammonium carbonate and nitrite, and achieved accomplishments such as discovering hyponitrite. However, perhaps because he did not receive an education at a top university, he was not given a position commensurate with his achievements. In 1873 (Meiji 6), he was invited by the Ministry of Public Works of Japan to become a teacher at the Engineering School (which became the Imperial College of Engineering in 1877) with Dyell and others. With the abolition of the Ministry of Public Works, he was appointed as a teacher at the newly established Faculty of Science of the Imperial University in 1886 along with Professor Joji Sakurai, and taught inorganic chemistry until his return to Japan in 1899. Among his pupils were Takamine Jokichi, Kawakita Michitada (1853-1924), Haga Tamemasa (1856-1914), Shimizu Tetsukichi (?-1896), and Shimose Masachika, among others, and together with them he energetically researched new methods for separating selenium and tellurium, and compounds of nitrogen and sulfur.

He suffered from eye disease as a child and had poor eyesight, and in 1884 a bottle of phosphorus oxychloride exploded, nearly leaving him blind. However, he remained undeterred and devoted himself to research and teaching, inspiring his students. Misfortune followed, and he lost his only son in 1891 and his wife in 1897. His two daughters married Frenchmen and Englishmen. In 1885, the Chemical Society recognized his achievements by making him a Fellow, and after returning to Japan in 1899, he served as Vice-President of the Chemical Society (1900) and President of the Society of Chemical Industry (1905), among other positions. There is a bronze statue of him in the courtyard of the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo.

[Taoist Dashuang August 21, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスの化学者。お雇い外国人教師。ロンドンに生まれ、王立化学学校で1年間ホフマン教授とその助手クルックスに化学を学ぶ。同級生に、のちに合成アニリンを発見するパーキンがいた。1854年アイルランドのクイーンズ・カレッジの助手になり、1860年医学博士を取得。1866年この地を去り、バーミンガムのクイーンズ・カレッジほかで薬物学、物理学、ミドルセックス病院医学校で法医学の講師を務め、この間に炭酸アンモニウムや亜硝酸塩の研究を行い、次亜硝酸塩を発見するなどの業績をあげた。しかし、一流の大学の教育を受けていないためもあってか業績に応じたポストは与えられなかった。1873年（明治6）日本の工部省に招かれて、ダイエルらとともに工学寮工学校（1877年工部大学校となる）教師となり、工部省廃止に伴い、1886年新設の帝国大学理科大学教師に桜井錠二教授とともに就任、1899年の帰国まで無機化学を教えた。門下から高峰譲吉、河喜多能達(かわきたみちただ)（1853―1924）、垪和為昌(はがためまさ)（1856―1914）、清水銕吉（鉄吉）（？―1896）、下瀬雅允(しもせまさちか)らが育つが、彼らとともにセレンとテルルの新分離法、窒素や硫黄(いおう)の化合物について精力的に研究した。

　幼時に眼病を患い、視力が低かったうえに、1884年オキシ塩化リンの瓶が爆発し失明寸前に至ったが、ひるまず研究、教育に打ち込み学生らを感動させた。不幸は重なり、1891年ひとり息子を、1897年には妻を失う。娘2人はフランス人、イギリス人と結婚した。1885年その業績を認めたケミカル・ソサイエティーは彼をフェローに選び、1899年帰国後ケミカル・ソサイエティー副会長（1900）、ソサイエティー・オブ・ケミカル・インダストリー会長（1905）などを歴任した。東京大学理学部化学科の中庭には彼の青銅像がある。

［道家達將　2018年8月21日］

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