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Alexander Wynter Blyth, son of a medical practitioner of Woolwich (South East London) was born August 29th. 1844. He was educated for the medical profession at King’s College, London, where he showed his early interest in chemistry. He graduated in 1870 and the same year obtained Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons. Later, he studied law and was called to the Bar as a member of Lincoln’s Inn. In 1878 he was appointed Public Analyst for Totnes, and subsequently for the County of Devon, in 1879 for Tiverton, and in 1882 Medical Officer of Health and Public Analyst for the London borough of St. Marylebone. He occupied the dual post at St. Marylebone for 30 years, then resigned the medical portion but remained their Public Analyst until his death, at the age of 76.

In the early days of the “Sale of Food and Drugs” Acts (1860, 1875, 1879, 1899- ) the appointments of Medical Officer of Health and that of Public Analyst were frequently held by the same individual 3. It was quite a common practice for medical men to spend a few months in the laboratory of a chemist to acquire some idea into the duties of what was then regarded as a subsidiary appointment. Under such conditions it is not surprising that many of the early medical Public Analysts were not competent chemists, that their results were often challenged and that few improvements in the methods of analysis originated with them. However some were essentially chemists who had taken medical qualifications to devote themselves to questions of public health, because at the time there was little opportunity for success in the practice of purely professional as opposed to academic chemistry. The Society of Public Analysts was founded in 1874 to support the work of Public Analysts 3 and soon after, in 1877, the Institute of Chemistry to raise professional standards, more generally, in applied chemistry 4. In 1906 the Society of Public Analysts was incorporated as the Society of Public Analysts and other Analytical Chemists, indicating the increased width of its scope and activities.

Wynter Blyth was a man of great ability and untiring energy for in addition to his duties as Public Analyst he was a diligent and productive researcher, an influential text book author. In addition, he made time to serve many honorary positions connected with his professional interests. These include Presidency of the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of Health, Registrar of the Royal Sanitary Institute, Council Member of the Institute of Chemistry (1891-1893, 1896-1898), Council Member (1877-1879, 1882-1883, 1886-1887 and 1897-1898) and Vice President (1880-1881, 1884-1885 and 1897-1898) of the Society of Public Analysts.

Further detail on his life can be gleaned from an obituary published in the Journal of the Chemical Society:

ALEXANDER WYNTER BLYTH.

BORN AUGUST 29TH 1844;

DIED MARCH 30TH , 1921.

ALEXANDER WYNTER BLYTH, who died in London on March 30th 1921, was the son of a surgeon of Woolwich and was educated at King’s College, London, where he early showed his interest in chemistry. Having obtained the membership of the Royal College of Surgeons, he devoted his attention to public health work and eventually became Medical Officer of Health and Public Analyst for St. Marylebone and Public Analyst for the County of Devon.

After occupying the dual appointment at St. Marylebone for upwards of thirty years, he resigned the medical portion, remaining Public Analyst until his death at the age of seventy-six.

Wynter Blyth was a man of great ability and untiring energy, and in addition to occupying most of the honorary positions connected with public health affairs, including the presidency of the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of Health and the Registrar

of the Royal Sanitary Institute, he found time to become a barrister-at-law of Lincoln’s Inn and to write four or five books on hygiene and public health.

As a chemist, Wynter Blyth was best known as the author of two standard works-“ Foods : their Composition and Analysis,” and “ Poisons : their Effects and Detection.” Both have passed through several editions, the last, on poisons, in the preparation of which he was assisted by his son, having only recently been published, and his death found him in the midst of the revision of “ Foods,’’ another edition of which was shortly to be issued. For

both these books he did a large amount of original chemical work in the investigation of new processes or in the attempt to improve the older ones described therein, his most recent researches dealing with the reactions of the alkaloids and the separation of the acids of butter-fat. He was also engaged in experiments on microcrystallography and was keenly interested in spectroscopic work.

He was one of the pioneers of bacteriology in this country.

Outside his work Wynter Blyth took a lively interest in everyday affairs, was a genial companion, an enthusiastic motorist, and latterly a not unsuccessful farmer.

As a man of his energetic temperament would wish, Wynter Blyth died quite suddenly in the midst of his work. He leaves a son and two daughters and a large number of friends to mourn his loss, amongst the latter being many who were much indebted to him for the help and kindness he was ever ready to extend.

J. K. C.

RECORDS

Marriage entry

1881 census.

Obituary from the Journal of the Chemical Society

Article on the Journal of the Association of Public Analysts website.