THE LAUGHING BOY

Above: Gas bag used by Humphry Davy (1778-1829) in his experiments on nitrous oxide laughing gas. © Royal Institution / Bridgeman Images Below: Satirical illustration by James Gillray, 1802. Thomas Young (left) and Humphry Davy (right) demonstrate “the powers of air” at the Royal Institution.  © Science Museum Group London

...One of his inventions earned him the nickname "the laughing boy."

Cornelis Raedts, the collector of the Davy lamp presented here, tells the story as follows: “One day, Davy was ambushed by his master, and he then asked him to smell a bottle. Upon doing so, the apothecary felt an irresistible urge to laugh. What had happened? Humphry Davy had supposedly discovered nitrous oxide.” (Kruizinga 1953: 68). As a result, he was dismissed, but he didn’t remain unemployed for long. Davy continued studying chemistry and physics, and later discovered potassium and sodium. His developments made him famous throughout England, leading to his election as president of the Royal Society in 1820.

_{(Kruizinga, J.H.: VIII Van fakkel tot mijnlamp. In: Ontmoetingen met Verzamelaars. 1953, pp. 67/68)}