Thomas Graham


1805 - 1869

Statue of Thomas Graham in George Square, Glasgow
©2022 Gazetteer for Scotland

Statue of Thomas Graham in George Square, Glasgow

Chemist. Born in Glasgow, the son of a textile manufacturer, Graham was educated at Glasgow Grammar School and the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1824. He went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, working there for a time before being appointed Professor of Chemistry at Anderson's Institution (now the University of Strathclyde) in 1830. In 1837, Graham moved to a Chair in the University of London. He is best remembered for "Graham's Law" on the diffusion of gases, but is also regarded as the father of colloid chemistry. He invented the precursor of the dialysis machine which today is vital to those suffering from kidney disease.

He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and is commemorated by a statue in George Square in Glasgow.


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